Before I became a travel blogger, I was certain that I was a summer person. I did not like the cold or snow and I certainly would never choose a sun&sea holiday over a snow&mountains one. Well, one day I decided to give the mountains a shot, back in 2012, when Hemsedal tourism invited us to spend . What can I say, I never looked back. I’m not 100% converted when it comes to my infinite love of warm weather and beaches but I now make an effort to have at least one or one trip to a ski resort every year.
This year I decided to leave my comfort zone and agreed to join a group trip, a week in Finnish Lapland organised by , the world’s largest manufacturer for kids outdoor clothing. As one of Finland’s strongest export brands it only makes sense for Reima and team up with Visit Finland and invite a group of bloggers, journalists and other families out to Ruka, in Finland on a once in a lifetime adventure holiday. What was special about this trip was the focus on the children and not on us as bloggers. Spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, sleds instead of snowboards, 7pm nights instead of bar-hopping. With 76 kids on the so called Kidventure, every child was certain to make a friend or many and have a good time.
After a short flight from Helsinki to Kuusamo in Finnish Lapland, we were then brought to Ruka Village, where everyone stayed in simple but cozy apartments, complete with a full kitchen and – true to Finnish lifestyle – a sauna! All the kids received a full Reima snow outfit upon arrival, ensuring all the minis were dressed perfectly for this weather and the activity level we would maintain throughout the week. Every day featured an action-packed itinerary and getting bored was never an option. I knew you could do a lot of stuff other than skiing in Finland, but I was really surprised by just how many kidfriendly activities there were. Rather than listing all the stuff we did, I will focus on presenting you the top 3 spots worth visiting when in Ruka, of course with plenty of reasons why.
A trip to this place was definitely my favorite part of the week, since there is so much to do here that I loved and that really is fun for all the family. Come here to feed the rein deer with some moss and get comfy inside a sleigh being pulled by Sven, Heika or Seymour. Rudolph was unfortunately unavailable for sleigh-riding, but the other 3 did just fine. €15 per person for a 3-minute ride.
Atlas dressed in Reima, head to toe
After the rein deer we wasted no time to move on to the next adventure: dog-sledding! Dog-sledding in Norway is one of my favorite memories ever, so to have another go at it and to bring Atlas for his first time was super special to me. Rides are 2,5km long and through a beautiful forest and you’d typically go alone with a sleigh just for you and your company. €30 per ride and person.
And I cannot write about Lammintupa without at least a quick mention of their awesome pancakes. They make them outside, over an open fire and serve them with berries and whipped cream. They are best enjoyed on one of the many outdoor tables with reindeer fur-lined wooden chairs.
We only got a glimpse of Isakki Village when we visited because as my research told me, there is so much to it! This is probably the one place I would most like to stay in when visiting Finnish Lapland, there is a wealth of awesome looking accommodation here reaching from glass bungalows (for the perfect northern light show!) to your own cozy ice igloo made entirely of ice. Definitely no need to leave the window open when sleeping here!
There is also an epic full of wonderful experiences such as ice-fishing, snow-mobiling to the Russian boarder, dog-sledding, river floating, snow-shoeing and much more. We got to do a tour on snow-mobiles, went ice-fishing and had a bag of fun sledging and playing in the snow while sipping on wooden cups of hot juice and warming our hands by an open fire. You can’t experience Finland more than you can here.
Seeing Oulanka National Park was the last stop on our itinerary and thankfully so, because this was a real highlight. Equipped with snow-shoes we wandered through a beautiful forest, sun peeking through, with air so clean and crisp I wanted to bottle it up and take it home. We paused right by a gorgeous white water river, perfect for taking some snaps and sipping on grilling some marshmallows by an open fire. Needless to say the kids were delighted at this adventure. What am I saying – everyone was delighted!
I really enjoyed our time in Finland, given my chance again I would even extend my stay and add on a couple of days in ! Either way, the next time I go I make seeing the Northern lights a must-do and I will be sure to book accommodation that let’s me do so easily, after all this is the land of the glass-ceiling bungalow!
What would be on your bucket list for Finnish Lapland?
