Finland - Dog Sledding & Snowmobile Safaris
Winter Adventure Holidays
Our winter adventure holidays give you space to find peace. Finland is Europe’s 7th largest country with only 5 million people! It boasts more lakes than any other country linking up to form a vast aquatic system of astonishing beauty.
'Everyman's right' is an age-old concept that gives everyone the right to roam freely no matter who owns the land. However this does not give you the right to infringe on people’s privacy or to damage the environment.
Sauna - smoke and steam but no sex. The Scandinavians will prescribe a sauna to cure all ills. There are over a million saunas in Finland, most of them are private. An invitation to bathe in a family’s sauna is an honour. Finns are quite strict about the nonsexual character of saunas and this should be respected. The ideal temperature of a sauna is about 90ºC, you can use the vasta (bunch of leafy birch twigs) to lightly strike yourself to improve the circulation. When you are sufficiently warmed you can then jump in the lake or sea (in the winter gently lower yourself through an ice hole!!).
Karelia and Kuusamo
Karelia and Kuusamo are a beautiful, wilderness regions on the Russian frontier. This is a land where people respect the countryside and the forces of nature, and where the natural environment is a source of joy and vigour. The Karelia/Kuusamo region is truly a land for the adventurous and a region we believe to be ideal for winter exploration.
Lapland
Lapland stretches across Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia above the Arctic Circle. It is the land of the Sammi people, of reindeer herds and frozen tundra. It is the land of the mid night sun and of total winter darkness. It is the land in which we go on dog and snowmobile and sled safaris!!
Dog & Snowmobile Sled Safaris.
We run dog sled safaris in two different regions. In Lapland our base is a hotel complex and in the evenings when not on safari you will mix with people from all over Europe. Your accommodation will either in the hotel or outlying cabins. Our other venue is on the Russian Frontier where our base is much more remote in a log cabin/lodge. There will be a maximum of 5 people dog sledding or a maximum of 10 on the combined dogsled/snowmobile safari.
Finland freezes in November and unfreezes in April. It is dark over the winter months but by March there are 12 hours of daylight and the snow is normally in excellent condition. It will be cold with temperatures between -10ºC and -5ºC but this is a dry cold, crisp and invigorating, not the damp cold of the British Isles.
The Northern Lights
As dusk deepens the winter sky can be lit up by mesmerising streamers of coloured lights and vibrant blazing arcs as the celestial sphere cracks with electricity. This is the Aurora Borealis. It is usually possible to see it every few nights between January and May when the atmosphere is crystal clear and the nights are cold.
Flights
We now are able to get good deals on direct charter flights to Kuusamo. They come in at around £250 per person which is considerably cheaper than scheduled flight price. However it is advisable to book early to make sure we can get you a seat!
If you would like more information
for a chat.
or email martin@spirit-of-adventure.com.