Wilderness Safaris Saariselka, Lapland, Finland

5Pushnik89 5:00 PM Feb 11, 2017

Amazeballs
The best place to stay in Saariselkä for sure! I ended up extending my stay simply for the amazing staff they've got. Markku, the "crazy boy from Lapland", is clearly very passionate about what he does and it shows in the quality of service his company provides. I ended up extending my trip because I was having such a great time, and by the end of my stay I was already thinking of how I can hopefully come and work for him someday! :P Top notch guides, like Jani who took me on the best 4hr snowmobile ride of my life. He took great pictures and videos and he even brought me for a thrilling ride in the deep snow on the back of his snowmobile when I was too nervous to go alone. I loved riding with him so much I booked two other snowmobile tours (nighttime safari and icenfishing). He always took me to some beautiful places and I had a great time hearing his stories and learning from him. Kaj took me on a snowshoe ride to a nearby teepee and made a fire. He told stories of life in the area and what it was like to build the activity center. I enjoyed listening to him talk and learned a lot from him! Eerikki took me to the lake and took great pictures of the aurora. Highly recommend the lake activity because all three times there were Aurora visible even though it was cloudy back at the hotel. Eerikki had some fascinating facts about working as a writer for a wilderness magazine. Both times I went to the lake Dominic made a fire and served up some snacks. He spoke about the surrounding wildlife and about the special wood they use for fires. It was great talking to him about life in Finland as well. Petri is always smiling and happy and an absolute joy to be around. He is a very interesting man with many great stories and lots of knowledge. He is very friendly and always up for making the crowd laugh. Ari is the reindeer expert who took me on a relaxing safari in the woods. He even took pictures of me in the sleigh and told me about growing up in Finland. Jukka did the covered sleigh tour which was smooth and warm on the reindeer pelts. Even though we didn't see the Aurora that night, Ioved listening to his stories around the campfire. The always-entertaining Irokeesi made the fire and served snacks and was entertaining simply by being himself. He's very friendly and I had fun just by being around him. The reception and restaurant crew is equally amazing. Very helpful and accommodating. Anna, Katri, Johanni, and André were very welcoming and friendly, eager to give their advice on different activities. It was great to talk to them about what brought them to the company. And of course there is Gustavo and Alex who showed me the nightlife and were fun guys to talk to and be around. I had an amazing time with this group of people and by the end of it all they seemed more like friends than workers. Highly recommend their tours as well as a stay in the beautiful cabins as well. Treat them kindly and they will go above and beyond for you. Looking forward to seeing you all again soon! That Canadian girl, Laura

5kentcritic 5:00 PM Jun 11, 2016

Highlight of our trip - snowmobiling!
We did this excursion back in December but I have only just got round to doing this review! On our trip to Lapland, out of a few excursion companies we used, I can honestly say Wilderness Safaris was by far the best! Markku was fantastic - full of knowledge and made the whole experience fantastic! Myself and my partner was the only two booked on the snowmobiling to search for the northern lights! We went out into the forests, the snow was falling & it was so magical. Markku stopped us at a teepee out in the snow and lit a fire where we sat on reindeer rugs! He cooked us salmon on rye bread, local sausages and served us hot berry juice! We talked all about the local area and learnt so much. Although we didn't see the northern lights, it was such an amazing experience and we couldn't fault the service from Markku! Highly recommend! And if we return soon to Lapland, we will use him again!