Christmas by Lake Inari 5 day trip to Lapland

Lying on the shoreline of frozen Lake Inari, whose islands are the ancestral burial grounds of the Sami, is the tiny village of Nellim. The tranquillity of the setting and the genuine warmth of your welcome lends a Christmas here an almost mythical charm.

Wilderness Hotel Nellim

The Wilderness Hotel Nellim is owned and run by the Lappalein family: Jonko and Mari. Here they have converted the old school house into a home for themselves, their twins and travellers looking for adventure and tranquillity. 12 simply furnished rooms and apartments with Shower/WC; fresh food from the lake or forests and an authentic Sami family welcome, characterise the hotel. As well as a restaurant and a traditional Kota where you eat on one night of your trip, there is a traditional wood burning sauna.

Day 1 in Lapland

Depart Heathrow at 10.20 on Finnair scheduled flight to Ivalo via Helsinki. Arrive 17.35 local time and transfer to Nellim. Welcome drink, programme briefing and dinner.

Day 2 in Lapland

Nellim is home to both Skolt and Inari Sami, along with ethnic Finns, and after breakfast your guide will introduce you to some of them, recalling their antecedence and telling of their contemporary lives. Your walk around the village takes you to a Kota, the Orthodox Church St Triphon of Petsama and a reindeer corral, after which you travel by car along the shores of Inari to the Russian border. Lunch at the hotel before fun and games in the snow on the sloping bank running down to the lake with snow shoeing, tobogganing, ice fishing and reindeer lasso throwing practice. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 3 in Lapland

Christmas Eve – After breakfast, it’s time to visit Dasher, Dancer and Rudolph, the most famous reindeer of all, who are resting nearby. Children will help feed to feed them, on this, the busiest day of the year. Lunch back at the hotel. Afterwards, time for tobogganing on the hotel’s very own toboggan slope. Dinner in a traditional Kota with tales of Santa’s whereabouts from one of his most trusted elves.

Christmas in Lapland

Christmas Day – After breakfast, climb aboard your snowmobile for a safari through the forest with a lunch of sausages and pancakes in a clearing in the forest. In the afternoon an elf will help you find a tree to bring back to the hotel to decorate. You can also bake gingerbread cookies and make traditional Sami felt toys. A Sami Christmas buffet culminates in a visit from Father Christmas who will arrive with Rudolph and will have a small present for everyone.

Day 5 in Lapland

Breakfast and time for last minute tobogganing before transferring to Ivalo and your return flight via Helsinki to London Heathrow, departing 13.20 and arriving at 17.10.

Price includes:

• Return scheduled Finnar flight from Heathrow to Lapland.
• In-flight cabin service.
• All airport taxes and passenger service charges.
• Airport/hotel transfers.
• Accommodation in twin room (s), apartment or log cabin with private Shower/WC.
• Welcome drink.
• Breakfasts, lunches and dinners as per itinerary including festive Christmas dinner
• Small present and visit from Father Christmas.
• EXCLUSIVE “SMUGGLE SANTA YOUR OWN PRESENT FACILITY”.
• All activities and excursions as per itinerary including any special clothing required.
• Complete set of thermal clothing including mittens, boots, scarf and hat.
• Services of local guide in Lapland.