Inari and Nangu – Winter Escape at Lake Inari
- Details
Details
Explore two of Finland's most sought-after destinations during this seven-night holiday to Inari and Nangu. Both locations sit close to the expansive Lake Inari which freezes over in the winter and plays host to your memorable Aurora hunts and unbelievable Arctic activities.
The special locations surrounding the gigantic Lake Inari are renowned for their pristine environments and Northern Lights track records. Many of our Artisan Travel Experts got their first experience of Finland's impressive wilderness in these areas and have since returned with their loved ones for many more adventures.
Inari and Nangu both offer unspoiled winter scenes, superb lookouts over frozen Lake Inari and brilliant Arctic and Aurora experiences, but they each have their charm which you will discover during your seven-night break.
Your first four nights will be spent in Inari, just outside the small village which is the heart of Sámi culture. Whether you have been to Finland before or this is your first time, Inari is a brilliantly authentic insight into the indigenous people that have called this area home for thousands of years. During your stay, you will visit a reindeer farm to discover how these animals have been integral to the Sámi people.
In Nangu, you'll get the full wilderness experience whilst staying in the wonderful adults-only (16+) boutique hotel for extra tranquillity. With a log interior and a beautiful restaurant, you'll find it hard to leave the cosy hotel but when there's snowmobiling and snowshoeing waiting outside, it's definitely worth it.
Due to your location, you could see the Northern Lights on any night of your stay but we have also included several dedicated hunts to maximise your chances. You'll visit the Aurora Camps set up in prime lookout spots around the lake as well as snowshoeing into the Arctic night.
Please note that the order of activities listed is for guidance only, your final itinerary will be provided on arrival at your accommodation.
Itinerary
On arrival at Ivalo Airport, you will be met by your driver and transferred* to Wilderness Hotel Inari to start your Arctic adventure.
After checking in, you’ll enjoy dinner in the restaurant and will have the rest of the evening to spend as you please. Due to the hotel’s prime location, you simply only need to step outside and if the conditions are right, the Aurora could be there to welcome you to Finland.
Your cold weather clothing will be distributed either this evening or in the morning.
Please note that the order of activities listed in this agenda is provided for guidance only, your final itinerary will be provided on arrival at your accommodation.
*Transfers are based on a scheduled group shuttle that may stop at a few nearby hotels. If you would prefer to upgrade to private taxi transfers please ask our Artisan Travel Experts for a quotation.
Included Meals: Dinner
Following breakfast, you will gain an authentic insight into the local culture when you visit a nearby reindeer farm. These animals have been of vital importance to the indigenous Sámi people, helping them survive the long Arctic winters. You will be out for around 2 to 2.5 hours (including transfers).
Lunch will be served in the restaurant and you will have some free time to enjoy the surroundings. After dinner, you will head out in search of the Aurora Borealis.
Lake Inari’s huge frozen surface is the ideal platform for Northern Lights viewing and our local expert guides have set up various Aurora camps around the lake’s shores, which you will visit tonight.
You will travel to the camp on a sled pulled by the guide’s snowmobile and upon arrival, you can enjoy hot drinks as you keep your eyes looking up for a potential display. You will be out for approximately 2.5 hours in total tonight.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Fill up on breakfast ahead of dog sledding – one of the most-loved Arctic activities. After a full safety briefing and instructions on how to drive the sled, you will meet with the excitable dogs.
Don’t worry if there is a lot of barking at this time, the dogs are simply really eager to get running on the trails! As soon as you release the anchor, your loyal team will settle into a comfortable pace and quieten down, leaving you to watch the winter landscape unfold.
You will travel two per sled, with one person driving and one person sitting as a passenger with the option to swap halfway. The activity will last approximately 3 hours in total with 1 hour of driving and you will also have time to pet the dogs and take photographs afterwards. Lunch will be served at the hotel either before or after the safari.
After dinner tonight you have a free evening to enjoy as you please. Inari’s brilliant location means that if the Aurora conditions are looking favourable, you only have to step outside of the hotel to see the green dancing lights. Or you may wish to book onto a dedicated activity, see our ‘personalise tour’ section for more details.
Today has been left free for you to enjoy as you please. You may wish to add on an additional activity, which you can find in the ‘personalise tour’ section.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served in the hotel restaurant as usual before your Northern Lights hunt tonight.
This evening you will strap on a pair of snowshoes and make your way into the Arctic night. Snowshoes help you walk over the deep snow with ease so you can enjoy the peaceful wilderness as you follow your guide to an excellent Northern Lights vantage point. If conditions are favourable, you will be in a prime location to see the lights. You will be out for approximately 2.5 hours.
After breakfast, you will bid farewell to Inari and transfer to Nangu, approximately one hour away.
You will have a free afternoon to settle into your new wilderness surroundings in a different part of Lake Inari’s expansive shores.
Following dinner tonight, you will again travel into the Arctic night in a sledge pulled by your guide’s snowmobile. After driving out to a lookout spot away from light pollution, you will enjoy hot drinks around the campfire as your guide tells you all about the Aurora and you search the skies. You will be out for approximately 2.5 hours.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, you will be back on snowshoes but this time to enjoy the stunning wilderness by day.
Snowshoeing can be physical but it is a slow-paced activity and a very peaceful way to explore the snowy surroundings.
Your guide will help fit your snowshoes before leading you through the wintery landscape, pointing out animal footprints along the way. This is a wonderfully scenic tour so make sure you bring your camera. This activity will last approximately four hours in total, including time for lunch and warm drinks around an open fire.
Following dinner in the hotel restaurant, you will have a free evening to spend as you please. Nangu’s prime location gives you easy access to frozen Lake Inari, a perfect viewing location if the Northern Lights conditions are looking favourable. Alternatively, you may wish to book a dedicated activity, please contact one of our Travel Experts..
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Fuel up on breakfast ahead of one of the most thrilling activities available in the Arctic; snowmobiling. This is the perfect way to explore further afield, and after a full safety briefing, you will follow your guide onto the trails to see more of the winter wilderness.
Two people will share a snowmobile with the option to swap halfway but please note, you must hold a valid driving licence and be at least 18 years old to drive a snowmobile. You will be out for around two hours. Lunch will either be served before or after the activity.
After dinner tonight, your last evening in Nangu is free for you to spend as you please.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today it is unfortunately time for your Finnish adventure to come to an end. Following breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight home. If you have an early flight, we will box up breakfast for you to take with you.
Included Meals: Breakfast
What's included?
- Return from London to Ivalo (either direct or via Helsinki). Flight routes are subject to change.
- Return scheduled group shuttle airport transfers are included as well as a transfer from Inari to Nangu
- 4 nights in a standard hotel room at Wilderness Hotel Inari, 3 nights in a standard hotel room at Wilderness Hotel Nangu
- Full board
- 2 x Aurora camp
- Reindeer farm visit
- Aurora Snowshoe
- Husky safari
- Snowshoeing day
- Snowmobile safari
- Cold weather clothing for the duration of your stay
- 24/7 assistance from our UK based operations team and in destination support from our local partners
Accommodation
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| Situated on Lake Inari’s shores, Wilderness Hotel Inari is one of the most spectacular destinations we feature. Offering excellent levels of comfort and some serious ‘wow factor’, it is the latest addition to the Wilderness Hotels owned by our good friends Jouko and Mari Lappalianen. Importantly it is also slap, bang in the middle of the world’s best Aurora hunting territory and the hotel has implemented some innovative Northern Lights features to help maximise your viewing potential. Wilderness Hotel Inari is ideally located around 40 minutes’ drive from Ivalo Airport and just five minutes from Inari Village, which is the centre of Sámi culture in Finland. There is a variety of accommodation on offer here, including cabins, Aurora cabins and hotel rooms, all of which are separate to (but within very easy reach of), the central restaurant building. The hotel provides modern accommodation with décor which combines both comfort and charm. A huge amount of thought has gone into creating this very special place to stay. Hotel Facilities
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Double/Twin Wilderness Room
The bedrooms are located in two separate buildings around 50 metres from the main building.
Each room has been decorated in a traditional Arctic style with inspiration taken from the local environment. They are around 30m² and have either a queen-sized bed or twin beds. Coffee and tea making facilities are provided in your room as well as either a comfortable sofa or two armchairs. If you can’t face being detached from the “real world”, the rooms also come with free Wi-Fi. Every bedroom is en-suite and comes complete with hairdryer and toiletries.
These rooms are designed for two people to share but a third person can be accommodated on a camp bed or pull-out sofa (supplements apply).
Log Cabin
These cosy cabins are built in the traditional way, with walls constructed from huge logs. The ground floor covers 70m² and the loft area offers an additional 20m².
On the ground floor, you’ll find a spacious dining/living room, comfy seating, and a wood burning stove which can be turned to face where you are sitting. There is also a kitchenette and dining area, although all your meals are provided in the restaurant. The main bedroom with a queen-sized bed can also be found on the ground floor. The cabins also provide free Wi-Fi although the signal is not strong in all of them. It can, however, be used in the lounge area of the main building if needed.
The bathroom and toilet (hairdryer and toiletries are provided) are also on the ground floor and the cabin comes with the luxury of a private sauna.
The loft area upstairs can accommodate three more single beds and, thanks to the pull-out sofa in the living area, the capacity of these cabins ranges from two to six people (although we would recommend a maximum of 4 adults). They are ideal for couples looking for a very romantic hideaway or for small groups of friends or family.
The cabins are between 15m and 100m from the main building.
Please note that this accommodation option requires an upgrade supplement. Please contact our Travel Experts for a quotation.
Arctic Chalet
These semi-detached, designer Arctic Chalets, are a fantastic addition to Inari’s range of accommodation options. They are designed to offer couples or families an air of Arctic luxury in their own holiday hideaway.
The modern interiors are sleek and beautifully designed. Each features a bedroom with an en-suite shower, private sauna room and king-size bed. The separate living area is well equipped with a cosy sofa, an electric fire and small kitchenette – they are very cosy and perfect to relax in following a day of adventures.
The lounge sofa can also convert into a (very comfy!) bed which can sleep an additional two people, the chalets are a much more spacious option than the standard hotel rooms and just a short walk from the main restaurant building.
Please note that this accommodation option requires an upgrade supplement. Please contact our Aurora Experts for a quotation.
Aurora Cabin
With the potential of seeing the Northern Lights above, you won’t want to take your eyes off the Arctic sky. Luckily, with Wilderness Hotel Inari’s Aurora Cabins, you won’t have to. These amazing structures are all equipped with an expansive heated glass roof to give you unobstructed views of the northern skies at all times.
These cosy cabins come with twin beds (which are typically pushed together), a sofa or armchairs in the small living area and an ensuite shower room (toiletries and hairdryer are provided). You will also have coffee and tea making facilities. Some of the cabins will also accommodate an extra person on a sofa bed. The cabins are 34m² in size. The Wi-Fi signal isn’t as strong in the cabins so you may need to use the main restaurant or use the time to switch off!
The cabins are between 20 and 50 metres from the main building.
Please note that this accommodation option requires an upgrade supplement. Please contact our Travel Experts for a quotation.
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| Wilderness Hotel Nangu is an adult-only (16+), boutique hotel tucked away in a secluded spot close to the shores of Lake Inari in North East Finnish Lapland. This is the ideal place for those wanting to escape to a real haven of peace and quiet which just oozes rustic style, charm and comfort. Think handmade wooden furniture, sheepskins, stunning log architecture, comfy chairs and roaring fires; all with a view over snow-laden trees and a vast frozen lake beyond. The central log-built restaurant and reception building is a spectacular spot in which to dine and unwind and the elegant wooden buildings which contain the bedrooms are around 20-50 metres away. The hotel was transformed in 2017 by our longstanding friends and partners Jouko and Mari and they have really put their heart and soul into making Wilderness Hotel Nangu the grown-up retreat that it is. In prime Aurora territory and just a minute’s walk from the shores of Lake Inari, this is really an incredible place in which to hunt the Northern Lights. There are only 36 bedrooms here and so there is also a real exclusivity about this place and we would really recommend booking early to avoid disappointment. Hotel Facilities
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Double Room
All rooms at Nangu are comfortable and elegantly decorated with a cosy and rustic, wooden interior, offering a traditional yet stylish Finnish ambience. The standard rooms accommodate two people, have a large window, an en-suite shower and toilet with a hairdryer. They also include tea and coffee making facilities. Single rooms are also available which are slightly smaller and accommodate solo travellers.
Superior room with view
These rooms provide extra space and are all equipped with double beds. They each have their own private entrance and a large panoramic window offering views towards Lake Inari. This means that it might even be possible to witness the Aurora from your room (although the views are much better outside!). All rooms are en-suite and equipped with a shower and toilet, a hairdryer and tea and coffee making facilities.
Aurora Log Cabin
There’s nothing cosier than staying in a log cabin during a winter escape to the Finnish wilderness. With an Aurora Log Cabin, you get the same cosy feeling but with the added benefit of a panoramic window for clear views of the night sky as you lay in bed. This is Northern Lights hunting in ultimate style and comfort. Equipped with a double bed, shower and toilet, you’ll have everything you need inside your peaceful cabin.
Panorama Log Cabin
These luxurious log cabins are the perfect place to come back to after a day in the wilderness. Warm-up by the fireplace or stare out of the huge panoramic windows facing Lake Inari, a spot where you could quite comfortably search for the Northern Lights. There’s also the chance to relax as the Finns do in your private sauna, or in the outdoor Jacuzzi on the terrace. The cabins also come with a fully equipped kitchenette and en-suite (shower and toilet).
Personalise This Tour
This traditional Finnish sport is definitely worth experiencing during your time in Inari. So, strap on your skis and prepare to travel like a local.
Your guide will give you instructions and no prior experience of any form of skiing is required. Once you have mastered the basics, you will set out for a trip on the trails close to the hotel.
Duration: approximately 2 hours
During this activity, your guides will use their local knowledge and the Aurora and weather forecasts to lead you to a prime Northern Lights viewpoint.
If local conditions are good, a specific Aurora camp will be selected, and you can spend more time trying to capture the lights on camera.
If the weather is less promising close to the hotel, you will travel further in search of clear skies.
Your guide will impart some of their extensive knowledge and you will enjoy an evening out in the wilds, hopefully gazing at the Northern Lights.
Duration: approximately 3 hours
| Tour Loaction: | Inari,Finland |
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| Tour Loaction: | Inari,Finland |
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| Tour Loaction: | Inari,Finland |
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Tour Map
Additional Info
Price is based on 2 persons travelling
Tour terms, click here
Booking conditions click here
Payment and Cancellation Terms:
Snow coverage in early December
If you are travelling early in the winter season and there is not enough snowfall, then some activities may be adapted by the local team, or alternatives provided, to ensure everyone’s safety and comfort. For more information on this, please see section 11 of our booking terms and conditions.
Key Facts
For your best chance to see the Northern Lights, contact the UK’s only Aurora specialists
