DAY 1: REINDEER, POLAR DOGS & BROWN BEARS! (L, S)
Visit of a Traditional Reindeer Farm
Meet the most iconic animal of Lapland! Accompanied by your guide, you will visit one of the most traditional reindeer farms in Southern Finnish Lapland, located on the shores of a peaceful bucolic lake. As you enter the place, the herders will greet you and show you around their farm. You will have the chance to get closer to the animals and feed them yourself with lichen or hay. This is perfect time to take some pictures with those lovely animals!
During summertime, the antlers of the reindeer are growing to reach their maturity in September. The males will look very strong and beautiful with their ornamented heads!
The visit will warmly end around the fire, with some cookies and hot drinks. The herders will provide you with very informative explanation of reindeer husbandry in the Arctic and will answer any of your questions.
Polar Dogs
After the morning visit you will enjoy a typical lunch around the open fire before hitting the road again. Your guide will then drive you to an ethical family-sized kennel that hosts around 45 fluffy Polar dogs. The lovely dogs will be excited as soon as they see you! As the temperature is warm in summer you will be able to visit the kennel and meet the sledding dogs and their mushers. They will also share you about their passion and the lifestyle of their beloved animals by answering all your questions.
(As soon as summer is over and the temperatures get cold enough, the mushers need to train their dog teams. In Autumn, even if the snow has not arrived yet in Lapland, it is then possible to enjoy a wheel cart ride with the dogteam - please request it as an extra)
Bear-Watching Overnight in a Wilderness Cabin
This is the climax of your animal trip! As you arrive to the limits of Finland, you will already feel the call of the wild! Your guide will lead you to a bear-watching hut in the middle of the wilderness.
You will probably already spot some marks and footprints left by the bears on the ground, as you walk to the remote cabin. Inside the hut, there are many large windows and special places to install our cameras, so that you do not miss anything of the show!
Bear watching is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Quiet, calm, a professional bear-watcher will explain you more about the lives of the bears, while you will be waiting for the massive animals to approach the cabin. Soon, the bears should come, as dusk colours start covering the Autumn sky. They would be looking for food in the surrounding bogs, offering their large furry figures to your eyes and cameras.
Wildlife is always unpredictable, and you may have to wait for a few hours before some bears appear. Cold snacks and drinks will be provided for the evening. Unfortunately, it is impossible to cook in the hut, as the smell and noise may affect the behaviour of the bears walking all around you!
Comfortable bunk beds are installed in the cabin, so you can use them whenever you need a rest. Warm sleeping bags and dried toilets will offer you a bit of comfort during this adventurous night!
DAY 2: WILDLIFE PARK (B, L)
Ranua Wildlife Park (with restaurant lunch)
In the morning, you will get a small breakfast with hot drinks. Then, you will take the car for the next adventure of your animal trip : the visit of Ranua Wildlife Park. Ranua is the world-northernmost wildlife park and a very popular destination in Lapland. The visit is a great opportunity to meet and learn about all the arctic animals, including polar bears, arctic foxes, eagles and owls, moose, musks, otters, wolves, etc. As you wander throughout the park, your guide will share with you their knowledge of each of them that you spot. At the end of the visit, you should have a sharp knowledge of local animals that reside in the “Far North”!
After the visit, a lunch buffet will be provided at the restaurant of Ranua to fill your stomach.
You should be back to Rovaniemi in early afternoon.
