Wilderness Hotel Muotka – Arctic Family Adventure
- Details
Details
Itinerary
You will arrive at Ivalo Airport, which serves as the starting point for your adventure. Your transfer to Muotka will be waiting for you. This transfer is likely to be a scheduled group shuttle that might make stops at nearby hotels. If you prefer a private taxi transfer, you can inquire about upgrading the transfer (additional cost may apply).
After checking in, you will have dinner in the hotel restaurant – your first chance to sample the flavours of Lapland. After receiving your cold weather clothing, why not take a walk outside and keep your eyes on the skies. An Aurora display on your first night, would be the perfect way to kick off your trip.
Note about Activity Order: The order of activities mentioned in the itinerary is subject to change. The final agenda for your trip will be confirmed upon your arrival at the hotel.
Included Meals: Dinner
After a hearty breakfast, you will be able to immerse yourself in the snow-covered forests that surround Muotka. You’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a peaceful walk through the picturesque landscapes, equipped with snowshoes and poles for ease of movement. The guide’s stories and insights about Finnish nature and animals will add further depth to your experience. This activity takes approximately two hours and will be followed by lunch at the hotel.
You will have some time to yourself in the afternoon, and you can arrange to hire snowshoes whenever you wish if you want to explore the extensive trails around the hotel, but equally you may wish to spend some downtime enjoying the hotel’s sauna.
After dinner this evening, you will be collected and comfortably seated in a sledge that is pulled by the guide’s snowmobile. This way you can search the skies on the way to your destination – one of Muotka’s well equipped Aurora Camps. The camp will have been chosen for its clear view of the sky and minimal light pollution. As you keep watch your guide will serve warm drinks and give you information on the Northern Lights. This activity is two and a half hours in duration.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today will surely be a memorable one as you experience a husky safari across the fells. The dogs here love nothing more than to pull a sled and their enthusiasm is a joy to witness. You will travel two people per sled with a team of four to six dogs – it is recommended that adults only drive the sleds, although the guides may allow older teenagers to do so. Younger children will ride in the sled driven by an adult in their party or with the guide. Once the dogs’ initial excited barking has abated, they will pull you enthusiastically across the snow and the experience becomes an altogether tranquil one. The peacefulness of the activity will allow you to really appreciate the awe-inspiring wilderness that provides the backdrop to the experience.
The distance travelled will be determined by the conditions on the trail but you will be driving for around one hour with the dogs. This activity last around two hours and you will take lunch back at the hotel.
This afternoon is left free for you to set your own agenda. You may want to book an additional activity (payable locally) or alternatively, you can take advantage of one of the saunas or enjoy a good book and some downtime.
There are no guided Aurora activities planned tonight, however, the skies above Muotka have produced inspiring displays of the Northern Lights and you don’t necessarily have to go very far to witness a wonderful show. With any luck, the sky will be filled with a dazzling array of colours.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Snowmobiles have become essential machines in this corner of the world, keeping remote communities connected and also providing reindeer herders with an easier means of tracking down their dispersed herd. However, for visitors to this area, they are also a thrilling way to see as much of the winter landscape as possible.
After full instruction and a safety briefing, you will head out into the vast wilderness travelling two people per machine. Your destination for the morning is a reindeer farm around 20km away so there will be the chance to swap drivers (providing you both have full driving licences and are over 18) allowing you both to take control of the snowmobile and travel as a passenger, enjoying the scenery. Any children under 14 will travel in a sled pulled by the guide’s snowmobile.
Upon arrival at the reindeer farm, you will be able to chat with the herder and ask them any questions you may have. Reindeer herding has been an inherent part of life in Lapland for many hundreds of years and today you will learn a little about the fascinating history of herding and its importance to the local culture. This activity lasts for around four to five hours and includes a soup lunch, as well as a short reindeer sleigh ride.
You have your final evening at Muotka to spend as you wish, again you can book another activity locally or you can consider upgrading your accommodation for your last night to one of Muotka’s famous glass roofed kotas to hunt the Lights in style. Please see the Accommodation page for further details.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today you will bid farewell to Muotka as you are transferred to the airport for your flights home. If you are departing on an early flight, you will be provided with a breakfast box.
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
- 4 nights’ accommodation in twin/double hotel rooms. (Please note: the hotel can usually accommodate your bed set up preference but this can’t be guaranteed. Upgrades available on request.)
- 4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners
- Aurora Camp
- Snowmobile safari to reindeer farm
- Snowshoeing
- Husky 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
Our Expert Opinion
Muotka is one of those places where you really feel you have stepped out of the modern world for a few blissful days. That said, this fast-paced itinerary includes all of the essential Arctic experiences, designed specifically for a family to enjoy together. Together with the environmentally sustainable practices employed by your hosts, minimising your impact on the pristine environment you are visiting, it is a winning combination for a family trip to the Arctic.
Accommodation
| |||||||
| Wilderness Hotel Muotka resides around 40km from the main town of Ivalo, tucked away in the corner of North-East Finland. Recently renovated and restored it is owned and run by the same couple as the popular Nellim Wilderness Hotel, Mari and Jouko Lappalainen. They run the hotel with the same hard-working ethos and it exudes the same warmth and charm for its much-welcomed guests. The hotel boasts some wonderful scenery, tucked away in the forested-fells with roaming reindeer frequently seen amongst the trees. It consists of two main accommodation buildings, one with the majority of the bedrooms and another with hosts additional bedrooms, the main restaurant and the reception area. Hotel facilities
|
Tour Map
Additional Info
Price is based on 2 persons travelling
Tour terms, click here
Booking conditions click here
Payment and Cancellation Terms:
Please note that the following cancellation terms supersede in part those mentioned in Section 7 of our general booking terms and conditions.
If you are travelling between, and including, the dates of 15.12-06.01, the following cancellation terms apply:
– Prior to 25.09 – Loss of deposit (including the full cost of the flights or other services where paid at the time of booking)
– 26.09 up until departure date – 100%
For all other travel dates, the following cancellation terms apply:
– Up to balance due date (this is normally 16 weeks prior to departure however some holidays differ. If this applies to your holiday you will be advised at the time of booking) – Loss of deposit (including the full cost of flights or other services where paid at the time of booking)
– Between balance due date and 43 days prior to departure – 60%
– 42 to 16 days prior to departure – 85%
– 15 or less days – 100%
Key Facts
For your best chance to see the Northern Lights, contact the UK’s only Aurora specialists
