A 5 Day 300 km wilderness snowmobile safari overnighting in wilderness cabins at Palojarvi by the Norwegian border and the Harriniva Wilderness Lodge at Muonio: You'll follow deep powder snow trails through the Pallas-Yllas National Park alongside the Muonionjoki, the river dividing Finland from Sweden, and up close to the Norwegian border. Scooting through the forest along snow trails, over frozen ice lakes and across mogul littered tundra is the ultimate magic way of enjoying the fjell & forest landscapes. Back at base you can extend your trip and husky mush with the pick of the pack from Lapland's biggest husky kennels, reindeer sled under The Northern Lights or take a wilderness cooking course (watch out The Hairy Bikers). And all this leavened with the legendary hospitality of Harriniva's Family Pietikainen:Kyosti (Kopi), Maria, Niina & Antti.
Alongside the frozen Muonio River demarcating the border between Finnish and Swedish Lapland sits the Pietikainen family’s Harriniva Wilderness Lodge. Many moons and auroras ago, when co-owner Pietikainen Pere was a young man, Harriniva was nothing more than a pit stop for travellers on their way to Nordkapp. Over the years its morphed into a Wilderness Lodge, a riverside colony of 28 cabins , and a home for 400 Siberian Huskies in what has become Lapland's largest husky breeding kennels. The lodge’s rooms are all clad in light pine & locally quarried granite, simply furnished with handicraft fabrics and fitted with a private WC/Shower. 46 of them are configured for 3 or 4 guests (with 3 beds or twin beds plus bunk beds respectively), 6 are larger ones with a sitting area and private sauna, and 12 are apartment style with a kitchenette & children’s sleeping gallery. In the internal public areas there is a sitting area, a bar serving soft drinks, snacks and coffee/tea 24/7, a licensed bar often with 'informal' local entertainment, and 3 restaurant areas collectively termed Kuukkeli, whilst outside there is a traditional Kota restaurant. And everywhere, anywhen and all the time, there is someone, generally a Pietikainen or a BFF, to look after you just as Pietikainen Pere did way back when.
Galdotieva lies surrounded by rolling fjells either side of Palojärvi Lake an old Sami village and reindeer herding area close to the Norwegian border. Cabins have electric heating and in the main service building showers,toilets, restaurant & shop. Plus of course epic silence, views and almost spirtitual sanctuary.
After breakfast it's time to pack up your overnight needs in your backpack, meet your wilderness guide who will brief you on the days ahead and give you safety & driving tuition. Harriniva's Ski-Doos with their minimum 600cc engines and low centre of gravity are easy and safe to drive, controlled for acceleration and braking from the handle bar and have a 'kill switch' to shut down the engine in emergencies. You'll cover some 100km today, along soft snow trails, over frozen ice lakes and mogul littered tundra:a magical way of enjoying the Pallas-Yllas landscapes. By late afternoon you'll arrive at Palojarvi, check in to your cabin and take a sauna before supper.
Today you'll cover around 80 km scooting across landscapes starkly different to those of the day before; as you climb above the treeline close to the Norwegian border the vista that opens up is one of vast, treeless rolling fjells. En-route you'll stop for an arctic al fresco lunch around an open fire and back at your cabin take a sauna and have supper in the Goldotieva restaurant.
After breakfast snowmobile back to Muonio following 100 km of trails down through forested landscapes for a valedictory supper highlighted with Lappish specialities.
breakfast in the Lodge restaurant before transferring to Kittila airport for your return flight(s) to the UK via Helsinki.
There's a plethora of safaris & experiences available at Harriniva from husky mushing to reindeer sledding, ice karting to snow shoeing & skiing to snow fun and we'll happily bespoke your trip to add anything you fancy.
*Guide Prices are based on our mid-level contract air fares which are real time variable unlike our ground costs. We don't do fancy lead in prices and always use the lowest air fare available at the time you confirm your booking. This may mean your holiday being slightly less or more in which case a proportionate reduction/supplement will apply. Carpe Diem = the earlier you book the better, especially for public & school holidays.