Things to do & places to visit in Saariselka, Lapland, Finland

Saariselka city in , Finland. Timezone: Europe/Helsinki, current date and time: Tuesday, May 14, 2024, 4:51.

Saariselka Weather Statistics view more »

General weather summary in May

46°F - 33°F

Temperature Highs - Lows

Really cold with a gentle breeze

Feels like

25%

Chance of rain

94.0 millimeters

Amount

10.7 mph

Wind speed

87%

Humidity

21.0

Daylight length

3:05 AM

Sunrise

11:10 PM

Sunset

37%

Cloud cover

Jacket

What to wear

Top things to do (32)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Arctic Timetravels (268 reviews)
- Perfect
Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Safaris • Ski & Snow Tours • Night Tours • Private Tours • Day Trips

It was a great experience! First of all, we had booked for 1th of February but because the sky was so cloudy the company changed the tour for the 2th of the month, which I found really responsible. On 2th the sky was so clear and we went with Ivan, our guide, to a 4.30 hours tour, instead of 3 that the programm was. We saw aurora at all places, but the 4th spot at the end of the tour was the best one and we will never forget it in our lives. We also had berry juice and cookies. Also Ivan had a camera and he took pictures of us. Overall, it was perfect and we will always remember that, especially the last one. Thank you Ivan See more..
5.0 Urho Kekkonen National Park (188 reviews)
- Wilderness on a close range
Tuesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent 1-2 hours National Parks • Hiking Trails • Ski & Snowboard Areas

As the second biggest National Park in Finland this park offers peace and tranquility just few steps from the center of Saariselkä village. You have easy walking routes coming to the border and then short and longer snowshoeing trail. Short one you can do on any weather but the longer one takes you up on the fjell so you don't want to take that in a bad weather. Skiing tracks are going more deeply inside the park. At the summer hiking routes are going everywhere. See more..
5.0 Polar Creek (48 reviews)
- Perfect day ice fishing
Gear Rentals • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Kayaking & Canoeing

We had a perfect day on the snow mobile I’ve fishing safari with our three children aged 6, 12 and 13. This is a small family run business and it feels very personal, our guide was incredibly friendly and welcoming. It was only the five of us and one couple but this is a small group company and it felt very special. The route for the snowmobiles took us through beautiful forests to the lake and home via the hill view of the sunset. At the lake our host taught us how to drill the ice and fish. He also chatted to our kids while we made a fire on the ice and made us sausages and hot juice. I couldn’t recommend this company more highly. See more..
5.0 Polaris Point Horses (39 reviews)
- Great fun in the snow
Tuesday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Horseback Riding Tours

Polaris Point Horses provides horseback riding tours in the wilderness of Lapland for small groups. We operate through the year with strong, calm Finnish horses and friendly guides. During winter we welcome you to join our sleigh rides! See more..
5.0 Roll Outdoors Kiilopää (34 reviews)
- Great fatbiking tour in the snow
Bike Tours • Gear Rentals

We had a wonderful 2-hour tour with Juuso. We both have mountainbiking experience but this was our first time riding in the snow. We really enjoyed it! The trails were great and so was our guide. Trails were not technical (at least not in the conditions we encountered them, relatively hard with fresh snow from the night before) but certainly scenic and enjoyable. The e-fatbikes were in great condition and the tour provided good value for money. Would highly recommend! See more..
5.0 Frozen Ring Circuit (31 reviews)
- Awesome experience in Lapland that can not be missed
Tuesday: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM Safaris • Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Ski & Snow Tours

This was an awesome experience. The track was challenging, the karts have enough power and the staff is great always there to help you when you need but also to prepare the track once it starts getting too bumpy. It should be included on a visit to Lapland the same way the husky experience is. See more..
5.0 LuontoLoma Pro Safaris (21 reviews)
- Service and Quality - Top Level
Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Ski & Snow Tours • Fishing Charters & Tours • Gear Rentals • Kayaking & Canoeing

I did not have any pre booking done and just walked in to the LuontoLoma Pro Safaris office near by our accommodation. Service was really good and helpful. They managed to provide bicycles and kayaks and canoe for two adults and two kids. Bicycles were in top quality, one electric fat bike and three full suspension bicycles. We did cycling trip in a one day around Saariselkä and then canoe trip in another day in Lutto river. Lutto river nature, trip and rapids were really nice and manageable. Our 12 years son managed all the way without any major issues. See more..
5.0 Hippupuoti Gift Shop (20 reviews)
- Lovely little shop
Spent < 1 hour Speciality & Gift Shops

Lovely and inviting little shop. A good variety of souvenirs in there which are a bit different to other shops around. The lady was lovely, helpful and welcoming. See more..
5.0 LappiTrip (13 reviews)
- Excellent
Safaris • Ski & Snow Tours • Taxis & Shuttles • Hiking & Camping Tours • Private Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Day Trips

Husky safari,northern lights hunting,gold panning, meeting Santa. Everything perfect and unique. You must visit Laponia at least once in this life especially for kids. 3 nights are not enough to enjoy everything however we had fun in our short holiday thanks to our programme provided by Lappitrip. Definitely 10 star's and planning to do it again very soon. See more..
5.0 Lapponia Tours (12 reviews)
- TOP prestations
Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Gear Rentals • Private Tours • Day Trips

Nous avons passé 1 semaine en famille (2 adultes + 2 enfants 7!et 9ans) à Saariselska et avons pu faire de nombreuses activités avec Lapponia Tours : moto neige , rando renne, ski de fond + prêt de matériel grand froid.
Impeccable. Sympa , de bons conseils, très dispo et avec le Big smile tout le temps.
Bref : nous recommandons !!! Bonnes expériences à vous. See more..
5.0 Sidetracked Adventures (12 reviews)
- Don’t hesitate get it booked you won’t regret it !!
Multi-day Tours • Ski & Snow Tours • Private Tours • Day Trips

The best adventure break you could wish to go on. The sidetrack team is a handful of people keen to show off the delights of Finland in winter. We had Chris for the week, a guide full of knowledge and skills perfect for the activities we did during the action packed week. The week is well organised and all information pre holiday is good to make sure you know what you need and pack accordingly. Snow shoes, back country skiing, husky sledding, fat biking the fells, overnight cabin stays. What more could you ask for … meet new like minded people, explore Finland (under supervision) and have a brilliant action packed week. Loved it , loved it , loved it . Chris you’re a legend see you in the next one See more..
5.0 Northern Lights Riders (3 reviews)
- Gave us a memory of life time
Cultural Tours • Eco Tours • Private Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Day Trips

We visited on 29 Feb 2020. Even though cloud cover was less as per the app we were following but the KP index was just 3. We were skeptic about seeing the lights. Also the charges for the trip for Northern Light Riders were way higher as compared to other trip providers. However, there website content and what they had written showed a lot of dedication and seemed promising so we chose to take their 4 hour minivan trip and we are really proud of our decision. We were picked up at 7:30 from our place by Timmo. The mini van had a capacity of 12 people. Few people were picked after us. We then were taken to their office somewhere in Inari where we were given proper dressing. We finally started from there at 8:30 around. First went to lake Inari and stopped as northern lights were visible. The first view of northern lights was disappointing and we moved from there. For our second view we literally stopped on road side. Now the lights were visible. We took pictures. Timmo stopped again when he saw a better view of lights compared to earlier and gave us hot berry drink. We clicked pictures again. We taught this was the end of the hunt but the best was yet to come. He started dropping the passengers and after first drop he stopped on roadside and this was it. The most b'ful show, this time lights were visible to the fullest, green and red and pink. It lasted 7-10 mins. We were overwhelmed. Summary: You get pics clicked by guide's better camera, Timmo was cordial and dedicated, clicked lot of pictures, they stop wherever they can to show you a better view. We stopped 4 times, reached our drop point at 12 a.m. which was close to 5 hour trip. They might be expensive but we found it worth the trip. See more..
5.0 LAP Adventures (1 review)
- Great Experience!
Safaris • Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Eco Tours • Hiking & Camping Tours

We rented a canoe and equipment from Sampsa & Lauri, booked transportation with them and spent a few nights in their wonderful cabin. The whole family was extremely hospitable and friendly and everything just worked perfectly. They even picked us up when we had to change our plans unexpectedly and took us to another paddling destination. The cabin was very cosy with an amazing sauna and they offered us great home made food. All in all they offered awesome and very friendly service and we felt really welcome: we can't recommend LAP Adventures highly enough and might come back ourselves anytime! See more..
4.5 Husky & Co (551 reviews)
- 2hr Husky safari
Nature & Wildlife Tours

My 18 y.o daughter and myself did the 2 hr Husky safari, absolutely loved it. We did the shared ride option where you share the driving and riding as a passenger ( as a passenger you can take great photos) was great to experience both. We had two girls in our group who were nervous about driving but staff were very helpful and at the end of the trip both were glad they had a go at driving the sled.. The two hour trip was long enough to get a good feel for the experience as it was very cold but we didn't " freeze" . Staff were very capable and obviously love their dogs (over 200 dogs and they know all by name) Highly recommend the tour, we finished with a warm drink and cake inside a nice warm building with a fire then visited the puppies. You are supplied with overalls and warm gloves/ boots if required. See more..
4.5 Lapland Safaris Saariselka (457 reviews)
- Combo snowmobile and husky
Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Safaris • Nature & Wildlife Tours

We booked our “Snowmobile safari to Husky kennel” tour which was a unique combination of snowmobile safari and Husky ride. Our guide Bruce did an excellent job of guiding us throughout the long 1hr ride to husky kennel and the way back for another hour. He patiently explained initially the mechanism of riding the snowmobile. As we were new to this he placed us at the front of queue and continuously kept an eye on everyone. Husky ride was wonderful 25 mins of excitement followed by lunch. We had requested for a vegetarian option (Sandwich, soup, dessert and coffee) which they accommodated. Highly recommend this safari as it covers both rides in one tour including a delicious lunch which works out much more economical than taking the individual rides. See more..
4.5 Saariselka Ski & Sport Resort (334 reviews)
- Fun ski day
Tuesday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Gear Rentals • Ski & Snowboard Areas

Saariselkä Ski & Sport Resort is the northernmost Ski Resort in Europe. Its runs on two fells, Iisakkipää and Kaunispää offer multiple choices for skiers and boarders of all levels from beginners to advanced . Saariselkä is located directly to one of the largest National parks of Finland, Urho Kekkonen National Park offering fabulous hiking and outdoor possibilites. Saariselkä is easy to reach by airplane, bus of car along the E4 main road (E75). Ivalo international airport is 20 minutes away from Saariselkä. See more..
4.5 Wilderness Safaris Saariselka (67 reviews)
- Northern Lights
Night Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Photography Tours

Booked 4 excursions with Wilderness Safaris Saariselka. Not disappointed with any! Upon arrival in Saariselka they supplied a snowmobile suit, gloves, boots and a balaclava to use for the whole week. Ice fishing provided no fish but did provide a great experience with snowmobiling, drilling the hole for fishing and enjoying hot juice, hot sandwiches and sausages over an open fire in a comfortable hut. First excursion to view the Northern lights on snowmobiles wsa cloudy and so no lights but still a great adventure on snowmobiles. The other 2 excursions, via a van to a remote lake and snowshoeing did provide great views of the Northern Lights. All the guides spoke great English, provided welcomed hot juices and food and took pictures that we could download. This was very important as my camera did not capture the lights that well. You must have a tripod and a DSLR that allows 30 second exposures at small F Stop values (2.n - 3.n) to take your own successfully. See more..
4.5 Saariselka Reindeer Farm (65 reviews)
- Great day out!
Spent 2-3 hours Ranches

We are a local Sami family who owns the reindeer farm only 10 minutes drive out of the center of Saariselka. Join one of our unique reindeer safari programs in an authentic environment! We are open only by reservation. See more..
4.5 Kiilopaa (56 reviews)
- Go for midnight sun trails
Sports Camps & Clinics

Great outdoors in the midnight sun. Suomen Latu is a perfect base for day hikes, runs and drives on the trails of Saariselkä. Nice service and prices for summer season. While leaving I was already asking myself: when next? See more..
4.5 Top Safaris Day Tours (54 reviews)
- A wonderful snowmobile tour with the best guide, Janne
Tuesday: 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM Gear Rentals • Nature & Wildlife Tours

We went on a 2-2,5 hour long snowmobile tour. We were lucky because we were part of a small group so we could drive fast -of course within the legal limit-. Janne, our guide was very friendly, he did talk a bit about the city and its surrounding and he took care of us. I 100% recommend to take a tour with the company. PS: sorry for the bad quality pictures See more..
4.5 Joiku-Kotsamo Safaris (47 reviews)
- 3 hour reindeer safari
Tuesday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Safaris • Night Tours • Food Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours

We started our 3 hour tour meeting in the office next to Holiday Club Saariselkä. We were suited with appropriately warm outer clothing and boots and met our guide. She then drove us to the reindeer farm, where we were introduced to our reindeer Tippy and Purrka(sp?). At our time it was just my husband and I. We each had our own sledge. Tippy, a young reindeer, was very excited and a little over eager to get going. The guide was polite and answered all of our questions. We had hot berry juice and cookies around a fire about half way through our adventure. We ended at the farm where we feed and thanked our reindeer and then enjoyed soup made by the owner, who was so sweet and continued to fill us with more information. See more..
4.5 Lapland Welcome Inari - Saariselka (30 reviews)
- Cross country skiing at Saariselkä
Multi-day Tours • Cultural Tours • Safaris • Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Ski & Snow Tours • Taxis & Shuttles • Hiking & Camping Tours • Private Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Day Trips

None of us had experience skiing, but with the guidance of our guide, Yukka, and countless falls, we gradually got the hang of it. Skiing was truly a workout, never have we felt so warm in freezing temperatures. The activity can be customised to the group’s skiing experience. For our level of experience, we felt the duration of the activity was just right. We also made a pitstop at a husky farm for hot chocolate (payable) and got to see some puppies and sled dogs. (The toilets have no sinks to wash your hands, snow and hand sanitisers were used instead). We ended off the activity with a 400m walk to the carpark, with our skis in tow, and had a nice cup of fruit tea and biscuits in the van. We would like to commend Yukka for his patience and words of encouragement. He made sure everyone had fun while prioritising safety. Overall a very enjoyable experience. See more..
4.5 Saariselka Bowling (14 reviews)
- A bit pricey
Tuesday: 3:00 PM - 10:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Bowling Alleys • Bars & Clubs • Game & Entertainment Centers

Bowling alley right in the center of Saariselkä! We have eight bowling lanes, escape room, Valve Index VR, hunting simulator, snooker and biljard tables and shuffleboard. Our bar serves drinks and snacks for adults and kids! Welcome! See more..
4.5 Ruijanpolku Trail (7 reviews)
- Great snow shoe route
Spent More than 3 hours Hiking Trails

Today we took the 5 euro ski bus from Saariselka to Kiilopaa. Beautiful bus journey through a winter wonderland. Bus dropped us right by the start of the Ruijanpolku Trail where there are several information boards giving details of winter walking, snow shoe and cross country ski routes. You can hire equipment from the hotel next to the trail, there is also a campsite and hostel. We decided to walk the 7.5 km snow shoe route up to the top of the fell at 500 plus meters, hardwork in the snow but the views from the top are definitely worth it. We followed a clear marked route all the way back to the fell hotel and then enjoyed the smoke sauna and a dip in the ice plunge pool a fantastic day out. See more..
2.0 Neste Oil Saariselkä (1 review)
- Herkulliset pullat kylmän kahvin kanssa
Coffeehouses
Saariselän Nesteen kahvila on tunnettu erinomaisista, paikan päällä leivotuista levonnaisistaan. Jos asiakas sattuu kahvilaan oikeaan aikaan, myytävänä saattaa olla perinteisiä lappialaisia kampanisuja, harvoin tarjolla olevaa herkkua - parasta mitä koskaan olen maistanut.
Olikin yllätys, kun viimeksi asoidessani kahvilassa näiden herkkujen kyytipojaksi tarjottiin haaleaa kahvia ja yrmeää palvelua. Suosittelen edelleen leivonnaisia, mutta kahvi kannattaa ehkä keittää kotona. See more..
Kirsin Lahja (0 review)
Speciality & Gift Shops
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Saariselkä MTB (0 review)
Biking Trails • Bike Tours

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LaplandTransfers (0 review)
Taxis & Shuttles • Day Trips

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Rainbow's End Goldmines (0 review)
Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Mines

Goldmining services for hobbyminers and beginners. We dig with the shovels. Tarjoamme kullankaivuupalveluita sekä harrastajille että vasta-alkajille Sateenkaarenpäässä Laanilan kulta-alueella. See more..
Saariselka Training (0 review)
Ski & Snow Tours • Bike Tours • Hiking & Camping Tours • Running Tours

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