* ALL TOURS INCLUDED * ENCHANTING AURORA BOREALIS & LAPLAND - GLASS HOTEL ACCOMMODATION - 2027
DAY 1 ISTANBUL – ROVANIEMI – SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE – AURORA BOREALIS
We depart from Istanbul at 09:45 AM on Turkish Airlines' scheduled flight (TK1749) to Rovaniemi. We arrive in Rovaniemi at 13:25. At the airport, our bus meets us and we first head to Santa Claus Village.
Santa Claus Village Visit
Santa Claus Village is known as Santa Claus's home and is especially popular during the winter months. It is famous for its traditional Lapland cottages and snow-covered landscapes. Visitors can visit Santa Claus's house and convey their special wishes. Additionally, you can drop a card into the red post boxes from Santa Claus's post office to be delivered to yourself or your loved ones next Christmas. The village is filled with souvenir shops, local handicrafts, and Christmas-themed cafes. Santa Claus Village, where the Arctic Circle passes and marked by a blue light line indicating the polar circle, is a great place for people of all ages to experience the magical atmosphere of Christmas. After our visit to Santa Claus Village, we move to our hotel in Rovaniemi city center. Before checking into the hotel, we stop by the safari office to pick up the thermal clothing we will use for our safaris and tours.
Ice Hotel Visit, Dinner, and Aurora Borealis
After checking into 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 each year and decorated with ice and snow art. Visitors can tour the ice rooms, ice sculptures, the Ice Bar, and the Ice Restaurant. After the visit, we have our dinner featuring salmon cooked over a wood fire at Kota, a traditional Lapland cottage 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. In the late 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 some of the world's cutest dogs, the huskies. Today we will learn how to guide our own husky team and experience an unforgettable sledding adventure with these adorable friends. Afterwards, we relax in a traditional Lapland hut (kota) with hot drinks around the fire. After the husky tour, we move to the reindeer farm.
Reindeer Safari
After receiving information about reindeer from our local guide, we take a tour in sleds pulled by reindeer through the snow-covered forest. After this unforgettable experience, we spend pleasant moments around the fire and receive a "Reindeer Riding Certificate" at the end of the tour. Afterwards, we have lunch consisting of roasted reindeer, a traditional Lapland dish. Then we return to our hotel by bus.
Free time in the evening.
DAY 3 ROVANIEMI - ICEBREAKER TOUR
Icebreaker Ship Tour
After our morning breakfast, we head to the Swedish town of Kalix, 170 km away from Rovaniemi, for the icebreaker activity. During our journey, we cross the Sweden-Finland border and arrive at Axelsvik port. During our 3-hour journey on the world's largest tourist icebreaker ship, you will witness how the ice on the frozen sea is broken. Halfway through our journey, in the middle of the icy sea, we put on thermal suits specially designed to survive in cold seas and keep us afloat, and swim in the pool created by the ship breaking the ice. After our tour, which is listed among activities you must try before dying by National Geographic, we go to Kukololaforsen, a fishing town in Sweden, for lunch. After lunch, we return to Rovaniemi and have free time for dinner.
DAY 4 ROVANIEMI – SNOWMOBILE SAFARI
Snowmobile Safari
This morning we will take an unforgettable tour through frozen river valleys and snow-covered forests on a snowmobile. During the journey, we will enjoy the frozen landscape and take breaks with hot drinks. Two people are assigned per snowmobile, and you can change drivers halfway through the route. After the snowmobile ride, we return our thermal clothing. Free time in the afternoon. You can enjoy your private jacuzzi and sauna in your room or go shopping in Rovaniemi city center and Santa Claus Village. Dinner is at the hotel.
DAY 5. ROVANIEMI – ISTANBUL
Free time after breakfast. Afterwards, we transfer to the airport. We depart for Istanbul at 15:25 on Turkish Airlines' scheduled flight (TK1750). Arrival at Istanbul Airport at 21:10 local time and the end of our tour.
- CANCELLATION CONDITIONS
- 100% cancellation right up to 90 days in advance
- 50% cancellation right between 89-61 days in advance
- 25% cancellation right between 60-45 days in advance
- 100% payment required for 44 days or less.
What's Included
- Economy class flights between Istanbul Airport – Rovaniemi – Istanbul Airport with Turkish Airlines.
- 2 nights at Scandic Rovaniemi City or similar (in central Rovaniemi) on BB basis, and 2 nights in Glass Resort glass rooms on HB basis. (In Santa Claus Village)
- Comfortable bus transfers between airport and hotel, and hotel and airport
- Transportation by comfortable bus for activities and tours specified in the program
- 1 visit to Santa Claus Village
- 1 visit to Ice Hotel
- 1 x 30-minute Husky safari
- 1 visit to a Reindeer farm, including a 1/2-hour reindeer ride
- 1 x 2-hour snowmobile safari
- 1 x Icebreaker tour
- 2 lunches at the reindeer farm and during the icebreaker tour
- 3 dinners at the Ice Hotel (in the warm section of Kotka) and at the Glass Resort hotel.
- 4 breakfasts at the hotels
- Professional Turkish-speaking Tour Leader service (regardless of group size)
- Airport taxes
- Hotel taxes
- 1 thermal clothing set consisting of a tunic, boots, woolen socks, and fishnet undershirt (for the entire tour)
- Mandatory travel insurance (professional liability insurance).
Not Included
- Any personal expenses and hotel extras.
- Foreign exit fee (you can pay it to relevant banks or the treasury counter at the airport).
- City taxes
- Domestic connecting flights.
- Schengen visa fee
- Travel insurance package (covers cancellations). A 100% surcharge applies for guests over 70 years of age.