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Harriniva Wilderness Hotel is situated 230km above the Arctic Circle and at 67 degrees North it is ideally situated within The Aurora Zone. Our Northern Lights Quest includes a variety of excellent day time activities to ensure you see the best of Lapland, with huskies, reindeer and snowmobiles all on the agenda. Most importantly though, for the avid Aurora Hunter, there are the evening activities which will give you the best opportunities to achieve your goal of seeing the Northern Lights.

On your first night you relax in the comfort of an outdoor Aurora hot tub with views across the wilderness and the hopefully clear night skies. On night two you will be given a briefing on the Lights before a snowshoe hike in search of them. For your third night you explore on snowmobiles with your guide who knows the best viewing spots. Finally you embark on a minibus search which gives you the extra mobility to really seek out the Aurora. Your trip will last at least 3hrs and you wills search hard for the Lights.

You will also have an Aurora Alert which will be in operation until 1am each morning.

5 nights

Sunday – Arrival and introduction.
On arrival at Kittila Airport a driver will be waiting to take you to your accommodation at Harriniva. Dinner will be served in the hotel restaurant.

We include an hour in the outdoor hot tubs on the river bank as part of your stay and it is up to you when you take advantage of them. These are often referred to as the Aurora hot tubs at Harriniva as many guests book their time in the evenings and witness displays of the Lights from a very relaxing vantage point . You can arrange your time with your guide who will let you know the available times.

Monday – Snowmobile safari, evening Aurora workshop and Aurora snowshoe.
This holiday combines some spectacular daytime activities with some wonderful evening excursions in search of the Northern Lights.

After full instruction you will embark on a thrilling snowmobile safari to explore your new surroundings. You’ll cross frozen lakes and explore the spectacular snow covered landscape. You’ll travel around 30km, giving you the perfect introduction to the wilderness.

This evening you will receive a short Aurora workshop with your guide to give you the background information you will need before your inaugural Northern Lights adventure. You will be guided on snowshoes to a local Aurora viewpoint where hopefully conditions will be favourable and you’ll be treated to your first light show.

Tuesday – Husky safari and Northern Lights Snowmobile
A husky safari truly encapsulates the spirit of Arctic adventure and today you will head into the wilderness with your eager team of dogs for a 17km safari through this stunning winter wonderland.

After dinner at the hotel you will head out on your snowmobiles for an exhilarating safari in search of the Northern Lights. Your guide will use their local knowledge to select the most appropriate routes with the best viewing opportunities.

Wednesday – Reindeer safari and Aurora hunting by minibus.
Reindeer and Lapland are synonymous and an understanding of the importance of the animals in the region gives you a wider understanding of the local culture. You will visit the farm where you will hear about the lives of the herders and get up close to the animals before a short reindeer sleigh ride.

If the Northern Lights have not yet shown themselves then tonight you will have another excellent opportunity to seek them out during your mini bus search. If the skies are cloudy at Harriniva then the mobility provided by the bus will hopefully enable you to out run the weather and hunt down the Aurora. This adventure will last around 3hrs.

Thursday – Free day
After all of your Northern Lights adventures you may choose to simply relax and soak up your surroundings. Alternatively Harriniva offer a great range of activities which you can arrange locally. You may want to try your favourite again or participate in something new. We can also arrange for you to spend the night at Lainio Snow Village or in an igloo at Harriniva if you want to try some truly Arctic accommodation. Please see the price box for details.

Friday - Departure

6 nights - 17 February 2013 departure

Day 1 – Arrivals and introduction
Today you will arrive at Kittila Airport where you will be greeted and transferred to your accommodation at Harriniva Wilderness Hotel. On arrival at Harriniva dinner will be served and you will have the chance to take a stroll around the hotel and perhaps the Aurora may even welcome you to Lapland in style.

Your holiday includes a visit to the hot tub on the lakeshore at Harriniva, we allow guests to discuss when they would prefer to visit with the hotel. Some people opt for a morning relaxation session and others use one of their free evenings and make their own Aurora hot tub experience.

Day 2 – Snowmobile safari, evening Aurora workshop and Aurora snowshoe.
This holiday not only allows you to experience some fantastic Aurora activities but we make sure you experience some of the other wonderful things on offer in Lapland during the day.

After full instruction you will embark on a thrilling snowmobile safari to explore your new surroundings. You’ll cross frozen lakes and explore the spectacular snow covered landscape. You’ll travel around 30km which provides the perfect introduction to the wilderness.

This evening, a short Aurora workshop with your guide will provide the background information you will need before your inaugural Northern Lights adventure. You will be guided on snowshoes to a local Aurora viewpoint where hopefully conditions will be favourable and you’ll be treated to a wonderful display.

Day 3 – Husky safari and Northern Lights snowmobile
A husky safari truly encapsulates the spirit of Arctic adventure and today you will head into the wilderness with your eager team of dogs ona 17km safari exploring this stunning winter wonderland.

This evening you will get back on your snowmobiles for a journey in search of the Aurora Borealis. Your guide will use his local knowledge to select the most appropriate routes with the best viewing opportunities.

Day 4– Cross country skiing and ice fishing
You will start the day with a cross country skiing lesson. This is the most popular way to get around here in Lapland as it allows you to explore your surroundings and enjoy the landscape in almost perfect silence.

This afternoon you will try another Finnish favourite, ice fishing. Your guide will take you to a nearby lake where you will drill through the ice and wait for the fish to bite. This evening you can relax in the bar after dinner or relax in the sauna but always remember to keep an eye on the skies.

Day 5 - Reindeer safari and Aurora hunting by minibus
Reindeer and Lapland are synonymous and a reindeer sleigh ride is almost mandatory. You will visit a local farm where you will hear about the lives of the herders and their animals before a short reindeer sleigh ride.

If the Northern Lights have not yet shown themselves then tonight you will have another excellent opportunity to seek them out during your mini bus search. If the skies are cloudy at Harriniva then the mobility provided by the bus will hopefully enable you to out run the weather and find the perfect spot for a light show to remember. This adventure will last around 3hrs.

Day 6 – Free day
After all of your Northern Lights adventures you may choose to simply relax and soak up your surroundings. Alternatively Harriniva offers a range of activities which you can arrange locally and many people choose to try their favourite activity again. You could put your new found skiing skills to the test and rent some cross country equipment or you may like to book in your time in the hot tub today.

Day 7 - Departure

Tourism in Finnish Lapland has become the main income source of employment and income replacing traditional industries such as forestry.

Development from a period of extractive industry to an industrial society has come about quickly. In 1950 the largest part of Lapland’s inhabitants lived in rural areas and more than half the workforce worked in forestry and agriculture. Today 65 % of the workforce is in the service industry, 22 % in processing and 10 % in primary production.

This huge growth in tourism and service provision has been developed in conjunction with a long-term sustainable tourism plan with one of the primary objectives being to maintain nature in its natural state while guaranteeing the traditional way of life.

Much of this has been achieved along with membership of EU development programmes, aimed at diversifying sources of livelihood, effective usage of resources and to increase export.

Approximately a quarter of Lapland’s 100 000 strong workforce was unemployed in 1997. Promoting entrepreneurship, ongoing re-education of the workforce and development of the educational system to suit the needs of enterprises is continuing. The target is to diversify the sources of livelihood, increase the value of refinement production and develop new enterprises particularly in the area of tourism. National measures as well as EU-programme measures support this objective.

We embrace this philosophy, employing local activity providers and using only locally owned hotels. In this manner we help to maintain jobs in an area where unemployment was, until recently, very high. Additionally, the use of local suppliers ensures that the tourism spend filters through to local economies via the tourism multiplier effect.