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5.0

Arctic Wilderness Experience in Finland

Explore snow-blanketed forest and learn winter survival skills in magical Finnish Lapland

What's Included?

  • Small Like-minded Groups

    Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 12 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people
From
excluding flights

What's it like?

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Clip on wilderness skis for a journey through icy taiga forest and learn how to survive during an Arctic winter

Keep lookout for the aurora borealis deep within the Arctic Circle and warm up in a traditional Finnish sauna

Bunk down in a cosy Lapland cabin in the woods and build your own snow shelter for a night out in the wilds

Debbie(March 2023)
The trip was exhilarating and we learnt som...
The trip was exhilarating and we learnt som...
The trip was exhilarating and we learnt som...
The trip was exhilarating and we learnt som...

The trip was exhilarating and we learnt some interesting new skills. The highlight was waking up in our quinzee and experiencing the silence of the beautiful environment.The kit list was really accurate and ensured we were warm and safe. Our guide was outstanding in knowledge and looked after us carefully. We will book another trip with MBA for sure .

Amandine(February 2023)
Wonderful location and superbly put togethe...
Wonderful location and superbly put togethe...
Wonderful location and superbly put togethe...
Wonderful location and superbly put togethe...
Wonderful location and superbly put togethe...

Wonderful location and superbly put together trip. Can't recommend enough how brilliant it was to have local guides who not only had well thoughts the journeys & shared copious amount of local knowledge they had shared, they cared to cater all food diets and adhered strongly to the motto "leave nothing behind but prints" . They extended their support before & after the trip, ensuring safe journey to all to get there and make it safely home as well as recommendations on additional activities we could take for those like myself who extended their stay.

Deryn(February 2023)

Amazing - I can't recommend it enough.

Katerina(February 2023)
This tour was perfect from start to finish....
This tour was perfect from start to finish....
This tour was perfect from start to finish....
This tour was perfect from start to finish....
This tour was perfect from start to finish....

This tour was perfect from start to finish. Upon arrival we were greeted by our friendly guides- couldn’t have asked for better. We were checked in to our accommodation (where our belongings remained for the entire weekend). The lodges were beautiful and practical, with the highlights being the sauna, and the dryer for any wet kit. The kit list provided was very accurate, further warm weather gear was provided which was very high quality and super warm. After a tasty dinner, a briefing and kit check, the northern lights made an appearance and performed- a simply magical experience. The following day our experience began, after getting our skis we set off into the wilderness, taking turns to pull the sleighs. Nordic Skiing was easy to pick up and very enjoyable. At the campsite we had many informative and practical sessions of quinzee building, the Finnish wilderness and fire making. Our guides made a delicious meal for us to enjoy. I opted to sleep under the stars that night, due to super weather conditions. It was the best night sleep I had in Finland! The journey back to the lodge the following day was just as enjoyable as we took a slightly different route. That evening we were rewarded with a fabulous local meal and an exciting sauna with Ice lake dipping (I’d recommend taking water shoes or neoprene socks if you have them).

On the final day we were given the opportunity to book an extra tour if interested (ice climbing or fat biking). I tried ice climbing- definitely not to be missed.

A big shout out to Tiina and Sampo our guides, you really made the tour perfect!

Book this trip you will not be disappointed :)

Kieran(February 2023)
I loved every second of the trip. The local...
I loved every second of the trip. The local...
I loved every second of the trip. The local...

I loved every second of the trip. The local guides were fantastic; sharing their of wealth of knowledge with huge enthusiasm and good humour. There was a slight air of mystery which added to the excitement and anticipation for what will be happening next.

Itinerary

  1. Day 1

    The adventure begins

    Cabin
    Twin or triple share
    Dinner included
    Show Day 1 detail

    Head into the Finnish wilderness and settle into a cabin in the woods where your guide will lay out the plan for the next few days. After a welcome dinner with your fellow adventurers, your guide will tell you about the skills and gear that have kept the native people, as well as modern-day explorers, alive in sub-zero temperatures. If the conditions are good you can wrap up warm and head outside the cabin to peer out at the aurora borealis.

    Day 2

    Ski hike to your overnight wilderness camp

    Skiing
    5-6hrs · 9km · 110m up · 110m down
    Snow Shelter
    Twin or triple share
    All meals included
    Show Day 2 detail

    This morning you'll clip into your skis as your guide shows you how to move through the soft snow. Journey through the fresh powder to Pyhä-Luosto National Park, taking turns to pull the pulka sledge with the essential provisions for a night in the frozen wilderness. Set about building your quinzee and learn how to make a fire in cold and snowy conditions before tucking into traditional Finnish wilderness supper. Relax around the fire and wait for the northern lights to appear before crawling into a warm sleeping bag inside your snowy den.

    Day 3

    Journey back to the cabin

    Skiing
    4-5hrs · 8km · 90m up · 90m down
    Cabin
    Twin or triple share
    All meals included
    Show Day 3 detail

    Wake up in the most surreal place imaginable, warm up over a campfire breakfast and set off on the journey back to the forest cabin. Tracing a different route today you'll push through the snow marvelling at the winter wonderland around you, learning about the ecology and history of the taiga forest's inhabitants. The ultimate prize awaits after your time in the Arctic wilds: a traditional Finnish sauna, with an optional dip into a hole cut into a frozen lake! Tuck into a Finnish home-cooked dinner before crawling into a well earned and cosy bed.

    Day 4

    Time to go home

    Breakfast included
    Show Day 4 detail

    After a final breakfast in your cabin, catch the Skibus back to the airport in time for your flight home.

Getting There

Nearest airport
Rovaniemi Airport (RVN)
Pick up
Last Skibus stop in Pyhä
No later than 20:15 on Day 1
Drop off
Skibus stop in Pyhä
Any time on Day 4

What is and isn't included?

What's included

Expert, English-speaking wilderness guides

2 nights in a Lapland cabin, 1 in a quinzee

Delicious and filling Finnish meals

To and from the airport and everything in-between

All the skiing and survival equipment you will need

Where you'll stay

  • Finland Ice Climbing - cabin

    Pyhä

  • Bliss Adventure Pyha Lapland Finland Arctic Survival Skills quinzee inside.jpg

    Quinzee

What you'll eat

Finnish food is delicious, blending traditional and modern continental cuisine. Breakfasts are buffet style with a range of local and continental options. Lunch and dinner dishes commonly include fish, pork, beef or reindeer, but also involve lots of…

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DEPARTURE DATES

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Optional Extras

Upgrades

For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room in the Lapland cabin can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability).


To request any extras, message your host via your Much Better Adventures account once you have booked your trip.

All extras must be paid before your trip starts.

Illustration of a group of people kayaking

GOT A GROUP OF 6 OR MORE?

Book the whole trip privately. We sort the details, you split the cost. Pure adventure, zero faff.

What to pack

Backpack with hiking gear laid out

Know before you go! Some stuff we'll provide, other things you'll need to bring.

FAQs

The skis you'll be clipping on to move through the powder snow are called Altai skis. They are a cross between a traditional long backcountry ski and a snowshoe, giving you the best of both worlds. A wide, short, agile ski makes it easy to travel across thick snowfields. No previous skiing experience is required for gliding across the puffy snowfields. Exploring the Arctic forest in this way is easy and completely manageable for all beginners. Expect the odd tumble in the snow - all part of the fun!

Any excess luggage you bring with you can be safely left in your cabin while you are out adventuring.

The tap water at the cabins and at your host's base during meal times is perfectly safe to drink. Be sure to bring along a reusable water bottle to take with you on the skiing adventures. Your host will ensure the group has enough water on the overnight wilderness section of the trip, and part of the survival skills will be how to melt snow safely to make drinking water.

Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).

For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.

We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.

Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way. Check out our Community Values – a shared code to make sure that everyone's experience is safe, inclusive and brilliantly unforgettable.

It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.

Don't just take our word for it:

  • 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
  • 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
  • 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends

See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.

We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.

What's the number?
It works out on average at 52kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.

The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.

But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:

  • Driving 1000 miles/1609km would be approximately 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person, if there were two of you in it).
  • A return economy class flight between London and New York would be approximately 1619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
  • 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approximately 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.

What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.

Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.

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