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Finland

Arctic Delight

Rovaniemi and Helsinki

Northern LightsAdventure

9 days and 8 nights through Rovaniemi and Helsinki. Takes in Arktikum Science Museum, Santa Claus Office and Santa Park. Shaped around your dates, your hotels and your pace — this is the route as it stands, not a fixed departure.

Suits

  • Travellers who want to be outdoors
  • Chasing the aurora
  • Travellers with a fortnight to give it

Day by day

Day 01

Arrival-Helsinki

Arrival in Helsinki and onward departure to Rovaniemi airport. Private transfer to the Pyhätunturi fell Lapland, one of the rarest destinations in Finland with over 2 billion-year-old history. Check-in to your exclusive wooden cottage with a private sauna and spacious loft. Pickup and transfer from Rovaniemi to Pyhä-Luosto, the first carbon-neutral ski resort in Finland. Fells older than 2.5 billion-year-old, deep gorges slicing through ancient rugged hills, old-growth forests which whisper the stories of forest Sami history and windswept treeless fell-tops -the Pyhä-Luosto Fell region is truly one of the rarest destinations in the world. Check-in to the atmospheric wilderness lakeside resort with the backdrop of the fell scenery of PyhäLuosto National Park, the oldest national park in Finland. We have the evening at leisure to relax and explore the beautiful premises of the lakeside resort on the backdrop of Pyhä fells. Immerse in the relaxing arctic spirit and nature enjoying an exquisite gourmet menu of seasonal ingredients in the fine-dining restaurant Aihki. Return back to Hotel and Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 02

Efatbiking & Foraging Wild Flavors

Breakfast at Hotel. We will be picked up by our wilderness guide for an Efatbiking trip through age-old forests in the PyhäLuosto National Park. The route will be customized to the client's skillset and stamina. In the afternoon, join us for a guided mushrooming and berry picking trip to Pyhä’s best wild berry and mushroom grounds. We get to learn more about the local berries and mushrooms, all the while enjoying the surrounding peaceful scenery. At the end of the trip, we will prepare different dishes from the selfpicked mushrooms and berries at the Resort’s lakeside hut. We will also receive tips for preparing traditional Finnish mushroom and berry dishes. Return back to Hotel and Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 03

Hike Through History

Breakfast at Hotel. We will set off with our wilderness guide for the PyhäLuosto National Park for a wonderful hiking expedition along the over 2.5 billion-year-old gorge Isokuru, the deepest along the lake Pyhänkasteenlämpi (literally meaning 'Holy Baptism lake') until the Pyhänkasteenputous ('Holy Baptism waterfall'). As the names rightly suggest, the area holds tremendous importance to the beginnings of Christianity and the mystical beliefs of Forest Sámi tribes. It is quite an unfathomable and humbling moment to breathe into the same air and walk over the same atoms which have seen the evolution and changes of over two billion years. The guide would enlighten us with the interesting geological history of the area and Sámi culture. Return to the accommodation and have a chance to swim in the lake and enjoy the hotel's relaxing sauna.

Day 04

Summer Night Cruise to an Island Near Arctic Circle

Breakfast & checkout. Transfer to Rovaniemi and check-in to the Arctic Treehouse hotel. In the afternoon, you have private transfer arranged to the Santa Claus Holiday Village for crossing the official Arctic Circle and meeting Santa in a summer mood. The Santa Claus Village is also famous for Finnish design and lifestyle shops with products ranging from top Finnish design to artisanal products using original raw materials from the North. Return transfer to the accommodation and evening at leisure to relax in the Arctic treehouse. In the evening, we will have a chance to cruise through serene landscapes in a steady catamaran boat and experience the summer of the Arctic Circle. Reaching the shores of Kotisaari island, we will step in the world of this tiny river island and will prepare together with our guide, Lappish snacks on openfire. Experience the warmth of the open fire, surrounded by tranquil nature, on an island forgotten by time. Even if the sky is cloudy and the reddish-yellow colour of sun cannot be seen, the summer bright night in the Arctic is an amazing experience. Return back to Hotel and Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 05

Reindeer Farm Visit & Canoeing

Breakfast at Hotel. The best summer combo experience is to feel the complete harmony of Lapland nature - meet its most iconic animal and canoe around one of its many serene lakes, and today we are just going to do that. Our guide will drive us in a very small group (never more than 8 people) to one of the most traditional reindeer farms in Lapland. Those family herders are based just outside of Rovaniemi on the lovely shores of a peaceful lake. We will explore the farm, and will be given a chance to feed them their favourite food, forest lichen, which to reindeer is like chocolate! The visit will end with a very friendly time around the fire in the company of a herder who will answer all our questions on one of the oldest traditions in lapland - reindeer husbandry, and share their passion with us. Once we have had a great time with the reindeer, we will be introduced to the canoes. Our qualified canoe guide will teach us the basic techniques on how to canoe and will provide us with all the safety instructions needed. While paddling, we will feel the peacefulness of the nature surrounding us, and will fully enjoy the beauty of this place. Return transfer to the accommodation.

Day 06

Onwards to Lake Land Saimaa

Breakfast and checkout. Transfer to Rovaniemi airport for onward departure to Helsinki. Arrival at Helsinki airport, where we will pick up the rental car (can be arranged on request or take the train to Mikkeli from where you will be transferred by car to the resort). Drive to our boutique accommodation on Lake Saimaa next to the beautiful Linnansaari national park. Lake Saimaa is a labyrinth formed by wide waters and boasts over 13,000 islands. This is Finland’s largest lake and has the world’s longest lake coastline. It was listed in the Wall Street Journal list of the five most beautiful lakes in the world. Experience a taste of subtle Lakeland luxury staying in a scenic panorama suite on Lake Saimaa, at the boutique Järvisydän lake resort, dating back to 1685 built in a unique medieval style made from stones and over 500-years-old sinker logs recovered from the bottom of the local lake and river bottoms hundreds of years ago. We have the evening at leisure with the unique nature spa. Relax with a small wine tasting of monastic wines, made by the monks at the iconic Valamo monastery in North Karelia.

Day 07

Kaarnetsaari Island Cruise

Breakfast at Hotel. A wooden boat will take us to one of the most beautiful places in Lake Saimaa, the island destination of Kaarnetsaari and we will hike our way to stunning scenery. The island is spiced up with Augmented Reality which lets us to explore Finnish wildlife using our smartphone or tablet. The length of island’s circular nature trail is 1,5 km. Enjoy some waffles at the quaint island cafe (optional) before returning to the mainland. We have the evening at leisure to visit the Spa or explore the nature trails (on a rented efatbike or on foot).

Day 08

Day at Leisure

Breakfast. You have the morning at leisure. Lets try a different sort of lunch today. We will catch our own lunch at Kalaranta! Fish rainbow trout from Kalaranta’s fish pond in Lake Saimaa. The fish will be smoked on the spot to our lunch plate. Delicious!! In the afternoon, we have the chance to drive into Savonlinna to explore the quaint lakeside town and explore Olavinlinna, also known as St. Olaf's Castle, a majestic 15th-century three-tower castle built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the lakes Haukivesi and Pihlajavesi. It is the northernmost medieval stone fortress still standing.

Day 09

Fly Back Home

Breakfast & checkout. Drive back to Helsinki for onward departure.

What the service covers

  • All accommodation as listed, with daily breakfast
  • All ground transport by private, air-conditioned vehicle
  • Meals as named in the day-by-day
  • A licensed guide for every sightseeing day
  • Airport transfers on arrival and departure
  • Entrance fees for the sightseeing named in the itinerary
  • A single named trip designer, reachable by WhatsApp for the whole journey

Not included

  • International flights, unless the itinerary says otherwise
  • Visa fees, travel insurance and anything a government charges directly
  • Meals other than those named in the day-by-day
  • Anything personal — minibar, laundry, spa, tips and porterage
  • Optional experiences and upgrades offered on the ground

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