Customer Review

Well organised trip both in the UK and in Finland. Our room was disappointing and rather tired and was not cleaned or made up every day as in a hotel. New accommodation is being built which may be better. The hotel staff are all welcoming, knowledgeable and friendly. All the excursions and activities were excellent and we saw the Aurora on 2 nights! Food courtesy of Gilles & Marco was one of the highlights. We had a night in one of the Aurora Bubbles which was great though they would be a bit small to stay in for any longer and there were no wardrobes or mirrors. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and would recommend it to anyone.

Thank you for a brilliant experience. From the first conversation with Barry - who advised choose a holiday that interests you and the Northern Lights will be a bonus - right through the holiday the organisation was excellent and all the people involved were friendly, helpful, welcoming and well-informed. The hotel accommodation was lovely and warm and we were very well fed. The holiday was busy but the pace suited us perfectly and gave the chance to try out so many different activities whilst also finding out about the Sámi people and their way of life. The museum was excellent, we loved the parliament building and finding out about traditional crafts when we went to the reindeer farm. The cold-weather clothing was much appreciated, keeping us toasty despite -25-degree temperatures when out with the husky dogs and the hot drinks and fires were very welcome. Whether it was snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or husky dog sledging the training and advice was thorough. The icing on the cake was seeing the Northern lights in all their glory on not one but two nights!!

Fantastic holiday - great mix of activities and downtime. Equipment was all high quality and the staff were really friendly. The husky safari - was exhilarating (but cold!). Enjoyed it all. Thank you for a great holiday.

Our room was in the main building (all of it recently renewed and refurbished with very good taste) and was very cosy and comfortable, the food was very good and prepared with local ingredients and the excursions were very well organised and enjoyable. Nina, the hotel manager, and all her staff did everything they could to accommodate our requests and make us feel very welcome, and they definitely succeeded; the guides for the day and night activities are knowledge and friendly and we always felt we were very well looked after. We also spent a very romantic night in an Aurora Kota (ceiling of glass to watch the sky and private sauna) and again...I can't but recommend this accommodation. The ride with the sledge pulled by the huskies is a fantastic experience, it makes you feel the spirit of the place for real. But also just walking in the forest near Muotka at night watching the Aurora, simple but magical! Least enjoyable moment: Having to leave ;-)

(The) Quality of our local guides was excellent! They were true locals born in or near the local area, knowledgeable, friendly, shared much about local life, and not too chatty!

Superb holiday. Thank you

Superb holiday. Thank you.

Staff and guides at Nellim Wildness Hotel are wonderful; very professional and thoughtful. Not only are they knowledgeable and helpful but also really friendly and approachable.

This holiday actually exceeded our expectations. This is a fantastic trip provided you like a very active winter holiday.

I would love to be able to provide some constructive feedback but everything was fantastic. I have already sent web links to all my colleagues, four of them I know are seriously thinking about it. What wasn't enjoyable? We loved all of it. There isn't anything at all I would change.

The best holiday ever - thank you! Dog Sledding was magical and stopping in the tepee with a fire and hot drink was wonderful. There wasn’t really a least enjoyable activity - they were all great in different ways. Truly magical and the ambience at Abisko Mountain Lodge was wonderful - relaxed informal and very friendly - such a warm and welcoming feeling there. Thank you, Mina!

Favourite activity? Husky safari. Riding through the snow, controlling your own dogs, it was so special and magical, we will never forget. Least enjoyable? Nothing, loved every minute of it.

We enjoyed it all so much that we are already planning to return. Difficult to choose one (most enjoyable activity) as all of the activities were excellent and really enjoyable. We wouldn't change a thing. All of the local guides and our rep were excellent, as were all of the hotel staff. Special thanks to Petra, Ben and Anthony.

The Abisko Mountain Lodge was more than accommodating; the staff were very welcoming and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. Driving your own husky sledge was awesome, hard work but a truly amazing experience. All activities were fantastic, including the Abisko Sky Station which we added for our last night. We saw the Aurora from the sky station which really made our holiday. We had a most amazing time. It was a trip of a lifetime and we also got engaged at the Ice Hotel.

Brilliant holiday! The guides made the holiday very special. Their knowledge was very impressive and they were always willing and went out of their way to give us the best experience.

Bucket List #1 - Checked! The trip had been the best vacation ever taken. The tour activities were well planned and fun to be a part of. Managed to see the Northern Lights for 3 nights in a row (solar activity was at its highest with kp-5 on most nights) and bonus of light drift snow. Snowmobile, husky ride, snow-shoeing, reindeer ride and Aurora chase were superb! No regrets at all staying in the dark & cold nights in chase of the Lights and gathering around the camp fires with wonderful tour mates. Many thanks for the great vacation to the Aurora Zone and all in Muotkan Maja for the memorable experience.

Both the reindeer herding and the husky safari were equally enjoyable maybe because we love animals. The whole experience was enhanced massively by the fact that all of the staff and guides loved what they were doing and where they lived so much and this proved infectious.

Overall an excellent holiday. The hotel was excellent with friendly staff and good clean accommodation. Guides were friendly and knowledgeable. Each event professionally led and well organised. Saw the Northern Lights on each of the three nights we were out, a real bonus but you need a tripod and camera with a long exposure to capture them.

Everything was quite superb. From initial enquiries to final travel you were all wonderful and so considerate and helpful, a million thanks. Words are inadequate. My deepest gratitude to you all and I am looking to you to help me get to Nourgam next year! With my deepest gratitude.

Everything was absolutely superb, best holiday we've ever been on.

An amazing, fun experience from start to finish but the pinnacle has to be the Aurora Borealis which danced and danced, and danced.

From the moment we booked to the moment we left Nellim to go home, everything ran like clockwork. Most enjoyable?: HUSKY driving of course!!!!!! But NOTHING can beat the magnificent Northern Lights display we witnessed on Thursday 10th March. Out of this world.

The clothing provided was superb - fit for purpose and clean/new. We felt that safety of clients was taken into account on all of the activities. Appropriate information was given in advance and we did not feel that inappropriate risks were taken by any of the guides. Most enjoyable activity for daytime has got to be the husky safari, but I would guess that everyone says that. For night time, we were lucky enough to see the Aurora on the one clear night out of 7. We were on the Aurora car trip that night so had the best of everything. Even better was that our guide teaches photography (amongst many other skills) so he was able to help us out with the finer details of exposure and focus (and he even brought some hot berry juice down to us when we were too excited with our photography to come and get it for ourselves). The hotel staff are lovely and so friendly and the food is amazing. We read some negative comments on Trip Advisor about food before we arrived - they must've been barking mad - there is nothing to complain about. Brilliant holiday. I would definitely consider going back.

All went without a hitch and we had a splendid night watching the Aurora at Nellim. The trip including a trip to the Russian border was welcomed. Your admin team were always so kind and helpful; nothing was too much trouble answering some small queries of mine. Again, very impressive.

Having never been on a winter holiday previously and being in our early 60's we were extremely apprehensive - however, this holiday turned out to be one of the best we have ever had. The equipment and clothing provided were all first class, the accommodation excellent, as was the food. The activity guides were all exceptional and did all they could to make our time at Nellim a safe but adventurous trip. Searching for the Aurora is a priority in the evenings and the guides and staff do all they can to make sure that you find the best position to see them from if they appear - also helping with camera settings etc. Any slight sighting of them and the Aurora alert would come through on the phone. I must also mention the restaurant staff and reception staff who were all so friendly and, whilst it was very busy, would always be helpful and jolly. The food was also a highlight. We would not hesitate to recommend (and indeed already have) this trip and your company to anyone wishing a real winter adventure in northern Finland where the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights are very high.

Aurora Zone is an easy to use website and was very well organised. We stayed in Abisko (mountain lodge). Rooms are basic but clean and comfy. The food is truly amazing. I do not eat fish which was catered with no hassle. We stayed for 5 nights and saw the Aurora on 2 nights. We had the Aurora sleigh ride booked and it happened to be on a night with an excellent solar storm. Best night of my life! We went on the dog sleighs which was excellent and the guide is very passionate about his dogs. One of the days was a 4-hour snowmobile ride, this was truly amazing and would recommend to everyone. The Ice hotel was a good experience, the only downside is the ice bar does not open until 6pm which is a shame when we were hoping to have a drink. I would recommend Aurora Zone to anyone and Abisko to everyone looking for a magical holiday.

At the Malangen viewing camp last night the skies were clear and the Aurora glowed and flowed for nearly three hours. The highlight of the night was only half an hour into the session when a glow in the east suddenly expanded and burst into waving concentric rings in the zenith of the sky: reds and greens and... Wow! In my ear, I heard even our guide saying, "Oh my Gott! Oh my Gott!"We still have two more days of activities and (hopefully!) more viewing, but so far - from dog sledding to snowmobiling to reindeer feeding to sky watching - our Three Countries tour has been sheer delight! We still have two more days of activities and (hopefully!) more viewing, but so far - from dog sledding to snowmobiling to reindeer feeding to sky watching - our Three Countries tour has been sheer delight! Thanks to all of you at The Aurora Zone!!

Overall and without question, The Aurora Zone facilitated a wonderful holiday for us and many, many memories we will cherish! The facilities and personnel in Sweden, Finland, and Norway were professional and top notch. The Northern Lights watch evening at Malangen was probably the singular thing we talk about most, but snowmobiling and dog sledding (Harriniva) and snowshoeing (Malangen) were all great times: so hard to pick a favorite. We also benefited from small groups for each of these activities.

Everything went really well and there was a clear sky on the first night so we were able to see the Northern Lights. Looking back the activities were excellent and made up 99% of our memories, the lights were really just a very small part. You also need a clear sky, which is quite rare, so you need a lot of luck to see them. But in our minds, all the activities are the main thing. One thing which exceeded our expectations was that the snowmobiling and husky safaris were much longer than we expected, which was great. They weren't just "round the block", they were proper treks of an hour or so each way. The accommodation and food were excellent, as was the thermal gear provided. Although it was -9C there was no wind, so no wind chill factor, so once you were wrapped up and warm you stayed warm.

Excellent holiday, very well organised from start to finish, with friendly and enthusiastic guides and a perfect location. The huskies were the highlight, but all the activities were great one-off experiences - and we were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights!