Lapland Winter Experience

We spent 1 extraordinary week in Rovianiemi. We had been well advised by Mégane and the on-site support was perfect. The guides, all very young and of different nationalities were really TOP. We enjoyed the outing in Snowmobile, sled dogs and snowshoeing. On the other hand the sauna evening disappointed us because for lack of accompaniment we could not access the lake. Hotel Aakenus is well located a little bit away. Clean, but very basic from the point of view of installation and food. The early March period was well chosen because temperatures were no longer too cold and snow was still present.

Great snowshoe hike. Our guide Dorian was friendly and accommodating matching the tour to our wishes. The scenery was magnificent and the hike very enjoyable. We had some great laughs sinking into deep snow and trying to get up again.

It was chaotic. We were informed only 40 minutes in advance of the pick up time. When we got there (whereas it was mentioned the pick up would be done at our hotel), and had rushed the whole time, nobody took care of us, we eventually were given boots by someone who ‘happended”’to be there, and then, after 30minutes, we were taken by a man to a bus and he drove us to a place. I thought we were joining a group of people at a departure point, but I slowly came to the conclusion they had already left for quite some Time and the poor man was trying to find his way through Winter Lapland, on a place near a frozen lake. After having walked for already 20- minutes, he told us we had to go back and we quickly understood he had taken the (opposite) wrong way. We eventually met with the group, an hour later,they were not happy as they had been waiting for an hour in the cold. What was supposed to be a relaxing walk in the wonderful Lapland ended up being stressful and not enjoyable at all. The staff were super nice though, but the whole organisation was chaos. Also, the Trip Advisor add mentioned “campfire with a guide telling us about wilderness survival over a sausage and blueberry juice…”: it never happened and we got confirmed it had never been part of the plan! The guide accidentally had found matches and therefore could lit a fire for the other customers not to freeze while waiting for us… We are extremely disappointed to have paid 117 euros per person for such a poor service, not corresponding to what Trip Advisor had said it was about. We tried discussing the situation with Nordic Travels, but the communication was equally chaotic: they blamed it on us and wouldn’t acknowledge anything they had done was wrong . We would NOT recommend them, go on your own, Ubers are cheap and the hike is extremely easy (except the moment we were accidentally brought in the wrong direction and ended up on a spot “that was not safe”(quoting the man who was with us, doing his best to bring us to the group but evidently not an expert at hiking on frozen lakes).

Good value for money French Guide Clémence Very attentive and very pleasant And good organization with home recovery To go to the excursion.

Beautiful experience snowshoeing, with a guide (Diana M.) helpful, kind and competent on the place visited. SUPER experience, recommended!!!

We were completely disappointed by the hike. According to the description, there should be a hike through the forest, past rapids. However, we have seen very little of that. Instead, we went once across a frozen lake, 10 minutes along the edge of the forest and then back the same way across the lake. We got to know almost nothing about Finnish nature. Also the journey did not work well. We were picked up 15 minutes late and then had to wait more than 20 minutes outside the provider's office. Even before the “hiking” really started on site, another 15 minutes passed. The actual time of the hike was less than an hour! We made several trips during our holiday with different providers, all of which were worth their money. But this tour was really just a rip-off.

Notwithstanding the quality of the accompanying staff involved in the various activities, the rest of the organisation clearly leaves something to be desired. We were 11 people including 2 children and this systematic return to the office to pick up other tourists, drop the bags... is sometimes useless. The office is clearly undersized. Tourists hang around and try to find a place to try on wetsuits and shoes amid the packed suitcases. There is clearly an organizational problem, promoting profitability to customer satisfaction.

Too bad to sell 1 snowshoe trip while there is not enough snow, the guide is fine but he can do nothing about it, the agency does not do its job. M

A truly unforgettable experience with fabulous scenery and excellently organised tours. A special compliment for the courtesy, competence and sympathy to the guides Andrea , Nicholas, Hugo and Isoe 'always ready to answer any question. Luca

The day trip to Riisitunturi NP is expensive for a family (it's a shame there is no family discount), but it was the most beautiful trip here in the far north. Our guides Clemence and Miquel were GREAT. We had a lot of fun and learned a lot about Lapland. The hike was beautiful, such a magical landscape. Wow. Clemence and Miquel also spoiled us with culinary delights. We would book these two again and again. Thanks again.