Menesjärvi – Aurora Wilderness Week
- Details
Details
Situated just 30 minutes from Inari, the Sámi heartland of Finland, but in pristine wilderness sits Menesjarvi, your base for a week of winter experiences.
Close to Lake Menesjärvi and near the stunning Lemmenjoki National Park - the largest in Finland - you have plenty of land to explore and this itinerary offers many different opportunities to do so. From snowmobiling and dog sledding to learning wilderness skills from a local expert guide, you will get an authentic experience of Finnish nature. Pair this with a visit to the Sámi Siida Museum in Inari and you'll gain a real insight into the culture and natural surroundings.
At night, this vast wilderness area provides an ideal environment for Aurora hunting. With little light pollution and an excellent Northern Lights track record, you're in with a spectacular chance of seeing Mother Nature's greatest light show during your time here. If conditions are favourable, simply walk down to the frozen lake (or the 'nightclub' as the team here affectionally call it) and look up but we've also included two dedicated Aurora activities to increase your chances.
During the day, we have left plenty of free time to enjoy your surroundings as you please. Your base at Hotel Korpikartana provides a rustic and simple charm with an exceptionally warm welcome thanks to your hosts. In between your Arctic and Aurora adventures, take some time to enjoy the views of Lapland from the two terraces and unwind in the onsite saunas.
Important Information
The order of activities listed in this agenda is provided for guidance only. Your final and detailed itinerary will be provided either with your final travel documents (which will be emailed to you around a week prior to departure), or upon arrival.
Itinerary
Upon arrival at Ivalo Airport, you will be met and transferred to your base in Northern Lapland. You will have time to settle into your room at Hotel Korpikartano before enjoying dinner in the restaurant.
Included Meals: Dinner
Following breakfast, it’s time to make the most of the deep and stunning snowy surroundings. Your guide will show you how to use all the snow-based equipment including toboggans, kick sledge, snowshoes and cross-country skis – then it’s up to you to explore as you please. Now you know how to use the equipment, you could take them out later in the week.
After lunch in the hotel restaurant, one of the guides will sit with you in the lounge area and tell you a little about the science and myths behind the Northern Lights. The guide will also introduce you to some of their favourite Aurora Forecasting websites and tell you how to use them. Finally, they will provide some guidance and information about photographing the Northern Lights and assist anyone who needs help in programming their cameras to the correct settings.
Following dinner, you will meet with your guide and strap on a pair of snowshoes to travel into the night. You will experience the wonderful silence of the Arctic while your guide tells you all about the surrounding nature and the Northern Lights. If conditions are favourable, you’ll see the green Auroras dancing above on your peaceful walk. You will be out for approximately two hours.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today you have a free day to enjoy as you please. You could add another Arctic activity to complete your stay, see our ‘personalise’ tab for more information.
All meals will be served in the restaurant as usual before your Northern Lights adventure this evening. You will meet the guide who will give you full instructions and a safety briefing on how to drive a snowmobile before driving out to explore the frozen landscape. With a bit of luck, you’ll see the Auroras on your journey. You will travel two people per snowmobile with the chance to take turns (providing you both have full licences and are 18 years or over). You will be out for approximately 2 hours tonight.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Following breakfast, you will learn all about the Finnish nature with some practical wilderness skills. First, you will meet with your guide who will take you snowshoeing through the forest and to the lake area. You will learn how to use a compass, GPS, read a map and what to look out for in the nature around you. You’ll also learn how to make a fire and identify animal footprints. You’ll travel to a Lappish hut to enjoy lunch by an open fire. This activity will last around three and a half to four hours in total including lunch.
You will have a free afternoon and evening to enjoy as you please.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Following breakfast, it’s time to enjoy one of the most sought-after Arctic experiences; dog sledding. You will meet with the expert musher and hear all about the life of these wonderful sled dogs. After a full safety briefing and instructions, you will head out into the wilderness with your loyal team of dogs. You will ride two people per sled, one driving and one as a passenger in the sled with the option to swap halfway. The activity will last around two and a half hours in total.
This afternoon you will visit the village of Inari with the brilliant Sámi Siida Museum for a wonderful insight into the rich culture here. This is a great museum with a great permanent exhibition about the seasons in this remote area of Lapland and how the Sami people have adapted and survived the extreme conditions throughout history. There is also a video presentation about the Northern Lights and several other interesting exhibitions to view. There is also a great gift shop selling local Artisan products – very popular for picking up some souvenirs! You will also make a stop at the Lapland Nature centre to learn more about the flora and fauna indigenous to the region.
You will then transfer back to the hotel to enjoy dinner in the restaurant. Tonight is free to enjoy as you please. If the Northern Lights conditions are favourable, simply walk to the frozen lake to enjoy a display.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Enjoy breakfast in the restaurant ahead of a true Arctic experience when you go winter fishing by snowmobile.
You will receive full instructions and a safety briefing on how to drive a snowmobile and you can choose whether to be the driver, passenger or tucked up in the sledge pulled by the guide’s snowmobile. You will travel two people per snowmobile with the chance to take turns (providing you both have full licences and are 18 years or over). Your destination is Lake Menesjärvi where you will learn all about winter fishing and wait in hopes of a catch. You will be out for approximately two hours and upon return, you have the rest of the day free, with lunch and dinner served in the restaurant as usual. You could put your new winter skills to the test and take out cross-country skis or snowshoes for some independent exploration. This evening, keep an eye on the Aurora forecast.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today has been left completely free for you to enjoy however you like. See our ‘personalise’ tab for optional activities you could add to your itinerary, or simply relax around the hotel. As usual, all meals will be served in the restaurant.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today it is sadly time for your winter week to come to an end. Enjoy breakfast in the restaurant before departing or if you have an early flight time, we’ll box up breakfast for you to take with you.
Included Meals: Breakfast
What's included?
- Return flights from London to Ivalo (either direct or via Helsinki). Flight routes are subject to change
- Return group airport transfers
- 7 nights twin/double hotel rooms
- 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners
- Snow fun activities
- Aurora workshop
- Northern Lights hunt by snowshoeing
- Aurora snowmobiling
- Wilderness skills
- Husky safari
- Visit to the Sámi Siida Museum
- Winter fishing by snowmobile
- Cold weather clothing is provided for the duration of your stay
- Free use of snowshoes, cross-country skis, kicksleds and toboggans
- 24/7 assistance from our UK based operations team and in destination support from our local partners
Accommodation
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Hotel Korpikartano is a very special place in a breath-taking location in Finnish Lapland. Its situation could not be more idyllic, with a fantastic outlook over Lake Menesjärvi and the remote wilderness beyond. The lack of artificial light in the area ensures that if the Aurora appears, then you can enjoy amazing displays from very close to the hotel. Hotel Korpikartano was originally a boarding school for those growing up in this remote part of the world and is, therefore, full of quirks, character and charm. The welcome provided by the dedicated team at the hotel, creates a wonderful atmosphere and their passion for the region is infectious. The staff and guides have a huge passion for this landscape and for providing guests with a truly memorable stay. The hotel comprises of two main buildings. The first houses the dining room and a number of bedrooms. A separate annexe building (a very short walk away) houses the majority of the guest accommodation. It is a place with great soul and which offers guests the chance to completely switch off from the everyday and relax in a wild and beautiful environment. You are likely to leave feeling very privileged to have experienced this wonderful place. Hotel facilities
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Personalise This Tour
Tonight you will strap on a pair of snowshoes and follow your guide into the wintery nature on a search for the Northern Lights.
Snowshoes help you walk over the deep snow with ease, for a peaceful way to enjoy the Arctic night and if conditions are favourable the Northern Lights.
As you walk, the guide will tell you all about the surrounding nature and help you search the skies for a potential display.
Duration: 2 hours in total (approximately)
| Tour Loaction: | Inari,Finland |
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| Tour Loaction: | Inari,Finland |
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Tour Map
Additional Info
Key Facts
For your best chance to see the Northern Lights, contact the UK’s only Aurora specialists
