* ALL TOURS INCLUDED * - MAGICAL NORTHERN LIGHTS & LAPLAND - SCANDIC HOTEL - THY - 2026
DAY 1. ISTANBUL – ROVANIEMI – SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE – NORTHERN LIGHTS
We depart from Istanbul to Rovaniemi on a scheduled Turkish Airlines flight at 09:45 in the morning. We arrive in Rovaniemi at 13:25. With our bus meeting us at the airport, we first head to Santa Claus Village.
SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE VISIT
Santa Claus Village is known as the home of Santa Claus and is especially popular during the winter months. It is famous for its traditional Lapland houses and snow-covered landscapes. Visitors can visit Santa Claus’s home and share their special wishes. Also, from Santa Claus’s post office, you can send postcards to yourself or your loved ones by placing them in the red mailboxes so they will arrive by the next Christmas. The village is full of souvenir shops, local handicrafts, and Christmas-themed cafes. Santa Claus Village, a great place for people of all ages to experience the magical atmosphere of Christmas, is the point where the Arctic Circle passes, and the polar line is marked by a blue line of light. After our visit to Santa Claus Village, we head to our hotel in the city center of Rovaniemi. Before checking in to the hotel, we stop by the safari office and receive our thermal clothing, which we will use on the safaris and tours we will take.
ICE HOTEL VISIT, DINNER AND NORTHERN LIGHTS
After checking in to the hotel and a short rest, we head to the ice hotel. The Ice Hotel is a popular attraction open to visitors every day between December 15 and April 1. It is one of the largest snow hotels located on the Arctic Circle. The Snow Hotel is built differently every year and decorated with ice and snow art. Visitors can tour the ice rooms, ice sculptures, Ice Bar, and Ice Restaurant. After the visit, we have our dinner with the main course of wood-fire-cooked salmon in Kota, the traditional Lapland house belonging to the ice hotel. If luck is on our side and the weather is clear, we will have the chance to see the Northern Lights. Late in the evening, we return to our hotel.
DAY 2. ROVANIEMI – HUSKY AND REINDEER SAFARIS
After breakfast, we head to the husky and reindeer farm.
Husky Safari
We arrive at the husky farm and visit huskies, one of the cutest dogs in the world. Today we will learn how to drive our own husky team and enjoy an unforgettable sledding experience with these adorable friends. Then we relax with hot drinks around the fire in a traditional Lapland hut (kota). After the husky tour, we move on to the reindeer farm.
Reindeer Safari
After getting information about reindeer from our local guide, we take a tour through the snow-covered forest on sleds pulled by reindeer. After this unforgettable experience, we spend pleasant moments around the burning fire and receive a “Reindeer Driving Certificate” at the end of the tour. Then we have our lunch consisting of reindeer roast, a traditional Lapland dish.
NORTHERN LIGHTS BY BUS
If you did not see the Northern Lights the previous night, this evening we go by bus to an open area or the shore of a frozen lake, away from city lights, hoping to see the Northern Lights for a second chance. After our 3-hour Northern Lights tour by bus, we return to the hotel.
DAY 3. ROVANIEMI – ICEBREAKER TOUR
ICEBREAKER SHIP TOUR
After breakfast, we head to the Swedish city of Kalix, located 170 km from Rovaniemi, for the icebreaker activity. During our journey, we cross the Sweden-Finland border and arrive at the port of Axelsvik. During the 3-hour journey we will take on the world’s largest tourist icebreaker ship, you will witness how the ice on the frozen sea is broken. In the middle of our journey, in the center of the ice-covered sea, we put on thermal suits specially designed to survive in cold seas and keep us afloat, and we swim in the pool created by the ship breaking the ice. After our tour, which is among the activities recommended by National Geographic to try before you die, we go to Kukololaforsen, a fishing town in Sweden, for our lunch. After lunch, return to Rovaniemi and free time for dinner.
DAY 4. ROVANIEMI – SNOWMOBILE SAFARI
Snowmobile Safari
This morning we will take an unforgettable tour by snowmobile through frozen river valleys and snow-covered forests. During the trip, we will enjoy the frozen scenery and take breaks with hot drinks. There are two people per snowmobile, and you can switch drivers halfway through the route. After the snowmobile tour, we return our thermal clothing.
Free time in the afternoon.
DAY 5. ROVANIEMI – ISTANBUL
After breakfast, free time. Then we transfer to the airport. We depart for Istanbul at 15:25 on the scheduled Turkish Airlines flight.