Seeing the Northern Lights has been on my bucket list since I was a child. I dreamed of seeing the dancing colors appearing in the sky. Recently I decided I was going to make that dream come true, so I booked a full package in Lapland Finland. We stayed in Lake Inari, way up in the Arctic Circle. Spending time laying on the frozen lakes and seeing the lights in the wide open sky had to be one of the best experiences of our lives.
While doing a brief search, I came across Aurora Zone, based in the UK. They had several package options to choose from, but ultimately went with a 5 day, 4 night vacation package. Everything was included except the flights to London from NYC, and the whole holiday was centered on seeing the Aurora. This trip was just the two of us, since this was before our daughter was born, although we would love to bring her someday.
Note: We use affiliate links in this post. This helps us to continue providing great content. For more info you can read our full disclosure here.
In This Article
Best Time to See the Northern Lights
What to Wear to Finland
Travel to the Nellim Wilderness Lodge
Reindeer Farm, Snowmobile, Ice Fishing, Aurora Camp
Husky Sledding, Aurora Camp, Aurora Bubble
Snowshoeing, Snowmobile to the Russian Border, Aurora Camp
Head Back Home
Being able to see the Northern Lights is only possible during certain months of the year. Usually between September and March is ideal. Going as far north as you can gives a better chance, which is why we chose Lapland, Finland. The winter months (December-February) have longer nights of darkness, so that also increases your chances. Either way you are truly lucky to see them and it’s a must have experience at least once in your life!
Although the outer layer of winter gear will be provided, you still need to get some items for the trip. This includes merino wool under layers, warm coat, baklava, warm hat, two pairs of gloves, long wool socks, snow boots that protect against very cold temperatures, feet and hand warmers, and extra camera batteries.
The entrance to Nellim Wilderness Hotel
Aurora Zone took care of the entire trip, we just had to show up which was so nice! I’m used to spending countless hours researching and DIYing our trips, that it was great to have it all done for us. They chose the Nellim Wilderness Hotel for our entire stay, and we absolutely loved it. The staff and team were amazing and took care of us like family.
Everything was included at the hotel: food, winter gear, and all of the activities. Food was served buffet style and was an absolute treat. You’ll enjoy the hearty cuisine, perfect after a long day out in the frigid cold.
Kotimaailma Apartments Rovaniemi: Great value apartment!
Santa Claus Holiday Village: A splurge for the magical experience!
See more: Accommodations in Lapland Finland
In order to get to the hotel, we had a full day of travel ahead of us. Depending on where you live, you may have to fly to London first. Since our package only included all flights to and from London, we had to purchase airfare from NYC separately. I booked our flights to London early in the event of delays. Although we had quite a long layover in the airport, at least we wouldn’t miss our flight!
The outside of the main hotel lodge and dining hall
Reindeer soup, berry juice and bread served on arrival
The dining area in the main lodge
Wild creatures decorating the walls of the lodge dining room
After arriving in Helsinki, we took another smaller flight to Ivalo. Once we got to the hotel van picked us up and drove us about 30 minutes through the Finnish wilderness to get there. Traveling here is quite tiring, so you’ll enjoy the cozy ambiance and fire in the lounge area. Warm reindeer soup and berry juice is served upon welcoming. The lodge was decorated in Scandinavian style, adorned with reindeer horns and other wild creatures.
Our room was very cozy with simple decor and felt like a cabin. We truly enjoyed the heated floors in the bathroom, it felt so great to warm up after all the outdoor activities. Although it was unusually warm during our time there, it was a lot colder than we are used to. The arctic air is quite different than that in America!
With a good night’s rest we woke up to have breakfast in the lodge. My favorite thing every morning was the waffles and jams with fresh yogurt and berries. I must have had this every day, the thin style waffles were just splendid. There was a buffet with several types of food available. They usually had cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt and waffles with various toppings. Food was definitely plentiful and there was a lot of variety to accommodate different diets.
The snowmobiles all lined up and ready to go!
Seikai all geared up and ready to ride!
We headed back to our room after breakfast to gear up for the outdoor activities. It takes about 10-15 minutes just to put all the gear on properly, which you’ll want to do to keep warm in the frigid cold. Our first activity for the day was snowmobiling to a reindeer farm. Before heading on our journey, we practiced and did a short lesson around the property. It’s fairly easy to do and so much fun! Along the way we drove through the Finnish wilderness, which is quite beautiful.
The reindeer roaming around the farm
As we arrived to the farm, we were greeted by a Sámi herder who showed us around. Being a herder is passed down generations and very important to the culture. It was interesting to learn more and see a much different way of life. His life as a herder was decided for him at birth, and he dedicates his whole life to it, which is amazing to see.
The herder feeding the reindeer
Feeding the reindeer out of my hands, so cool!
After a brief introduction he led us over to the reindeer to help feed them. Reindeer are magical creatures and also very gentle. They were a bit spooked, so it took awhile for them to eat right out of your hands. I found that kneeling down lower and holding my hands out helped.
The outside of the kota or Finnish BBQ hut
The inside of the kota, gathered around the fire
Next, he brought us inside the traditional round Finnish BBQ hut called a kota. It had seating around the perimeter with a fire in the middle. The fire made it so cozy as he served us berry juice. We warmed up around a bit and learned more about the typical day of a Sámi reindeer herder.
Getting a brief lesson on ice fishing
Seikai drilling the hole in the ice
Optional Tour
Although our package included all activities, next time we might consider DIY style. This tour is very similar to what we did with a visit to a reindeer farm by snowmobile, and also riding on a husky sled. A truly magical experience!
Our next activity was ice fishing, a daily thing for the Sámi people. The herder brought us across to a large frozen lake where we setup. After watching his demonstration of how to ice fish, and successfully catch some fish we were given the opportunity to try it ourselves. Needless to say it is very difficult to drill a deep hole and catch the fish! I can’t imagine having to do this for survival.
Gathering around the fire for lunch
In between ice fishing we gathered around a fire and had reindeer soup with berry juice for lunch. These are common to have in Finland and both so delicious. By this time the sun was already getting low in the sky as the days are still quite short. Typically this time of year it gets dark by 4:30pm. We headed back to the hotel on our snowmobiles during sunset which was beautiful to see. I’ll always remember the orange sun reflecting off the glittery snow.
The sunset on our snowmobile trip back
Typically after the day’s activities there a bit of leisure time after dinner. The food was quite hearty and will warm your body up nicely. They consisted of mostly stews, meats, potatoes and various salads. There were also desserts like cakes and fruit pastries. The dishes varied every evening, but overall it was similar cuisine. It was all very fresh and delicious and so easy just to have it all ready for us.
Later in the evening was time to hunt for the aurora. We bundled up in our gear and got into a few larger sleighs that were pulled by snowmobiles. The sleighs had reindeer hides in them which kept us so warm. We drove across frozen lakes and through the wilderness away from any light pollution. Here we sat in the snow sitting and waiting for them to make an appearance. The hotel staff made a fire and brought hot berry juice so we could warm up occasionally. There was also a heated hut nearby that we could escape to if we felt too cold. Unfortunately this evening we didn’t see them as the cloud cover was too thick. After a few hours of waiting we headed back to the lodge.
One of the biggest things we were looking forward to was the husky sled expedition. As usual we had our hearty breakfast, got geared up and went out to meet the huskies. Their homes were located right on the property so we were able to just walk over to them. We didn’t get to pet them at this point as their main focus was to pull us across the wilderness.
Ready for our husky expedition!
Starting off on our journey on the husky sled
We’ve reached the frozen lake!
Each of us had four huskies per sled, one person sitting, and the other one controlling it. They pulled us for about an hour across the frozen lakes before taking a break. During the break we drank berry juice to warm up. We then headed back on another route that was a big longer. The total time was around 2.5 hours from start to finish. It was so much fun experiencing being pulled by the huskies, I imagine how rough those dog sled races must be!
Working hard to pull us across the frozen lake
Petting and playing with the huskies after the journey
After the trip we were able to pet and play with the huskies. This was their “reward” for a hard day’s work. They were so friendly and it was so nice to be able to interact with them. It seemed like they truly enjoyed it and felt proud of the work they put in. This was definitely a highlight of our trip.
A red barn we came across while exploring
Church near the hotel property
Walking back to the property through the birch trees
We got back earlier than the previous day, so you’ll have a lot of leisure time before dinner. With all the free time, we decided to take a walk around the area to explore. We came across some Finnish houses and a church and took a few photos. It was interesting to see the simple way of life way up here. There was not much around which made me realize just how secluded we were.
As usual, we head out for our nightly routine of aurora hunting. This time we went to a different spot, a bit further out and more isolated. At first we didn’t see anything so we felt discouraged. Coming all the way up here you’ll definitely hope that you see them, but it’s not always the case. An hour or so passed and we still hadn’t seen them.
The aurora finally makes an appearance!
Suddenly as we were about to head out, they made their appearance (yay!) It wasn’t as intense as I had hoped, but they were still there dancing in the sky. It was so incredible to witness this amazing natural phenomenon. We saw colors of green, pink and purple however the camera mostly captures the green. We had tripods all setup in hopes to get a great shot. They only lasted about ten minutes then faded away.
Aurora Photography Tour
If you’re planning this trip yourself, you’ll definitely want to go aurora hunting! This photography tour brings you to a few locations to see the aurora! It includes transportation, warm winter gear, headlamps, and guides to help with photos. Great for those who want a nice capture as a memory!
The aurora bubble from the outside
Our view from inside the aurora bubble
I was quite excited about the lights showing up since I had booked the Aurora Bubble for this night. It’s essentially a round tiny house with a glass ceiling open to the sky, almost resembling an igloo. Inside there was champagne and sweets waiting for us. There was also a bathroom, but no shower. The bed was centered underneath the open ceiling and we could see every star. The aurora faintly reappeared throughout the night and we had a first row seat.
Something else that was special about this night is Seikai and I got engaged! He proposed to me under the aurora and open sky, which will always be an amazing and special memory here.
Seikai trying out snowshoeing for the first time
On our last and final day in Finland we had a fully packed day. Most days started and ended early, so we had a lot to accomplish. The first activity on the agenda is showshoeing. I’ve never done it before so it took some getting used to, but it was actually quite easy to walk through the thicker snow in them. We walked quite a bit through the Finnish wilderness near the property. It was so quiet and peaceful, with the occasional wildlife in sight.
The forests that we walked through during our snowshoeing trip
The campfire lunch during our snowshoe journey
During the walk, our guide showed us various plants along the way that thrive in Finland. The reindeer usually like to feed on vegetation in the forests, but he also pointed out some salt blocks left out for them. We then camped out for a bit to eat lunch. The guide made a fire and prepared hot sausage sandwiches for us. Of course there was warm berry juice as well, which we never got tired of. It was truly refreshing being able to experience the remote forests of Finland. The air felt so crisp and clean, a strong contrast to living in NYC.
Our last snowmobile ride
Group photo at the Russian Border
Sunset view during our last ride
After the snowshoeing adventure we got on the snowmobiles for one last time. This trip was to head to the Russian border, an interesting attraction and a place we were all quite curious to see. When we arrived there’s essentially a large yellow sign up and a warning not to cross the border. The actual border was quite some feet away with a fence. After snapping some pics of ourselves here we headed back to the lodge for our last night.
The lights getting more intense for a moment
As usual, you’ll head out after dinner to the aurora camp to search for the northern lights. We were pretty satisfied after seeing them the previous night, but still hoping to see an even more intense show tonight. The guide will take you to the same spot by the frozen lake, far enough from all noise pollution. It took awhile, but we finally again saw the lights appear and this time even stronger than before! There’s no guarantee that you’ll see them at all during your trip, but we were pretty happy about seeing them twice!
It started to snow as we were leaving the camp. When we got back, we sat outside under the covered seating area to continue looking for the lights, however with cloud cover there was no luck. After a long and fun-filled final day we all headed to our rooms for one last night’s sleep here.
The next morning you’ll have one last breakfast, then get on the shuttle bus to the airport. There’s a small souvenir shop at the main lodge with various Finnish goodies, so we grabbed a few before boarding the bus.
We truly enjoyed our stay at Nellim Wilderness Lodge in Lapland Finland. Everything was perfectly organized and we loved not having to plan anything. We highly recommend Aurora Zone for any Northern Lights holiday, as they specialize in the best locations to view them. It was truly wonderful to witness the beauty of the aurora and will definitely use this company again once we go back.
Have you ever seen the Northern Lights? If so, where?
Show us some love and pin for later!
The beauty of Porto, Portugal will remain ingrained in my memory. The sounds of music…
Exploring a country by car is the best way to see it all. I have…
There are so many wonderful places to visit in Portugal, and Obidos is one you…
I still remember it vividly as we approached Monsanto, Portugal after driving through vineyards, and…
Sintra Portugal is what fairytales are made of. Stunning greenery, charming cobblestone streets, ornate palaces,…
We spent 3 days in Lisbon as part of a ten day journey in Portugal.…
This website uses cookies.
View Comments
Love this blog post Christie! A place few of us will get to see, thank you for sharing, especially about getting engaged here!
Hi Lorri! Thanks so much for your kind comment :). Really glad you enjoyed it, hope you can make it here someday!
Hello, your post was very useful. Which month of the year was it? I'd like to go in December but don't know how many hours of light I'll get. I'd go to Levi or Ivalo
Hi Chiara! Glad you found it useful. We went in early March. I've heard December is a great time to go, but I think the days are much shorter then. Hope you enjoy your time there!