Hotel SAARISELÄN TUNTURIHOTELLI -Activities

SKI SCHOOL

The irksome problems of skiing - the build-up of snow under your skies, the lack of glide in sticky snow, back-slide and loss of grip - all are solved at our ski-school. You will learn the secrets of waxing your skis, and then you can fortify yourself with a hot drink of berry-juice. After our lessons you will feel that you have mastered the ABC of skiing, and you can begin to enjoy the snow quiet confidence.

WHITE CHRISTMAS AT SAARISELK─

You have to come to the North for the Christmas spirit...

Our Christmas starts on the day before Christmas Eve. There is fun for all ages when together we prepare for the Christmas Festival -there is a lot going on indoors and outside in the snowy darkness. Nobody can be left out when we celebrate Christmas in SaariselkΣ.

You might prefer to start your Christmas eve with a walk through the magical Blue Twilight of the Polar winter.

HUSKY SAFARIS

Join a husky safari into the northern wilderness through snow-covered forests and across wide open spaces. Make acquaintance with huskies, a fascinating breed of dog - even deep snow presents no problem for them. Travelling by dog-sledge transports you to that distant epoch before modern technology transformed our lives. Ride your sledge into the stillness of virgin nature or deep into FinlandÆs Klondyke, to Tankavaara.

SNOW SAFARI TO A REINDEER FARM

Be witness to everyday life on a reindeer farm, and get to know what reindeer breeding is all about. Your host, himself a reindeer herder, gives you a fascinating account of the herdsmanÆs life. Being hauled by a reindeer in a sledge is unforgettable! Skim your way to a reindeer farm on your very own snowmobile through the vast snow-covered landscape.

SNOWMOBILE SAFARIS

Start travelling through the rugged scenery of Lapland, climb up the fell with us and experience the forces of nature, the Blue Twilight of winter and whistling winds. You will learn to dive a snowmobile, deal with the challenge of wild nature and traverse the terrain in a modern way.
Enjoy a traditionally prepared Lappish meal, reindeer and salmon for your lunch. The safari will take you for a dayÆs trip or if you wish to experience the magic of the night, gnomes and the spirits of the earth.

CANOE ADVENTURE ON THE IVALO RIVER

The Ivalo River and the Tolos River are not only known for scenic beauty but also for their role in gold prospecting. Hundreds of gold-diggers have tried their luck in this wilderness. We paddle our canoes through splendid river scenery. On the banks of the Ivalo River, we stop in the Kultala Gold Village dating from the 19th century. Nowadays all the houses of the village stand there lonely and uninhabited.

FISHING EXCURSION TO THE FELL

The fish basking in LaplandÆs crystal clear waters are just waiting for you... Your guide will assist you in choosing the right fishing tackle, and we now take off for a river or lake. Full of anticipation we will drop our nets or cast our lines. Coffee is served by the campfire. Maybe today is the day for the big one!

HIKE TO IISKONLOMPOLO

Iiskonlompolo is our base-camp in the wilderness of SaariselkΣ. A "Lapp baptism" or a Lapp evening with regional delicacies crowned by a performance of "joiku" songs is the most treasured souvenir of every visitor to the North. A guide hike to Iiskonlompolo includes a coffee break by the campfire.

ADVENTURE IN THE WILD

"Adventure in the Wild" is an exhilarating mini-holiday for small groups of people who want to feel the challenge of nature at firsthand. In LaplandÆs wild you will put all your ingenuity to the est. You will learn all the skills required to survive there - how to read map and compass, and how to read from the great book of nature. Your strength will be put on trial when crossing rivers, you will spend a night in the middle of the wilderness under the wide northern skies. You will be able to measure your skills in a not-altogether-serious survival game deep in LaplandÆs wilderness.

EXPEDITION TO GOLD DIGGERÆS COUNTY

Will you strike it lucky today? Our jeep will carry you along rather rough road into a camp of honest-to-goodness gold-diggers, who have staked acclaim to the terrain around the camp. Now, you can grab a spade and try your luck panning for gold. You just might strike in rich! We complete the expedition by eating gold-diggerÆ salmon soup cooked on the campfire.

LAPP PARTY IN IISKONLOMPOLO

Spend a memorable evening in a weathered Lapp teepee, seated on a reindeer skin, warming in the glow of the campfire, sampling our regional dishes. Enjoy LaplandÆs traditional food, and allow yourself be enthralled by those timeless bygone days. Later in the day, you might want to join in making ginger-bread, a traditional Finnish Christmas cookie, or take part in an excursion to call on "NUTUKAS", a Christmas-sprite in his own neck-of-the-woods.
The official start of Christmas as a symbol of peace on earth in proclaimed at KaunispΣΣ at noon-tide, and later we gather in Iiskonlompolo by candle-light to compose our thoughts and pause on the threshold of Christmas.
Later, a festive Christmas repast is enjoyed by all culminating in a visit by Santa Claus bearing presents for everyone.
Before going to bed, attend a church service in the open-air under the vast, awe-inspiring northern skies.

Christmas Day commences with a church service on top of KaunispΣΣ Fell. Afterwards, your day might be spent in the bracing outdoors-tobogganing, or taking a ride on a traditional sleigh pulled by reindeer. After all this fresh air relax in the sauna as you never relaxed before! Now you are ready for a delicious Christmas dinner, and precisely in the right mood to join in singing joyful Christmas carols.

The youngsters will make new friends in the Teeny-bopper disco, while their parents burn up calories twirling on the dance floor.

On Boxing Day, after a heart breakfast, "Rudolf" and all his brother reindeer take you on thrilling ride through SaariselkΣÆs super glistening snowscapes.

SAARISELÄN TUNTURIHOTELLI
99830 Saariselkä
FINLAND
Tel. +358 (0)16 68 111
Fax. +358 (0)16 668 771