Finland part 2 - Lapland

Kakslauttanen is definitely a resort that was built and designed for max tourism. Yet even so, I loved every moment of it. 

The cabin we stayed it was called a Kelo glass igloo - a cozy log cabin with a small kitchenette, bathroom with attached sauna (which we used almost every day!!), wood fireplace, and attached half igloo. Along with the main bed in the middle of the cabin, there was a bunk bed and two twins in the igloo. 

Our home for the week!

Not a bad place to hole up for a week, but outside there were plenty of things to do. Breakfast and dinner were included and served at the main reception area, across a small river about a 10 minute walk away. Every time we ventured out of the cabin was an ordeal - we had to get fully bundled up, and remember to bring our masks and mittens and hats.

On Christmas eve, we went dogsledding, which was perhaps the most fun thing we did the entire trip. I started off as the passenger, riding in a caravan of about 15 other sleds. Each was pulled by 6 dogs - the front two were leading and guiding the sled, the middle two were 'in training',and the two closest to the sled were the strongest pullers. For the most part, the dogs at Kakslauttanen were Siberian Huskies - bred to withstand the cold and known for their strength and stamina. And it was pretty clear that the dogs wanted to run - even walking up to the sleds, they were super excited and pulling and jumping, ready to go. It was an infectious energy! 

At the beginning, the guides moved Anil and I to a team of feisty dogs since the older couple who they had originally been assigned to wouldn't have been able to handle them. We followed a trail through the woods, which was easy since the dogs just followed the team before it. At around the halfway point, we switched and I got to be the driver. The harder part was slowing and stopping the sledge. On the downhill, we had to slow down so the sledge so the dogs wouldn't get run over, and on the uphills we had to either help push with one leg, or jump off and help push and then jump back onto the small runners on the sides. We were supposed to keep around 5 meters between each sled. When we were stopped, I had to stand on the break and lean my entire weight backwards, since our team was so eager to keep going. They definitely seemed happy to run. 

Afterwards we stopped for a salmon soup lunch in a teepee in the woods, then went around to see the kennels and the puppies that they were training to be on future husky teams. They let us into the pen with the 3 month olds, and it was so fun having them crawl all over us! There were 150 dogs at the kennel, and the guide knew all their names; each had their own little house, but a lot of them were outside sleeping in the snow. 

The next morning was Christmas Day - we stayed in and had a lazy start, and made rice porridge for breakfast. Since we had the entire day free, we had a fun snow day - sledding and making snow angels.

It's so cold in Lapland that the snow is really fluffy and dry and fun to play in. Someone had left a sled at our cabin, so Ev and I made our own track on the hill down to the river - it took a few mishaps, but we did it! 

Reindeer shoulder, roasting on an open fire

Since we had an evening excursion, we made early dinner reservations at the local restaurant that we'd heard was good - Laanilan Kievari. Since it was 4:30, nobody else was in the restaurant, so it made it a lot more comfortable for us. There was a cheery fire in the open fireplace, which ended up being where they cooked the reindeer shoulder that we had for dinner. The best part was dessert - the 'snowball' - yum! 

That night we had an aurora hunt on a reindeer sleigh. The ride was freezing cold, even though we all had foot warmers in our boots and multiple blankets covering us. Each sleigh was tied together, forming a chain that was led by a Sami guide who was walking through the dark forest. Sometimes, the reindeer behind would go a little faster and catch up to the sleigh ahead of it, which means it would be right next to the rider. Our reindeer, who was right behind Mark and Ev, would constantly poke Mark with his antler. Even though the sky was clear and stars were shining that night, we didn't see the aurora even after stopping at a clearing in the forest. Instead, we talked to the guide and had a hot juice in the teepee. All in all, an amazing Christmas! 

Reindeer sleigh ride on Christmas? Why yes, please!

The next day we had no activities planned, so Ev, Mark, and I decided to go cross country skiing. It was a nice day, so we drove over to the Kakslauttanen East Village, about 2 miles down the road. It is a much smaller and quieter resort, near a large open cross-country ski and snowmobiling area. We headed off without really knowing where we were going, but the tracks are so well maintained that it was easy to follow. It was nice being out and getting some exercise, since it was so easy to just stay cozy and lazy inside! 

Hot cider and snacks in the middle of the forest!

Another fun activity was horseback riding, which was the next day's activity. You didn't need to have any riding experience to enjoy this ride, which was good since Anil had never been on a horse before! They suited us up in jumpsuits and we set off - this time not only through the forest but by a river where they mine for gold in the summer. We rode Finnhorses - fuzzy, stocky horses that are slightly bigger than Icelandic ponies, with a shaggy coat that keeps them warm in the snow. Along the way we saw a herd of reindeer running through the forest - always a thrilling sight!  

On our last full day in Lapland, Anil and I did an all-day trip to go snowmobiling, ice fishing, and visit the Sami museum. We rode about 2 hours north, past Ivalo (where the airport is) to Inari - on the banks of Lake Inari and the capital of Sami culture. After first getting geared up (with a jumpsuit and helmet), we set off across the frozen Lake Inari on snowmobiles. We started with Anil driving, and sitting in the back was cold! 🥶 

We made it to our fishing spot and watched as our guide showed us how to set up. He drilled a hole using a hand drill, then - as he was demonstrating how to set the hook in the right spot, caught a small lake perch! I didn't have as much luck - and we weren't outside for too long before it started getting too cold (and it was time for lunch). We went into a small cabin for more salmon soup (that seems to be the standard lunch fare, but honestly, it was deeeelicious. And warm and hearty - perfect for when you've been out freezing!) 

Before heading back, we stopped at a small Sami church, which had originally been built in 1624 (!). It was damaged in WWII when the Nazis occupied Lapland (they burned everything as they retreated), but was rebuilt. It has no heating and no roads to get there, so most people get there by snowmobile. I drove the snowmobile on the return trip - it was a lot harder to handle than I thought it would be, as I had to fight the steering just to keep it going straight. It was exhausting, but at least it kept me warm as we crossed Lake Inari! 

We then went to Siida, the Sami museum. The main portion of the museum is the open-air architecture exhibit, where we could visit several traditional Sami buildings, including farmhouses, a courthouse, storage huts, and (my favorite) - an animal trap. The Sami are actually the only indigenous group in Europe, and they currently live across Lapland - in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. The site of the Siida museum is a protected archaeological site dating back to the stone age, over 10,000 years ago. 

The trip to Lake Inari was a great way to end an amazing time in Lapland! Overall, I loved Lapland - the activities and the scenery and the culture. Looking forward to returning, and encourage everyone to visit!