Northern Lights, Ice Hotels & Huskies Tour

Tour Overview

Join us in the Arctic Circle, Lapland, and meet the Sami people, drive a reindeer sled, enjoy huskie rides, snow shoeing and at night time drive your snowmobile on a safari to dine in a cabin in the forest wilderness. Jump on an ice breaker ship and do a ‘dry suit’ swim in the frozen Baltic Sea. Stay in Santa’s cottages, Kemi’s extraordinary Glass Villas and an amazing Ice Hotel. Visit an Ice castle, dine in an Ice restaurant and gaze in awe at the Aurora Borealis – the Northern Lights - dancing a slow ballet above you…. what an adventure!

Highlights

Enjoy a welcome drink and dinner in Helsinki
Stay 2 nights on the Arctic Circle
Go reindeer sledding through the snowy wilderness of Lapland
Stay 2 nights in glass villas - perfect for spotting the Aurora Borealis
Board the amazing Ice Breaker Sampo and crack through the ice out to the frozen Gulf of Bothnia
Enjoy a guided visit of the Sami people cultural centre and open air park
Learn how to drive snowmobiles and go on a fabulous night time wilderness safari
Sit back on a dog sled and enjoy a husky ride into the wilds
Stay in an extraordinary ICEHOTEL

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Northern Lights, Ice Hotels and Huskies

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Helsinki – meet your fellow Arctic Adventurers

Your tour commences this evening in cosmopolitan Helsinki. Before dinner, enjoy a welcome drink in the hotel with your Tour Manager and fellow Arctic Adventurers.

Meals:

D

Hotel:

Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna

Day 2: Rovaniemi and Santa Claus Holiday Village

Today we fly north to Rovaniemi – the gateway city to Lapland. First, we visit the award winning Arktikum Museum of Science and Lapland Culture to learn about the mysterious Aurora Borealis and the indigenous Sami people. Afterwards, ‘My Time’ to explore Rovaniemi. We spend the next two nights in Santa Claus’ village, located literally on the Arctic Circle.Far from corny, this is such a great place to stay and here you will be amazed to discover a whole township of shops, wooden cabins, bars, restaurants. Dinner tonight is in the 3 Elves restaurant.

Meals:

B

D

Hotel:

Santa Claus Holiday Village

Day 3: Reindeer rides, Snow Shoe walking on the Arctic Circle

Dressed in Arctic weather clothing – rather like big quilted boiler suits, boots, hats and mittens – we visit the Arctic Reindeer Centre. Sitting beside a log fire in a large wooden igloo you will enjoy a warm drink and a ‘reindeer’ talk before learning to drive your own sleigh (two people per sleigh) on a circuit through the snow-covered woods. Later you will put on snow shoes and step out and trek over deep snow through the nearby woods. It is so easy, and the quietness when walking over such light snow is wonderful. The rest of the day is free in the Arctic Circle complex. Time for a warming mulled wine or Akvavit?

Meals:

B

Hotel:

Santa Claus Holiday Village

Day 4: Kemi, an Ice Castle dinner and Glass Villas

First stop will be in the centre of Kemi, located on the frozen Baltic Coast. Later we settle into our amazing Glass Villas which are set beside the frozen Baltic Sea! Make sure you take a walk out over the ice sheets, across to one of the frozen islands. Next it is time to visit and explore the Ice Castle with its snow hotel, and later we will dine in the frozen ‘long hall’. It is a remarkable experience sitting on reindeer pelts draped over ice benches, enjoying dinner surrounded by beautifully decorated ice walls carved with animals, patterns and pictures.

Meals:

B

D

Hotel:

Glass Villas

Day 5: Ride on a Baltic Ice Breaker and swim with icebergs

Your morning is free to relax and explore. Subject to daily availability, you may be able to arrange ice fishing or for the thrill seekers, Ice Karting. You can even hire out Lamborghinis or Tesla cars and take them for ‘a spin’ on the ice! You don’t even need a licence because you will not be driving on land! Later we board the Ice Breaker Sampo to carve a path out through the thick sea ice. Way out at sea, the ship will smash an open water pool. Time for a swim! Putting on ‘dry suits’ you can jump in the water to float and swim amongst the broken ice flows. Your dry suits are incredibly warm, and you actually put them on over your clothes. Snug as a bug, they are incredibly buoyant, and you do not even need to swim as you can just lay back and float amongst the ice chunks like ‘Teletubbies’. A stunning experience.

Meals:

B

D

Hotel:

Glass Villas

Day 6: The Jukkasjärvi ICEHOTEL and Sámi village

Entering Sweden’s vast forested wilderness we arrive into Jukkasjärvi, which means ‘meeting by the water’. For centuries the local Sámi tribes have come together here and at the Nutti Sámi Siida culture and reindeer park we take a guided walk through the reconstructed village and cultural centre. Next stop, our incredible ICEHOTEL! Why do we choose to stay in this particular ‘ICEHOTEL’? It’s easy - Time Magazine listed this ICEHOTEL among the top 100 places to see on our entire planet! That’s why! Each year when the wild River Torne freezes deeply, they cut out the clear Arctic ice to build an absolutely astonishing ice complex. Each summer the ice melt flows naturally back into its source.

Set in a picturesque winter wonderland setting, with dry powdery snow drooping off laden branches of birch and fir trees, the landscape promises winter walks along forested pathways and amazing adventures on frozen lakes and rivers. In this complex you will also discover wooden cabins, reception areas and restaurants. In the Riverside Lobby with its open fire, changing rooms and saunas, we collect our full Arctic weather clothing, complete with ice boots, balaclavas and mittens, which you will wear on your adventures over the next two days.

On our guided IceHotel tour, we will explore the giant white hallways with frozen pillars and ice chandeliers, the wedding chapel with its ice pews, and the bedrooms and suites lovingly carved by Ice Artists. One might have a giant gorilla bursting out of the wall, another frozen jelly fish dangling above you, some… the list goes on! Time for a welcome drink in the fantastic ICEBAR, with glasses made of ice, of course! Tonight, dinner is in a delightful warm, wooden cabin which is ranked in the top 3 restaurants in Swedish Lapland. To fully appreciate this unbelievable hotel, go to www.IceHotel.com

Meals:

B

D

Hotel:

ICEHOTEL

Day 7: Husky Ride and Northern Lights Snowmobile Safari

This morning we ride with huskies into the wilderness. Climbing aboard – 4 four people to a sleigh – we chase along the frozen River Torne and into the unspoiled wilderness. Their breath billowing like smoke in the sub-freezing morning air, we follow forested pathways twisting this way and that and then stop at a small wooden igloo where a fire is built for our coffee and biscuits.

Your afternoon is free back at the hotel. There is lots you can do. Ice carving? Husky training? Snow shoeing and wilderness walks or, just relax and enjoy ‘My Time’. Tonight we will enjoy an escorted night time snowmobile safari chasing the Aurora Borealis. With two people per snowmobile, we drive deep into the wilderness, far away from any civilisation or light pollution. Stopping regularly, your expert ‘Northern Lights’ guide will talk about this remarkable phenomenon and the surrounding pristine countryside. Dinner will be in a wooden cabin in the forest. What a terrific farewell to Lapland.

Meals:

B

D

Hotel:

ICEHOTEL

Day 8: Stockholm and farewell dinner

Flying to Stockholm we enjoy a panoramic city tour before our farewell dinner.

Meals:

B

D

Hotel:

Radisson Blu Royal Viking Hotel

Day 9: Stockholm

This morning it is time to say farewell as your winter wonderland adventure ends.

Meals:

B

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Incredible Value Inclusions

Small group departures
All excursions, scenic drives, sightseeing, activities and entrances as described
Arctic thermal clothing, boots, mittens for special activities as indicated
Fully escorted by our experienced Tour Manager
Travel in first-class, heated coaches
8 nights authentic, specially selected hotel accommodation as described
Hotel porterage (1 suitcase case pp)
Welcome drink in Helsinki and at the ICEHOTEL
15 Meals – Buffet breakfast daily (B) and 7 evening dinners (D)
Local guides as described
Free WiFi on most coaches and at hotels
End of tour tips to Tour Manager and Driver, tips for local guides
Albatross Tours Travel App

Please note: The ‘Northern Lights’ are absolutely at the behest of nature. We will be staying virtually a week in the north of Scandinavia and at some of the very best Aurora spotting locations to be found. We even go on an Aurora snowmobile safari. The chances of catching a wonderful display are very high however, as you will understand, cannot be guaranteed.

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Your Hotels

Santa Claus Holiday Village, Arctic Circle - 2 Nights

Your self-contained wooden cabins scattered in a snow-covered enclave look like they have jumped straight from the pages of a fairy-tale book. Comfort assured, each cabin has its own private sauna and there is even an illuminated Christmas tree on every porch!

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Glass Villa Experience, Kemi - 2 Nights

What a memorable experience. Two whole walls and the ceiling are made entirely of clear glass and your views are panoramic. With the vast sky above and around you, they are great for catching the Northern Lights whilst lying in bed! And as your eyes close your last vision will be of moonlight shimmering off the white landscape of a frozen sea stretching in front of you – the Gulf of Bothnia. What a Winter Wonderland adventure!

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ICEHOTEL - 2 Nights

First night, you sleep in the frozen ICEHOTEL. A fabulously surreal experience where you will be ‘snug as a bug’ in very warm Arctic thermal sleeping bags (tested to -40°C). Your bed is an ice platform insulated with reindeer pelts to keep you warm in your -5°C to -7°C room. It is actually warmer inside your room than outside! In the morning you are awakened with a steaming cup of lingonberry juice.

Doubles/Twins: Stay in the fabulous Art Suites. Located in two ‘buildings’, the suites come in a wide variety of shapes, styles and sizes.

Solo Travellers: Stay in the beautiful Ice Rooms, double rooms for your sole use.

Second night, enjoy a stay in the excellent Kamoos wooden cabins.

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