Lapland and Northern Lights Winter Explorer

Arrive in Helsinki and settle in with a private transfer from the airport to your comfortable city-center hotel. The rest of the day is yours to rest before the journey into Lapland begins

After breakfast, see the best of Helsinki on a private guided city tour, taking in its history and finest architecture. Later, make the short trip to the nearby train station and board an overnight sleeper train bound for Rovaniemi, drifting off in your cabin as the city gives way to the snowy north.

Breakfast is available on board at your own expense. Arrive in Rovaniemi, transfer to your hotel, and head to Santa Claus Village for a few hours of year-round Christmas cheer. Meet Santa, shop for Lappish gifts, mail postcards from the elves' post office, and cross the Arctic Circle line to collect your official certificate, with a lunch buffet included. Check in to your luxury igloo and spa resort in Rovaniemi's snowy forests, where your room frames woodland views made for watching the aurora.

As night falls, head into the Arctic wilderness with an expert guide on a Northern Lights hunt, warming up over a campfire with a Lappish barbecue of pork sausage, marshmallows, and hot blueberry juice, with a vegetarian or vegan option on request. Northern Lights sightings depend on weather and solar activity and cannot be guaranteed

After breakfast, take the reins of your own husky sled for a journey across pristine snowy terrain, roughly 5 km (3 miles) of forest trail. Settle in as the energetic team pulls you along, then spend time meeting the dogs, petting them, and taking photos once the run is done, with drinks and snacks provided. This experience is self-driven. The afternoon is free to explore on your own or unwind at the Arctic spa.

Following breakfast, set out to explore Riisitunturi National Park on a 4.5 km (2.8 mile) winter hike through snowy forest to a scenic mountaintop, with snowshoes provided if needed. At the summit, warm up with a campfire barbecue lunch of reindeer sausage and potatoes, a vegetarian or vegan alternative available on request, and take in the Arctic views before heading back. The afternoon is yours to relax or return to the spa.

After breakfast, visit the reindeer park to meet Lapland's reindeer, then settle in for a scenic sleigh ride across the lake before warming up indoors with hot drinks, snacks, and stories about these gentle animals. Later, slip into a warm, dry immersion suit for a Northern Lights floating experience, drifting silently on the lake beneath the stars with gingerbread and blueberry juice to keep you cozy. Guests must be at least 130 cm (4 ft 3 in) to fit the floating suit, and aurora sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Enjoy a final breakfast and check out of the resort. Your guide collects you from your accommodation and drives you to the airport, sending you home with plenty of unforgettable memories from the far north.