A tricky thing to arrange for our trip was the opportunity to see the Northern Lights. Night time small group trips get really expensive (because they often include a guided drive), plus they go quite late into the night. And we didn’t want to pay a small fortune to take kids with us who would just fall asleep or whine.
So we took a chance on a Wild About Lapland visit to a traditional reindeer farm. I don’t think it’s on their website - because there were 10 of us, they arranged something a little bespoke (I think they advertise groups for up to 8). My experience of Wild About Lapland was great - they were quick to reply and really helpful.
I notice they do now advertise a family friendly hunt for the Northern Lights so that might be worth checking out.
Anyway, the theory with our outing was that, as it was at night in the middle of December, there was a chance we’d see the Northern Lights even though it was early in the evening - about 8-9pm. But we didn’t. The sky was a beautiful purple and it was a fantastic experience, but we didn’t actually see the Northern Lights. It was still a highlight of the trip though, and I’d really recommend it.
It took about 20-30 minutes to drive out to the reindeer farm, in a people carrier from the Wild About Lapland offices which were a 15 minute walk from our hotel. (We had 2 drivers take our party of 10.) We’d only just arrived that afternoon so we didn’t really appreciate how good it was to get out of the city at the time, but I’m really glad we did venture further from the lights of the more built up areas as it was so peaceful at the farm.
I’d imagined we’d maybe have 2 sleighs between us - the sort of sleigh Father Christmas would use, pulled by 6 reindeer, big enough for a massive sack of presents - but I was very wrong! We grouped into pairs, and each paid had their own sleigh, pulled by 1 reindeer. The reindeers were all tied together so we were in a “caravan” and it meant there were no stragglers at the back - the whole caravan stayed together. Apparently some reindeers like to lead, some don’t, some are fussy about their position in the caravan, others aren’t, and they’re all accommodated by the farm team.
Ends up there’s so much more to learn about reindeer than I expected! We had our ride which was honestly about the most peaceful, tranquil thing I’ve ever experienced - a convoy of reindeers padding through a silent forest - it was wonderful and a brilliant first night.
A lot of the ride was through a wood, but at one point we opened out into more of a common / field and that’s really when we could see how beautiful the sky was. We’d been asked to stay quiet so as not to spook the reindeer and so it was just magical.
The reindeer pulling my husband and son behind us actually chose to walk alongside / next to me for most of the ride, which was a little disconcerting at first as I kinda had this quite big animal’s head right next to me with no “supervising adult” nearby! But he was fine.
There were reindeer skins to sit on and then a blanket to cover up with, and with our hire clothes (especially our mittens) we were nice and toasty.
My just-4 year old was my partner, and after a while of chatting he started singing Christmas songs… and sang himself to sleep! Which was about the cutest thing ever.
After the ride we were shown into a little round wooden hut with a fire burning in the middle, and served a warm fruity drink (kinda like a warm punch or Pimms) and given cinnamon swirl rolls, whilst the reindeer farmer told us all about reindeer and answered loads of our questions.
We heard how the reindeer roam free, and are rounded up at certain times of the year when all the farmers in the area count the babies and decide whose is whose, and how the police get annoyed when they turn up in the middle of the city eating the shrubbery! We also heard about how many years it can take to train a reindeer to pull a sleigh and how they go at the reindeer’s own pace and stick to what they’re comfortable with.
My son’s questions were mainly around other wildlife in the area as he’d wondered, when we were out in the dark, if there could have been bears, wolves and lynx around. Apparently the bears were hibernating, the wolves wouldn’t come near people, but the farmer had seen a lynx that afternoon…..!
I find it quite hard to be “present” and “in the moment” as my head is always racing, especially after a day travelling / getting 3 kids to another country / arranging the itinerary of a trip for 10 people AT CHRISTMAS when there’s so much else to do too - but I think anytime I need to slow down now I’ll just think of the quietness of that ride and the purple of that sky and I’ll just feel peaceful and calm again.
Incase it’s not obvious, I’d highly recommend a visit to the reindeer farm! Ends up the farm was SieriPoro Safaris, but we organised it via Wild About Lapland who were a great company to arrange it through if you don’t go directly. We only didn't go directly because we found Wild About Lapland first - and the mini bus was super easy.
My full series of guides for Rovaniemi, Finland:
- The Ultimate Guide to Finnish Lapland, Rovaniemi
- Scandic Pohjanhovi: a review of a Rovaniemi City Centre hotel
- Wild About Lapland bespoke reindeer sleigh ride
- SnowGlow Winter Park in Rovaniemi
- Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi - a detailed guide
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