Customer Review

Hi! I came back from my trip to Luosto (7th-11th November 2014) and want to thank the team so much for such a wonderful time. I have attached some photographs from the trip and have many more! Thanks again, Vicki 

The breakfasts we received at both hotels were excellent and provided plenty of choice. I found the administration side of things to be excellent and the booking process was very straightforward. Any emails I sent were answered promptly and I found the staff to be very helpful and knowledgeable. Travel, transfers and accommodation were all excellent and everything ran very smoothly. It's difficult to choose (a favourite activity) as there were so many! We loved the super jeep experience and visiting glaciers, mountain ranges, lava fields and waterfalls. Iceland was an amazing country and we felt privileged to experience just a small amount of what it has to offer. I booked the holiday for my boyfriend's 30th birthday and it was a very special way to celebrate. We also enjoyed the Northern Lights trip and although sadly we didn't see them, it was such a unique experience to be out in the middle of nowhere with a sky full of stars. It's a trip that we'll always remember. Least enjoyable: The only thing that would've improved it would've been for us to spend more time there, with an option to spend an extra day in Reykjavik and an extra day at Hotel Ranga. It would've been great to have these days on our own, just to relax and enjoy the places but sadly budget didn't allow on this occasion. My boyfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed our holiday. Our guide was excellent and exceeded all of our expectations. I can't praise him enough! We've never done a 'group' holiday before and weren't sure what to expect. The guide made it a very relaxed, enjoyable ride (quite literally) and his knowledge and enthusiasm made us feel very at ease. The only reason I've marked 'possibly' on whether we'd book with the Aurora Zone again is purely down to whether we could afford such a trip again. At the moment, it really is a once in a lifetime thing but hopefully in the future we may be able to travel with you again.

One of the best organised trips I've been on. A special thanks to the two guides Pascale and Oleg, who were excellent.

I wanted to say a great big thank you for the trip I had hoped for AND I saw the Northern Lights! Everything worked really well. Hotel and food were much better than I had expected; Graham and Karen could not have been more helpful and the information you provided was extremely useful.The cold weather gear invaluable. All in all, superb, and I will definitely recommend your company.

The welcome at Muotka was superb and I can't think of anything else they could have done. We really had a fantastic time and on the last night we saw the Lights which we thought were totally wonderful - much more so than I had expected, indeed I find it hard to put into words how very special I thought they were. We really loved Finland and enjoyed the activities which were very extensive although we particularly enjoyed the Husky sledge driving. Red squirrels appeared outside the window most mornings whilst I was eating my breakfast and they were absolutely enchanting and quite different to our red squirrels. We were very impressed by our guide Santo - his knowledge of the area was encyclopedic and he worked tirelessly, indeed I'm not sure when he slept. All of the staff could not do enough to help - we were really impressed - the additional outer clothing provided was great and absolutely essential. All in all it was just fabulous and I really hope to go again!

Every day brought something better whilst we drove around. Amazing views, very interesting places to visit, extremely nice, polite, helpful people. The hotels we stayed in were different, but all we would recommend, the staff were helpful and friendly and stunning locations. We drove 1100 kilometres in seven days around the western side to the north non-stop - snow-covered mountains, great cliffs along the sea, wildlife...Sea Eagles, Raverns, Seal and other water birds. We were lucky with the weather and had mostly clear with some clouds at night. Saw the Aurora for three nights; first night mostly cloud but an arc was visible especially on the camera. Second viewing stronger with mostly clear sky; 3rd viewing from the Northern Light Inn - sky cleared and the Aurora danced across the sky for a long time, got to bed around 2am. I think Iceland has the best car park in the world...inside a volcano..extinct of course!

I booked my holiday with Aurora Zone with 1-month lead time. The team was exceptional and planned an amazing excursion! Our local tour guide Heimir Wium, was outstanding. He loves his country, shared his passion for it, and gave us a fantastic cultural experience. Iceland is the land of extremes, as Heimir, told us, therefore, there is no bad weather in Iceland, only bad clothes. Preparedness is critically important and the Aurora team, once again, provided excellent guidance. The Golden Circle was beautiful but the off-roading route to get there was exceptional. The southern coast is filled with indescribable beauty and having a local tour guide like Heimir, who points out the many trolls and elves as well as the many sights only helps one fall in love with the country. The Hotel Ranga is absolutely lovely - fantastic accommodations and food as well as one of the best places to see the Northern Lights. Throughout my journey, we came across many people who told us that they'd been to Iceland multiple times and NEVER seen the lights. I learned that they planned on their own. I am happy to report that this was my first trip to Iceland and on Day 4 not only did we see 12 rainbows, we saw the Northern Lights right from the comfort of the Hotel Ranga!! We saw them four times within two hours! Absolutely spectacular and exhilarating experience. I highly recommend the Aurora Zone!! My only advice - be sure to request a review of the meals being planned so that there are no surprises. All food choices were very good however if you are picky Americans like us, you may want to know!

I just wanted to e-mail to say what a fantastic time I had in Finland. Our guide Timo was excellent, he worked hard to make sure our stay was interesting and varied but relaxed (and he was very knowledgeable on just about everything Finnish). It was a lovely location and hotel, and the activities gave us a nice glimpse of Finland and its culture. What I liked most about Finland (apart from the stunning scenery of course) is it is true to itself; if I had gone there and found a Disneyland-type set up I would have been deeply disappointed. And I had the best gluten free food I have had in the last place I expected it.

Most enjoyable activity? The husky run and sitting in the pen with the huskies afterwards. Amazing animals, and so well-trained. Least enjoyable activity? The cross-country skiing. No-one's faulty but my own and no hard feelings - I was just rubbish at it :) Comments: reading reviews before going to Nellim, the food at the hotel was down-played - things like "Don't expect a Michelin star" - but the food was genuinely excellent. Simple, healthy, tasty, hearty meals. I've stayed at 5* Hilton Resorts before and the food at the Nellim Wilderness hotel was better :)

Favourite activity? It’s got to be the snowmobiling. I just loved it. The guide was wonderful, very patient, and worked so the whole group had a great time. The only thing was I wanted to do it for longer! I really can't say there was anything I didn't enjoy.

This was a wonderful holiday - we were delighted with it in every respect. The accommodation was warm and cosy, and the staff were helpful and friendly. Our guide was excellent and did a very good job adapting the day's agenda to suit us and the weather - this meant that we actually had longer than was originally scheduled for snowmobiling and skiing. The highlights for us were the husky sledding and the Aurora expeditions - we were lucky enough to see the Aurora twice, and the second time was a fantastic display. We had booked an Aurora bubble for our last night and this was an unforgettable experience as we were able to watch the Aurora from within for hours - probably one of the best things we've ever done. Of course it is a matter of luck as to whether you will see the Aurora, but I would say that travelling later in the season, as we did, might give you a better chance of clear skies. This holiday is described as 'very active' - we are both reasonably fit, and I would say that you would have to have at least some level of fitness to handle the cross-country skiing, and have at least some balance to handle the huskies (but this isn't too hard), but we found that we had quite a lot of recovery time during the day so no-one who does at least some regular exercise should find the trip too hard. I would thoroughly recommend it.

Overall an excellent holiday. We saw the Aurora twice, the second time a fantastic display.

Activity guides were extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic. (We) Very much enjoyed all activities equally.

The guides were fantastic, particularly Joonas, a most charismatic young man. I loved being outside all day in the snow and fresh-air, being active and being given an insight into the life of the people who live there permanently. Spending time with Hannu-Pekker, the reindeer herder and ice-fisherman, was just great. I loved it all including sitting around the open fires for lunch and in the evenings. Seeing the Northern Lights was a bonus.

Hugely impressed with everything; great organisation and information beforehand and whenever I phoned Aurora Zone with concerns or questions, I always received a patient and informative response. As for Abisko and the Mountain Lodge ... we were blown away by the beauty of the area, the wonderful people and the absolutely stunning food.

It’s very difficult to choose one activity alone, probably the ones I wasn’t expecting, like racing along a black volcanic beach with the Atlantic waves crashing in alongside our super vehicle, or being able to go into the highlands, again because of our super vehicle or the most impressive waterfall of all Urridafoss which we just called into on our way back to Hotel Ranga. Words like Awesome, Spectacular and Breathtaking are very overused and often misused in our language but I believe that Iceland has Natural features for which these words are appropriate, and I found myself using them frequently. Our holiday was for a special occasion and mainly with the hope of seeing the Northern Lights. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to see them but there was so much more to enjoy that we didn't seem to mind. We were in a group of 12 very friendly people who all added to our enjoyment and our guide Gummi was fantastic, his knowledge and sense of humour and fun meant that we went to places we probably wouldn't have been able to go if we were on a coach tour. Everything was well organised from booking, to all of the activities we took part in. All in all I think one of the best holidays my husband and I have been on. Thank you.

From the moment of first enquiry by phone we found The Aurora Zone staff to be extremely friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Thereafter our flight travel arrangements were excellent and the hotel surpassed all expectations. Our stay in Luosto was perfect in most every regard. The hotel staff and the activity guides could not do enough for us and were pleasant and enthusiastic throughout. It was a fabulous trip for our 30th wedding anniversary and one we shall always remember.

It is the first time we have done such a group style trip - we are usually very independent travellers but we very much enjoyed it and had the opportunity to enjoy activities we otherwise would not have done. We also met some lovely people. Snowmobiling was more fun than expected and we had several good trips out. The ultimate enjoyment was seeing the Aurora on our last night! Our second favourite activity was the husky dog sledding. The guides were very friendly and helpful and full of information and conversation. The evening campfires were good fun and enjoyable even without any Northern Lights to see!

The local/activity guide was excellent, very knowledgeable and able to answer any questions posed to him. He ran each activity with safety in mind and at the right level for the groups abilities. He was flexible and always ran with the majority decision; when one activity over ran he moved the time of the next one to give us enough of a break between activities. The staff at the hotel were lovely and bent over backwards to make our stay enjoyable, nothing was too much effort for them as well as always being cheerful. A great credit to their nation. The activities involved snowmobiling, snowshoeing and a sleigh ride. The Aurora camp meant that the evening was going to be enjoyable with seeing Aurora activity the 'icing on the cake'. The holiday description gives enough detail of most of the activities to whet your appetite whilst just keeping back enough detail for most activities to still hold an element of surprise which was great and made the whole holiday a pleasure. It more than met expectations!

All the winter sports activities were planned and delivered to a high standard. It was good to be able to borrow skis & snowshoes to go out on our own too. We also stayed one night in the Aurora Bubble but unfortunately the cloud came over... We had two nights of Aurora to 'top and tail' our holiday. The first (13th March) were the best we have seen and had everyone entranced. The staff and guides were superb. Nothing was too much trouble for them and they organised our activity programme brilliantly. This is a fantastic place to stay as it is away from any settlement and all the equipment is on site so as soon as you are kitted up, you are off to enjoy the beautiful scenery. The guides were really knowledgeable about the area and the Aurora and obviously enjoyed their work.

I gave an excellent to the activity guide because Pascal led most of the excursions that I went on. He is obviously very passionate about what he does, is extremely knowledgeable and a most interesting person to listen to. He answered all questions and gave anecdotal accounts of things he had experienced and I very much enjoyed being with him as a result.

We got back from this trip last week (March 2014) and are still coming down from an amazing holiday.The 'natural wonders' of Iceland exceeded our expectations - a massive amount was included in the four days. The geysers were spectacular, our guide took us into the highlands, the three waterfalls on the itinerary were each special and different from each other; we got to appreciate the power of the glaciers and walked and drove up black sand beaches and lava fields.   We were even lucky to catch a 15 minute window and saw the Northern Lights above the hotel.   The trip was finished off by a dip in the blue lagoon which was surreal - swimming in warm milky water, with driving cold rain and bare rocks around it - but very invigorating.The trip was made more special by our guide, Einar Olufson, who was very knowledgable and clearly loved his country.  His driving off the Super Jeep was excellent, taking us to places we would never get to in a bus trip.The organisation and administration by The Aurora Zone worked very smoothly.   As vegetarians we were very pleased that the hotels were well aware or our requirements, and had made special meals for us, which were clearly not an afterthought as is often the case.

The Abisko Mountain Lodge is a lovely place to stay. The staff were all friendly and helpful. The building is small (17 rooms and some cabins located nearby) and right on the edge of forest and open country for walks. Not that Abisko is large but there is a garage and Co-op within a few minutes walk of the lodge. Lovely communal area with bar and comfy chairs and this is where you'll spend your time when not outside, sleeping or eating! The bedroom was small with (in our case) twin beds that we couldn't put side by side and a small en-suite shower room/toilet. It was perfectly adequate and indeed the beds and deceptively thin duvet are very, very warm and comfortable. You'll probably live out of your suitcase whilst staying there. If you are expecting or hoping for a typical hotel room then choose another location! When we arrived we were fitted up with warm outer clothing, warm mittens and boots and a warm hat. We wore this for our activities and usually at other times when we left the hotel. It was very comfortable and very warm over two inner layers with a thermal base layer. For the energetic activities this was one layer too many! It was warm enough on some days (when the cold wind wasn't blowing) for us to wear our own outdoor gear (in March). The dinners are a set three course menu. They were all delicious and ranged from poached cod to braised reindeer. We ordered the house red or white with dinner and this was enjoyable and not too expensive (for Sweden!). The Swedish bottled beers were very enjoyable and if you are really picky they serve bottled Old Speckled Hen. The breakfasts were traditional Swedish buffet and there is a cooked set lunch provided. Complementary hot coffee and tea is available at all times - just help yourself. No complaints about the food. We were able to watch the Aurora for over four hours on one night - it was still going when we went to bed at 2am. The package included of 1/2 day activities so plan things to do during the other half of each day. The area is lovely to walk through and you can walk to the Abisko National Park visitor centre and the cable car. Walking across the frozen lake to the islands is interesting! Our activities were: Ice fishing - didn't think lying on the ice watching a piece of fishing line would be interesting but we had a great guide in Klaus and the weather was wonderful and so it was an enjoyable afternoon. Snowshoe walk - this was intended to take us to a viewpoint free of light polution to watch the lights. There was some activity on the night we did this but in fact there are other places close to the lodge where you can watch so this was more of an experience walking in snowshoes! Snowmobile trek - we had a morning driving our own two person snowmobiles. The guide took us into the Abisko National Park. Stunning scenery and again wonderful sunny weather. Husky dog sled - go for the 'drive your own team' option, it's fantastic. My wife didn't want to drive the sled and we were expecting that she could sit in the sled whilst I drove. However these are single person sleds. The guide was happy to accommodate our circumstances and she was able to sit on his sled. If you are a couple and one of you wants to drive and one be a passenger you should state this when booking to ensure it can be accommodated. Visit to a Sámi village - again we weren't expecting a lot from this but it was very intersting, very enjoyable and not to be missed. Maria, the Sámi reindeer herder who talked to us about the Sámi life was superb. We also had an enjoyable Sámi reindeer soup and their (very, very, very strong) coffee - I don't take sugar but I took three lumps in this! The ICEHOTEL was a great experience.  We upgraded to an Art Suite.  In reality you won't spend time relaxing in your suite so the reason to upgrade is to show pictures of the sculture afterwards and say 'this was my room'!

We just wanted to let you know how very impressed we all were with all the arrangements and clothing for our recent four days at the Muotka Wilderness Lodge. Everything went very smoothly and was well and safely organised—though heaven knows what an energetic tour must be like! We arrived around 11.30pm to find a delicious soup available and things were just as good and better than we dared hope for all four days and we even saw the Aurora on our last night – at minus 27C. Our guide Mantuu was superb and always interesting and knowledgeable whilst all the background info you provided was first rate. Many thanks

Snowy ride of a lifetime, dog sledding, ice climbing, reindeer feeding, ICEHOTEL and breathtaking Auroras for three nights. 

AMAZING...... We had the most fantastic time at Harriniva!!!! From the moment we arrived to the moment we left. Staff were pleasant, friendly & attentive. The hotel & surroundings were lovely. The food was good & fresh & plenty of it. Driving the snow mobile was a fantastic experience, husky dog sledging great, reindeer sleigh ride brilliant. Mark, our first guide, explained how to control snowmobiles with a touch of humour included. Any worries were instantly dispelled. Sara was our guide for the husky dogs & reindeer rides. A fountain of knowledge! Our group of eight, of various ages, worked well together and laughs were certainly had. We even managed to see the lights....... Thanks to Sara's endurance. She drove the minibus at night and kept going to give us the best chance. What an experience!! Would we recommend this trip ........ YES. Thanks, Aurora Zone for an amazing holiday, Carol & Graham March 2014

This holiday lives up to the description on the website and in reality, it exceeded all expectations! Communication with Aurora Zone and their organisation is easy, relaxed friendly and above all, knowledgeable and efficient. The Wilderness Hotel is entirely suited for purpose, being warm, comfortable, well organised having very pleasant, helpful staff. The food was limited, but excellent choice sufficient for all tastes, being unpretentious, of good quality, wholesome and warming - exactly what is needed. The activites are brilliant! The guides have a relaxed and efficient approach and we never once felt as though we were being herded. We were afforded the opportunity to do things which we couldn't do at home - husky dog sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoe walking, ice hole fishing and at all times, being well supported and feeling safe and secure. We were lucky enough to be part of a group which gelled really well together - helped in part again by the relaxed professionalism of the leaders/guides. We all really had a great time. Having seen a weather forecast before we began our holiday, we resigned ourselves to not seeing the Northern Lights. We spent the second Aurora Camp round the campfire on the lake having a good laugh in the falling snow. We gave up, thinking that there was no way we would see the lights, so we went home and to bed. We were awakened a little later by cries of 'Aurora!'. We hurriedly threw on clothing and ran down to the Lake where we were treated to a spectacular display - wonderful!!!! Our journey home was delayed due to the weather and we missed our connecting flight in Helsinki. Finnair booked us into a very nice hotel for dinner and breakfast with courtesy and no fuss. All in all a wonderful experience and worth every penny. John & Lesley Cauldwell - March 2014

We got back home last night at 10.00.p.m. after five excellent days. The connections and transfers went really well and the location was perfect. Excellent walks around the village and the hotel and beautiful scenery with nearby lakes as well (not that you can miss a lake in Finland!!!) We had snow the first night we were there which made the scenery very beautiful and we saw the Northern Lights twice, so we were very, very lucky. The Hotel was warm, friendly and comfortable and the food (Table d’hôte menu) was excellent as was the choice at breakfast time. Nothing was too much trouble. Our Guides, Pascal and Sallie (Not sure how you spell their names) were absolutely wonderful. Full of information and very caring about the whole group. We were looked after extremely well. A very big thank you to them. The Trips were well organised and very informative. The Walking with Huskies was fun - they took us for a walk! The Aurora Kota was very informative and interesting and a beautiful location and the Reindeer visit was again, very, very informative - such a different way of life and very hard. The Aurora hike was hard because of the slight snow fall which made the walk a little more difficult but again, interesting and good exercise - just a shame that night was windy and cloudy. Hey ho.....just one of those things. The Amethyst Mine was very informative and fun to find our own...and we did........!! In short Amy, an excellent holiday that I would recommend to our friends and family and very well organised from the office and on location. Many thanks, Kind Regards, Chris Pearson

Just wanted to drop you a quick note to say we had an absolutely amazing time in Finland. The reps over there (Karen and Graham) were amazingly helpful and very nice. We loved all the activities (particularly ice fishing!), plus the food was great. Sadly we didn't see the Northern Lights (silly clouds!), but there is always next year! Thanks again - it truly was the holiday of a lifetime.

We've just got back from four nights in Inari and it was fabulous. Between the excellent range of activities on offer to the comfortable accommodation and delicious food and, of course, seeing the Northern Lights on two out of three hunts we had the best holiday ever. Our guide, Marku, was brilliant. His local knowledge was great and he was happy to answer all of our questions. He also gave up his own time on the night hunts so we could watch the lights. When we went snowshoeing they made a brief appearance as we were headed back to the minibus but he was quite happy to stop and let us watch them. On the snowmobile hunt we witnessed an amazing display for over an hour and a half. He only suggested we leave when people were starting to feel cold. I cannot praise his professionalism and dedication enough. There really was something for everyone and it was all pitched at the right level. We have memories to last us a lifetime, or until our next Aurora hunting holiday!