The trip
Overview
Snow — proper, knee-deep, roof-laden snow — is the rarest commodity a UAE childhood can import, and Finnish Lapland supplies it in industrial quantities. This five-night trip is built as a family expedition rather than a resort stay: husky sledding through silent forest, a reindeer farm run by Sámi herders, snowmobile safaris sized for families, and evenings spent away from the lights watching the northern sky do whatever it decides to do.
On the aurora, we are straightforward: Lapland offers some of the best viewing odds in the world between roughly late August and April, and we build in guided evening excursions to dark-sky spots — but the lights are a natural phenomenon and no operator can promise them. The trip is designed so that the huskies, the snow and the log-fire evenings would carry it even on a fully clouded week.
A festive December version adds Christmas programmes around Rovaniemi; January to March brings colder, crisper conditions, deeper snow and quieter trails. Either way, all thermal outer layers are provided — you fly out of the Gulf in a hoodie and are dressed for minus twenty within an hour of landing.
Highlights
- ✦Husky-sled safari with the chance to drive your own team
- ✦Reindeer farm visit and a short sleigh ride through the forest
- ✦Family snowmobile safari with children in heated sleds
- ✦Guided evening aurora excursions to dark-sky locations
- ✦Snow games at the cabin — toboggans, snowshoes, a frozen-lake walk
- ✦Optional glass-roofed cabin night for sky-watching from bed
Who it suits
- ●UAE families whose children have never seen falling snow
- ●Winter-break travellers wanting an active alternative to a city Christmas
- ●Couples on the glass-cabin version, sky-watching from a warm bed
Why this journey works
- ✓Five nights fits the UAE winter school break with room to spare
- ✓All Arctic clothing is provided — no need to buy a wardrobe for one week
- ✓Activities are genuinely all-ages: toddlers ride, teenagers drive
- ✓The itinerary succeeds on huskies and snow alone; any aurora is a bonus, never the promise
Day by day
Day 1
Gulf heat to Arctic snow
Fly from Dubai via Helsinki to Rovaniemi, Kittilä or Ivalo, crossing the Arctic Circle somewhere over your in-flight meal. Transfer to your cabin or lodge, collect thermal suits and boots for the week, and let the first snowball fight happen naturally. Dinner is by the fire; if the sky is clear, the aurora watch starts on night one — no guarantees, ever, but no wasted clear nights either.
Days 2–3
Huskies and reindeer
The husky safari is the trip's loudest joy — a yard of howling dogs that falls silent the instant the sled runs, and then only runners hissing on snow. Adults can drive their own team; younger children ride bundled in the sled. The following day moves at reindeer pace: a Sámi-run farm, feeding the herd, a short sleigh loop under the low pink sun, and an introduction to a culture that has worked this land for centuries. Evenings alternate cabin time with a guided aurora excursion by minibus or sleigh.
Days 4–5
Snowmobiles, snow days and the last sky watch
A family snowmobile safari follows forest trails to a wilderness lunch stop — drivers licensed, children towed in heated sleds. The remaining time is unscripted Arctic play: snowshoeing, tobogganing, ice fishing through a drilled hole, or an optional snow-village or festive add-on in season. The final evening is the second guided aurora outing, hot berry juice in hand, cameras on long exposure and expectations honestly managed.
Day 6
South, then home
Fly back via Helsinki to the UAE. The snow stays behind; the photographs and the smell of woodsmoke in the luggage do not fade for a while.
When to go
The aurora season runs roughly from late August to April, with December to March offering full snow cover for the safaris; December adds festive programmes and the shortest, bluest days, while February and March bring longer daylight and often clearer skies. Temperatures commonly sit between minus five and minus twenty-five — provided thermal layers handle it comfortably. Aurora sightings depend on solar activity and cloud cover and are never guaranteed.
Planning around seasons, regions and style? Read the full Finland destination guide →
What’s included
- ✓Return flights from Dubai or Abu Dhabi via Helsinki to Lapland
- ✓Private airport transfers
- ✓Five nights in a log cabin or aurora-lodge accommodation
- ✓Half board — breakfast and dinner daily
- ✓Thermal suits, boots, gloves and helmets for every activity
- ✓Husky safari, reindeer farm visit, snowmobile safari and two guided aurora excursions
- ✓PCT travel consultant support before and during travel
Not included
- —Travel insurance
- —Lunches and drinks
- —Optional extra safaris and festive programmes
- —Personal spending
Ways to extend it
- +Add a night in a glass-roofed aurora cabin
- +Include a festive Rovaniemi programme in December
- +Finish with two nights in Helsinki's design district
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