Small-group Wintertime Amethyst Mine Visit from Rovaniemi

Overall the experience was fun. My biggest disappointment was the actual dig time of 15 minutes. I love amethyst and I was very much looking forward to searching for it but just felt rushed the entire time and I couldn’t enjoy the actual dig. We did find small pieces to keep. Our guide Gigi was wonderful and great with the kids.

We spent a lot of time sitting and waiting. The tour left a little late; the 1.5 hour drive was beautiful but we mostly dozed as there was no commentary along the way about where we were going; the plan for the day; etc. Then we sat and waited in the van for another van to catch up; then we sat and waited in a SnowCat till it was time for our tour (over an hour of sitting and waiting once we got to the mine). A mine employee spent about 15 minutes talking about amethysts and then we were taken to the mine to scrape the rock (no swinging of a pickaxe) for stones. We weren't really sure what we were looking for and didn't know what we had till we got back to our hotel and washed our stones. Lunch was ok but it was served around 2:00. We did learn some about Finnish outdoor culture during lunch. The ride home again was quiet, no commentary. If you are visiting with children or elderly note there were no restrooms at the Unique Nordic Adventures meeting place or at our lunch spot. There were limited outhouses at the mine if you wanted to sit on an ice covered seat.

Our day started exactly on time, meeting Lisa at the experience office. From here we drove to the Amethyst mine outside of town. Lisa shared great knowledge and insights into the local area as we drove. At the mine we had a friendly welcome and introduction to the mine as well as an overview of the business. We headed into the mine down a few stairs and were given helpful tools to dig as well as guidance of what to look for in the rocks. My daughter was so excited to find the gems, many just below the surface! Lisa took us to a beautiful picnic site for a lovely warm lunch then we drove safely back to town. Overall a very lovely experience and I can’t thank Lisa enough for her care through the day!

The Amethyst mine was an ideal excursion with the beautiful untouched snow trails up the mountain on the snow cat and then getting a chance to learn about the mine and actually mine and keep what you find. Everyone in our group enjoyed it (from 5 years old to 77). We had a full week in Lapland arranged by Nordic Unique Travel. All their pick up and tour arrangments were on time and arranged for a family (my parents and our 5 year old son) they even provided thr booster seat in the vans.

If I could give this company a rating of -100 stars, I absolutely would. This was, without a doubt, the worst experience I have ever had with a service provider. I was waiting at the designated pickup location at the agreed-upon time, expecting a smooth and professional experience. Not only did they fail to show up, but they also never bothered to send me an email confirmation or any communication whatsoever. I was left completely in the dark. After waiting in vain, I decided to call the operator, hoping to get some answers. Instead of offering assistance or even a basic apology, the representative engaged in an unprofessional and frustrating back-and-forth with me, both through text messages and voice calls, wasting more than 15 minutes of my time. Rather than resolving the issue, they were dismissive, argumentative, and completely unwilling to take responsibility for their mistake. It quickly became clear that this company is nothing more than a scam, preying on customers and making excuses to avoid accountability. Their so-called “policy” ensures that they never provide refunds, no matter the circumstances—even when they are 100% at fault. They take your money and then vanish, leaving you stranded. Avoid this company at all costs unless you want to throw your money away and be treated with absolute disregard.

French friends, the mining part was poorly organized, small group no, mine guide in French either, given the technical explanations in English on geology a very good level of English is necessary... We should have had an approach to the mine on snowshoes, it wasn't. For the rest of the activity, it was up to standard. Many thanks to Alban and lea who did their best to win us, but when the management does not answer anything to do... Anyway the search for amethyst was fun, the meal by the lake exceptional...

Our family had such a great time at the amethyst mine! Matthias was a superb guide/host, as were our guides at the mine itself. Lunch was a bit of an adventure--none of the "usual" fire pit spots were available, and it was quite a hike to get to an available spot, especially with our two kids having to hike through the snow.

This was a fun tour. We took the snow cat to the top of the hill, so a beautiful view with minimal effort. Unfortunately, we only found some small pieces of amethyst. Our guide, Mario from Barcelona, was excellent

We were a family of 4 adults, aged 40-70, and two children, aged 10 and 12. Our tour guides were helpful and informative. The tour included winter clothing use if needed, the drive to and from the mine (about 1.5 hrs each way), the actual mine tour, and lunch BBQ at a beautiful river area. The mine tour included the ride in the snow tractor, which was quite interesting and had a midway stop with beautiful scenery and a coffee shop. The mine Info talk was given by one of the mine employees, followed by the amethyst dig. The time at the mine was shorter than I expected but still very informative and interesting. The beautiful lunch area and beauty around the mining area were as much of a plus as the actual mine time. The tour was well organized, and I would recommend it to any with an interest.

This tour is highly recommended. The mine was an incredibly nice experience and the scenery is really beautiful! The snow train was also very funny to have experienced. We had as tourguide Stephanos. He guided us well all day and explained all the questions we had. In addition, Stephanos was a very pleasant tour guide! - Koen & Sophia