Rovaniemi: Small-Group Husky Sledding & Arctic Snack Tour

4.81

(139 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We were already halfway down the snowy trail before I realized my cheeks hurt from grinning. The huskies—honestly, they’re louder than you’d think—were yelping and bouncing even before our guide, Sanni, gave us the safety talk at Parpalandia. She had this way of making it all sound simple, even though steering a sled behind six wild-eyed dogs felt anything but. I took the first turn driving while my partner sat bundled under the reindeer skin; I nearly forgot to breathe when we started moving. The air smelled sharp and clean—like pine and something colder than ice.

We switched halfway through, which was good because my arms were jelly by then. I didn’t expect that part. Our group was just eight people (felt like less), so it never got noisy or rushed. Sanni kept checking on us as we glided past birch trees that looked almost blue in the low winter light. At one point, she called out something in Finnish to the lead dog—Li laughed when I tried to repeat it later (I definitely butchered it). There was a pause for photos and just… quiet. You could hear the dogs panting, snow crunching under boots, someone’s muffled laugh drifting back.

Back at the kennel, we shuffled into this smoky-smelling kota where sausages sizzled over a fire and hot berry juice steamed in our hands. My toes finally thawed out. Sanni answered every random question about training huskies—even showed us her favorite dog (she whispered he snores). It wasn’t fancy or staged; just real people who love these animals letting us into their world for a bit. I still think about that moment warming up after all that cold.