LAPLAND – Little Arctic Adventure

16Feb
by Kamila Pala

Far beyond the arctic circle we find silence and endless white plains and forests, covered with white snow, which shine under the rays of the sun. During the long nights, when the temperature reaches over -30 degrees Celsius, the magical aurora borealis appears, which every visitor wants to see! That is not a fairy tale, this is Lapland.

GOOD TO KNOW 

  • Lapland (around 180 000 inhabitants) is not a country, but a special geographic region situated in Scandinavia – it occupies the northern part of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Kola Peninsula of Russia.
  • Rovaniemi (around 65 000 inhabitants, located on the arctic circle) is a regional capital and the famous home of Santa Claus
  • homeland of Sámi people for more than 4000 years, who have their own language and culture, most of them are reindeer herders

TOP THINGS WHAT TO DO 

  • Husky safari riding – the dogs are so energetic that it is my number one enjoyment! There are about 4 000 huskies living in Lapland.
  • Reindeer-sleighing -what a cute experience for everyone, you can feed and pet them. It is the most important animal in Lapland. Did you know that Finnish Lapland has a reindeer population of about 200 000?
  • Ice fishing – is calm and peaceful.
  • Ice karting – is an excellent adrenaline activity.
  • Snowmobiles – gives a popular tour of the winter countryside.
  • Skiing or hiking – why not try these activities under cold arctic conditions.
  •  Northern Lights (Aurora borealis) watching – is one of the main reasons tourists come here between October up until March but you can still be unlucky and not witness this phenomenon. The impressive sunsets were unforgettable as well!

MY TIP

There are other interesting places in Finnish Lapland – Inari, Kemi, Kittilä or IVALO (Northern Lapland) – a less touristy, but even more attractive local place, 1.5-hour flight from Helsinki, that enchanted us as we enjoyed several arctic days full of all activities. This was an absolutely unique experience.

DRINK and FOOD – traditional Lappish cuisine is very healthy! Classical drinks are still pure water, boiled coffee, or tea of dry pine needles!

And the typical dishes are, of course – Reindeer which is a common ingredient in the local cuisine. You can taste steak, sauteed, sausages, burgers form reindeer. Also, fresh fish food is delicious – for example perch filets, salmon soup or filets with mashed potatoes.

TIME to VISIT – No wonder that Lapland is very popular as a Christmas destination (especially for families with small children who want to see Santa) and famous for winter activities. On the other hand, summertime is also interesting! If you can come during the summer months -June and July -the sun doesn’t go down and you can explore all the mountains and thousands of lakes. This is an endless-peaceful space!

29 thoughts on “LAPLAND – Little Arctic Adventure”

    1. Kamila Pala's avatar

      Kamila Pala

      Thank you very much Dalo! It was really special cool and “cold” place of course, in my life! The cuisine was simple but tasty – fish, potatoes and meat… Have a nice spring! Bye. Kamila

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