Ice, Snow and Saunas in Arctic Finland
Head to Finnish Lapland to ice-climb a frozen waterfall, seek the northern lights and trek across untouched powder – eyes open for reindeer
What's Included?
Activities & Certified Guides
All itinerary activities with expert, friendly, English-speaking guidesCabin
3 nights in a genuine Lapland cabinMeals
Delicious and filling Finnish cookingTransfers
To and from the airport and everything in betweenEquipment
All the snowshoeing and ice climbing equipment you'll needSmall Like-minded Groups
Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 12 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people…
…
What's it like?
Head beyond the Arctic Circle and into the frosty landscape of Lapland's Pyhä-Luosto National Park
Don your crampons and ice axes and climb the Korouoma Canyon, the highest ice wall in Finland
Chase and learn how to photograph the aurora borealis – it's wildfire in the sky
Key Information
Day 1
The adventure begins
Hiking
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, wrap up well and head outside in search of the spectacular aurora borealis. Your guides will bring tripods along and teach you how to successfully photograph the Northern Lights in all their glory.
Day 2
Trek and snowshoe the Pyhä-Luosto National Park
Snowshoeing
Ice Climbing
Clip on your snowshoes and hike out into the Pyhä-Luosto National Park - a snowy wilderness of frozen valleys, ravines and tunturis, the remnants of 2 billion-year-old mountains. Take a break around midday for a campfire lunch and then return to the cabin to warm up. In the afternoon, you’ll try your hand at ice climbing and learn how to use axes and crampons to successfully ascend a frozen waterfall. Back at the cabin, you’ll pack for tomorrow’s adventure before unwinding in a steaming hot sauna. Don’t forget to check outside for the aurora.
Day 3
Ice climb the Korouoma Canyon
Ice Climbing
Wake up early and drive to the Korouoma Canyon, one of the top climbing destinations in Lapland, where you’ll face off against the highest ice wall in the country. Spend the day honing your skills on the high quality ice at Charlie Brown and Mammoth until you’re climbing like a natural. In the afternoon you’ll hike across a landscape of frozen creeks and thick evergreen forest searching for animal tracks in the fresh snow. You’ll learn tips on how to build a fire in the arctic and then undertake a truly Finnish experience, as your guide cuts a hole through the lake ice so you can take a ‘refreshing’ dip before heating up in the nearby sauna!
Day 4
Time to go home
After a last breakfast in your cabin, catch the Skibus back to the airport and return home with some incredible stories and pictures to share with your friends.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Last Skibus stop in Pyhä
No later than 20:15 on Day 1
Ends
Skibus stop in Pyhä
Any time on Day 4
Transfers
Round-trip airport transfers on the SkiBus are included or you can upgrade to a private transfer, see Optional Extras below. From Rovaniemi Airport (RVN) board the Skibus to its last stop in Pyhä where your guides will meet you. The Skibus travels between the airport and Pyhä several times a day. Check the updated timetable. Catch the 18:05 bus at the latest on Day 1. Travel time: 2 hours.
Travel options
There are regular flights to Rovaniemi Airport (RVN) from major airports across the UK and Europe.
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2 – Day 3
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 4
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Finnish food is delicious, blending traditional and modern continental cuisine. Dishes commonly include fish, pork, beef or reindeer, but also involve lots of vegetables and mushrooms. The hotel restaurant also serves American-style food like burgers, chicken, ribs and nachos, as well as Lappish specialities like salmon, reindeer stew and reindeer steak.
Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for - please just request on your passenger info form.
What is the accommodation like?
Pyhä
You'll be staying in a cabin in the woods – the genuine Lapland way! After a day of Arctic adventures, it is blissful to step into the warm ambience of a cabin in the woods, and enjoy roaring fires and a sauna. Your host uses a selection of woodland cabins of different sizes and occasionally your group may be divided between two cabins.
The cabins are equipped with clothes dryers, a shared kitchen with facilities such as a filter coffee maker, electric kettle, microwave oven, 24/7 complimentary WiFi, WCs and a shower. A nutritious buffet breakfast will be available to keep explorers fuelled. There is also a communal lounge area to relax in during the evenings. You will typically stay in twin or triple rooms (with a shared bathroom). Double rooms are available on request.
Should you wish to book additional nights' accommodation in Pyhä before or after the trip, we recommend booking Hotel Pyhätunturi as this is located close to the ski bus stop and within walking distance of the slopes.
Upgrades
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room 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).
This trip has been rated as Moderate
To enjoy the snowshoeing and ice climbing a basic level of fitness is needed, however no previous experience is required. Ice climbing is the sport of climbing up ice walls with the aid of equipment like ice axes and crampons. Like rock climbing, you have a harness, rope and belayer to prevent you from falling. Unlike rock climbing, however, you can use your tools to carve hand and footholds wherever you need them. Also, ice climbing is not as arm-intensive at it looks. Your guides will show you how to do most of the climbing with your legs. The climbs you'll be tackling are graded as 'Water Ice' grades WI2 to WI4.
The climbing will keep you warm on the wall, and while you’re down at the base your guides will provide you with puffy down jackets and hot drinks to keep warm.
What will I need to carry?
You'll only need to carry a small daypack containing personal items during the hiking and snowshoeing activities.
Winter in northern Finland is very cold, so be prepared for a truly arctic experience! In January and February temperatures range from -18°C to -8°C. In March and April it warms up a bit, ranging from -13°C to 3°C, with snowy days around half the time. Days are very short, but that just increases your chances of seeing the Northern Lights!
Amazing Finnish experience
Great team and experience, thanks to Tina, Thomas and co, snowshoeing through the national park was great and the ice climbing was definitely a unique experience! Loved the Finnish sauna and sauna in the cabin.
Amazing! You have to book it…go on then!!!!
What an amazing location!
Ice Climing was brill…you HAVE to try it, and the great thing is, anyone can! :)
Snowshoeing was good for seeing some of the sights.
Thomas, Tiina and Katarina were great guides, very knowledgeable.
Cabins that we stayed in were of a good standard.
Food that was provided was very good…we got to try reindeer and Moose, but don’t let that put you off, there are alternatives.
Incredible Arctic and Finnish Adventure
The Ice Snow and Saunas experience is incredible, there's a great mix of hiking in the snow, ice climbing, meeting new people, physical activities but also relaxation and being in nature.
The ice climb is great as it is challenging but caters to all level and the team and our guides went above and beyond throughout to make us feel looked after and safe - they did an incredible job.
The class is also a real mix of people so it's great to be in a group where you can meet people and the environment was always really friendly and positive.
Accommodation is an alpine cabin which has it's own Sauna so great to relax in at the end of the day after the activities
The location is also based at Pyhä ski resort so you can partake in other activities outside of the itinerary if you stay for longer like skiing, snowbiking.
Would highly recommend!
Would definitely recommend! A brilliant trip.
Such an amazing time with great people! We were completely looked after from start to finish and the staff were amazing. The ice climbing was a challenge but an incredible experience. We saw lots of nature and felt like we had a very authentic Lapland experience.
Amazing trip surrounded by beautiful Finnish nature.
A well organised tour in a beautiful country. This trip had a great mix of activities and kept us busy from start to finish. The ice climbing was a challenge but such an amazing experience that I would love to do all over again! The meals provided were brilliant, dietry requirements were catered for well and I loved the experience of having lunch by the fire while surrounded by snow. Thomas was a great guide who ensured that everyone in the group was comfortable, he kept us well informed and shared his knowledge of Finland and the nature/wildlife which we were experiencing. Thankyou also to Juanpi for his knowledge and experience on the day of our ice climb and to Mikael for his organisation and communication before the trip. Ending the trip with the sauna and ice dip was an amazing experience and well needed after a few days of full on activities. I would 100% recommend this trip and would go back and do it all again if I could!
Must do in Finland
We weren’t lucky enough to see the Northern Lights but had an amazing time anyway. Thomas and Jepi were great guides! The snowshoeing was beautiful. The ice climbing was a blast and felt very safe having the guides belay us. We all did better than we thought we could with their help! The sauna and cold dip were fun way to end the trip.
Honestly so much fun! An
Honestly so much fun! An adventure we will never forget! Sadly didn’t see any northern lights but the rest of the trip more than made up for it. The ice swim was a definite highlight, as well as the hikes through national parks seeing wild reindeer and conquering the frozen waterfall!! The guides are fantastic - go above and beyond to make sure you’re comfortable! Will take the time
Absolutely fantastic
Absolutely stunning scenery. Did not get a chance to see the northern lights but the ice climbing, snow shoeing and hiking were absolutely ace! Big shout out to Inessa, Thomas and the gang behind the scenes for making it such a fantastic trip, the hosting was top notch and they made sure we got as much out of the experience as possible.
Fantastic trip
This trip was incredibly well organised and run. The scenery and activities were fantastic and the guides really made sure everyone was comfortable at all stages. The food was really good and made sure any dietry requirements were catered for. Thank you to Inessa, Thomas and Laura for such a wonderful experience, I will definitely be booking with MBA again!
Amazing experience in breathtaking scenery
Lapland was stunning, beautiful location, an amazing place to hike and learn to ice climb for the first time! The guides were very knowledgeable and professional, I felt safe throughout the trip. Everything I needed was included, such as all the climbing equipment, big meals every day, and even hot drinks when out and about!