Finland and Norway Northern Lights Winter Wilderness Adventure

Your Finland and Norway winter wilderness adventure begins as you arrive at Helsinki Airport, where a private transfer takes you into the heart of the Finnish capital. This first day is deliberately gentle, giving you time to settle into the rhythm of the north before the deeper Arctic landscapes unfold.

Your base for the night is Hotel St. George, a refined boutique hotel set within a historic building near Old Church Park. The hotel brings together elegant interiors, contemporary art and a calm sense of wellness, making it a graceful introduction to your journey. After check in, take time to settle into your Serenity Studio and enjoy the thoughtful amenities waiting for you.

Helsinki in winter has a quiet charm. Streets glow softly in the early darkness, cafés offer warm refuge from the cold and the city’s design led character is easy to enjoy at your own pace. Depending on your arrival time, you may choose to wander nearby streets, pause for coffee, visit a gallery or simply retreat to the comfort of your hotel.

Dinner this evening is at leisure, with restaurant reservations possible if you would like a more planned introduction to the city’s food scene. This is a night to unwind after travel, enjoy a peaceful city setting and prepare for the contrast to come. Tomorrow, you leave Helsinki behind and fly north to Finnish Lapland, where deep snow, dark skies and your private villa at Jänkä Resort await.

After breakfast, your private transfer takes you back to Helsinki Airport for your onward flight to Kittilä. Flights are not included, but suitable options can be arranged around the flow of your itinerary. As you travel north, the landscape changes dramatically. City streets give way to forests, frozen fells and the quiet expanse of Finnish Lapland.

On arrival at Kittilä Airport, a private transfer takes you to Jänkä Resort near Levi. Set beside Ylläs Fell on private family owned land, the resort offers a warm and intimate connection to Lapland. With a small collection of premium villas and a ranch atmosphere shaped by reindeer, horses and huskies, it feels peaceful, personal and deeply rooted in its surroundings.

After check in from 15:00, settle into your Private Villa and take time to enjoy the space around you. Snow lies thick across the landscape, the air feels clean and still, and the silence is part of the experience. Your villa is designed for comfort after days outdoors, with your own private sauna and outdoor hot tub waiting when you want to slow down.

This afternoon is yours to ease into Lapland. You may choose to rest after the journey, step outside to take in the snowy surroundings or simply enjoy the quiet luxury of your villa. Dinner is served at Jänkä restaurant, where the evening brings a first taste of Arctic hospitality. With clear skies, you may also begin watching for the Northern Lights above the dark winter landscape.

Wake to another peaceful morning surrounded by the snow covered forests of Finnish Lapland. After breakfast, it is time to experience one of the region’s oldest winter traditions with a guided ice fishing excursion. Travelling by car to a nearby frozen lake, you will continue across the ice wearing snowshoes as your guide introduces you to the techniques and equipment used for winter fishing.

Drilling through the thick ice is an experience in itself, followed by the anticipation of waiting patiently beneath the vast Arctic sky. Whether you catch anything or not, the experience is about far more than fishing. It is about slowing down, enjoying the silence and appreciating the beauty of Lapland in winter. During the excursion you will warm up with hot berry juice and a light snack while learning about local life and the importance of frozen lakes throughout the long Arctic winter.

Returning to Jänkä Resort, lunch is served before the remainder of the afternoon is yours to enjoy. Your private villa provides the perfect setting to unwind after the morning outdoors. Sink into the warmth of your private sauna before stepping into your outdoor hot tub, where steam rises into the crisp winter air while snow settles gently around you. It is a wonderfully peaceful way to experience the Arctic landscape.

If you wish, spend time exploring the grounds of the ranch, where resident reindeer, horses and huskies contribute to the welcoming atmosphere that makes Jänkä Resort so special. As daylight fades, the surrounding forests become increasingly still, creating a magical setting for another evening in Lapland.

Dinner is served once again at Jänkä Restaurant, where seasonal ingredients and local flavours complete another memorable day. Afterwards, keep an eye on the skies, as the Northern Lights can appear above the resort at any time during the evening.

Today offers a deeper connection with Lapland’s traditions before an unforgettable evening searching for the Northern Lights by snowmobile.

Following breakfast, you will join a traditional reindeer experience beginning just behind the ranch. Wrapped warmly beneath blankets, settle into a reindeer sleigh as these gentle animals lead you quietly through snowy forests and across frozen marshland. Unlike faster winter adventures, travelling by reindeer encourages you to slow down and appreciate the peaceful surroundings, listening only to the soft sound of hooves moving through the snow.

After your sleigh ride you will have the opportunity to meet the reindeer, feed them lichen and learn more about their importance within Arctic life. Gather around a crackling fire inside a traditional hut, where hot drinks and light refreshments accompany stories about reindeer herding and local customs that have shaped life across Lapland for generations.

Returning to Jänkä Resort, lunch is served before another relaxing afternoon at your villa. This is the perfect opportunity to make full use of your private sauna and outdoor hot tub, enjoying the contrast between the warm water and the cold Arctic air outside. Alternatively, simply relax indoors while watching the changing winter light through the large windows of your villa.

Dinner is served at Jänkä Restaurant before your evening adventure begins. As darkness settles across the forests, you will head out by snowmobile in search of the Northern Lights. Travelling into remote wilderness, your guide selects locations away from artificial light where the skies are at their darkest. Along the way you may stop beside a campfire or cosy wilderness shelter to warm up with hot drinks while learning more about the science and folklore behind the Aurora.

Even if cloud prevents a display, the peaceful beauty of the Arctic forest at night makes this an unforgettable experience.

After breakfast it is time to leave Finland behind and continue your journey into neighbouring Norway. Your private transfer takes you through spectacular Arctic scenery on a journey of approximately seven to eight hours towards the Lyngen Peninsula. Rather than simply travelling between destinations, today forms part of the adventure itself.

As the route winds through snow covered forests, frozen lakes and dramatic mountain landscapes, there are opportunities to pause along the way and admire the ever changing scenery. Crossing into Norway, the landscape becomes increasingly dramatic as towering peaks rise above deep fjords, creating one of Scandinavia’s most breathtaking winter environments.

Arriving at Lyngen Experience, you will immediately appreciate the remarkable setting. Surrounded by mountains and overlooking the water, this intimate lodge offers a wonderful balance of wilderness and comfort. Scandinavian design, welcoming communal spaces and panoramic views create an atmosphere that encourages you to slow down and embrace life in the Arctic.

After checking into your sea view room, spend time settling in and exploring the lodge. Relax beside the fire, enjoy the lounge or simply admire the views across the fjord as daylight gradually fades. The peaceful setting feels wonderfully remote, allowing you to disconnect completely from everyday life.

This evening you are welcomed with dinner at the lodge, where locally inspired cuisine showcases the flavours of northern Norway. With minimal light pollution surrounding the property, there is every opportunity to step outside afterwards and look towards the sky. The Lyngen Alps provide an exceptional backdrop for the Northern Lights and, should conditions be favourable, you may witness ribbons of green dancing above the mountains and reflected across the calm water.

Wake to spectacular views across the Lyngen Alps, where snow covered peaks rise dramatically above the fjords and the stillness of the Arctic creates an atmosphere unlike anywhere else. After breakfast at the lodge, prepare for one of Norway’s most memorable winter experiences as you head out for a dog sledding adventure through this extraordinary landscape.

On arrival, you will meet the enthusiastic team of Alaskan huskies, eager to begin the journey. Before setting off, your guide will explain how to handle the sled and introduce you to the dogs that will be leading the way. As the team races across snow covered trails, you will quickly discover why dog sledding has been an essential means of Arctic travel for generations.

The route winds through breathtaking mountain scenery, offering uninterrupted views across frozen valleys and towards the surrounding fjords. Along the way there will be time to pause beside an open fire, where hot drinks and light refreshments provide a welcome opportunity to warm up while taking in the peaceful surroundings. Spending time with the huskies is a highlight in itself, allowing you to appreciate the close bond between the dogs and their experienced handlers.

Returning to Lyngen Experience, lunch is served before the afternoon is yours to enjoy. Relax in the lodge’s sauna, admire the panoramic scenery from the lounge or simply take a walk around the peaceful surroundings. The slower pace of the afternoon allows you to fully appreciate this remarkable corner of northern Norway.

Dinner is served at the lodge before darkness returns and another unforgettable evening begins. Accompanied by an experienced guide, you will travel to a secluded woodland basecamp away from artificial light in search of the Northern Lights. A warming fire provides comfort while you wait beneath the Arctic sky, listening to stories about the Aurora and life in northern Norway. Should conditions align, vibrant curtains of green may appear overhead, creating one of nature’s most extraordinary spectacles.

After breakfast, today brings one of the most exciting wildlife encounters available in the Norwegian Arctic. Travelling to nearby Nord Lenangen harbour, you will board a high speed boat for an unforgettable whale watching excursion through the surrounding fjords.

The experienced captain follows the latest sightings, allowing the boat to travel efficiently across the fjords in search of these magnificent marine mammals. During the winter months, humpback whales and orcas regularly visit the rich feeding grounds of northern Norway, creating one of Europe’s finest whale watching destinations. Even before wildlife appears, the scenery alone is unforgettable, with towering mountains rising directly from the water and snow covered slopes stretching into the distance.

As the whales are located, the boat slows to allow respectful viewing while offering exceptional opportunities for photography. Watching these enormous animals surface beside the boat is a truly humbling experience and one that remains with many travellers long after they return home. Even if nature has other plans, the spectacular surroundings make the journey itself a memorable part of your Arctic adventure.

Returning to Lyngen Experience during the afternoon, you will have time to relax before another delicious dinner at the lodge. Make the most of the sauna or simply unwind while taking in the beautiful views across the fjord.

This evening becomes even more special as you move into your Aurora Hut for an unforgettable overnight stay. Located close to the water’s edge and just a short walk from the main lodge, the hut combines comfort with uninterrupted views of the Arctic sky. With your main luggage remaining safely in your room at the lodge, you can settle into this unique retreat and enjoy a peaceful night surrounded by nature.

If the skies remain clear, there is every possibility of watching the Northern Lights from the comfort of your cosy accommodation, creating a magical finale to your stay in the Lyngen Alps.

Enjoy a final breakfast overlooking the Lyngen fjords before saying goodbye to Norway’s spectacular Arctic wilderness. A private transfer takes you to Tromsø Airport, a scenic journey of approximately one and a half hours through some of northern Norway’s most beautiful coastal landscapes.

Your onward flight to Oslo is not included, allowing flexibility when planning your journey. As you leave the mountains and fjords behind, the scenery gradually changes from Arctic wilderness to Norway’s vibrant capital city.

On arrival in Oslo, a private transfer takes you to the renowned Hotel Continental, one of the city’s most prestigious luxury hotels. Located in the heart of the capital, the hotel combines timeless elegance with carefully curated interiors, exceptional service and an enviable location within walking distance of many of Oslo’s cultural attractions.

After checking into your Deluxe King Room, the remainder of the afternoon and evening are yours to enjoy. Take a leisurely stroll through the city centre, browse boutique shops, visit nearby landmarks or simply relax within the comfort of your hotel after an unforgettable week exploring Finland and northern Norway.

Dinner is at leisure, allowing you to choose from Oslo’s outstanding collection of restaurants, from contemporary Nordic cuisine to international fine dining. It is the perfect opportunity to reflect on the experiences of the past week, from snowmobile adventures and reindeer encounters to whale watching, dog sledding and unforgettable evenings spent searching for the Northern Lights.

After breakfast, your private transfer takes you to Oslo Airport for your onward journey home.

Although your Arctic adventure comes to an end today, the memories will stay with you long after you leave Norway. Over the past nine days you have travelled from the elegant streets of Helsinki to the snowy forests of Finnish Lapland, crossed into the dramatic fjords of northern Norway and experienced some of the finest winter landscapes in Scandinavia.

You have embraced authentic Arctic traditions while ice fishing on frozen lakes, travelled quietly through the forest by reindeer sleigh, raced across snowy trails behind a team of eager huskies and ventured into remote wilderness beneath some of Europe’s darkest skies in search of the Northern Lights. You have also witnessed the beauty of the Lyngen Alps, enjoyed a memorable whale watching safari and spent a magical night in a waterside Aurora Hut surrounded by nature.

Alongside these remarkable experiences, your carefully selected accommodation has offered warmth, comfort and genuine Nordic hospitality, from the boutique elegance of Hotel St. George and the private luxury of Jänkä Resort to the peaceful surroundings of Lyngen Experience and the refined atmosphere of Hotel Continental.

As your flight departs Oslo, you leave with unforgettable memories of Finland and Norway in winter, extraordinary wildlife encounters, peaceful wilderness and the lasting magic of the Arctic.