How much a Rovaniemi husky safari costs
A husky ride near Rovaniemi costs anything from ~$70 for a short passenger loop at Santa Claus Village to ~$245 for a half-day self-drive safari in a small group. The bigger fares add transfers and a winter suit, but mostly they buy more minutes behind the dogs. Below, six tours side by side, then the extras the listed price leaves out.
Six husky tours side by side
The table lists the five tours on our home page plus one extra day trip, each at its regular "from" price per adult on GetYourGuide. The booking page sometimes shows a lower figure, so treat these numbers as the ceiling rather than the bill.
| Tour | From | Total length | On the sled | Who drives | Group | Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apukka Resort (our pick) | ~$245 | 3.5 h with transfers | 6 km | You, swapping halfway | Up to 20 | Transfers, thermal overall, boots, wool socks, mittens, hot drink |
| A Day In Lapland | ~$245 | 4 h | 6–10 km, about 30–50 min | You (adults 18+) | Up to 8 | Transfers; overalls and boots; kota fire, hot drinks, sausages |
| Safartica | ~$211 | 1.5 h plus transfers | 5 km, about 20–30 min | You, two adults per team | Not listed | Transfers, winter clothing, hot drinks with biscuits |
| Bearhill Husky | ~$70 | 30-minute slot | 2.5 km, 7–12 min | A musher | Up to 24 | Arctic outer clothing; juice and biscuits |
| Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park combo | ~$221 | 6 h | 500 m husky sleigh ride | Sleigh ride | Up to 16 | Transport, shared snowmobile ride, reindeer sleigh ride, winter clothes, helmet |
| Reindeer, Huskies and Santa Claus Village (extra) | ~$210 | 6 h | 500 m husky sleigh ride | Sleigh ride | Up to 16 | Transport, reindeer sleigh ride, salmon soup lunch, winter clothing |
Read the sled column before the price column. Two of these trips put you behind a team for half an hour or more, while two give you a 500 m (about 550 yards) sleigh ride inside a six-hour day.
The cheap taster at Santa Claus Village
Bearhill Husky's ride at Santa Claus Village, from ~$70, is the cheapest way onto a sled near Rovaniemi. A musher drives the team over a 2.5 km (1.6 miles) loop that lasts 7–12 minutes, and you sit in the basket.
The 30-minute slot also covers Arctic outer clothing, plus juice with biscuits in a kota-style hut. It scores 4.7 from 1,500+ reviews on GetYourGuide and suits a family already spending the day in the village (see husky rides at Santa Claus Village).
The downside is plain. You never hold the brake, and the ride ends at about the point where the dogs have warmed up. Treat it as a first look at the huskies rather than a safari.
Self-drive safaris in the middle of the range
Three tours let you drive your own team, and all of them bundle transfers with winter clothing. Safartica's daytime safari from ~$211 is the cheapest of the three, with a 5 km (3.1 miles) run of about 20–30 minutes at a kennel of Alaskan huskies.
Safartica's timing is strict. Turn up late and the safari leaves without you, with no refund, so leave slack in your morning. It holds 4.6 from 1,000+ reviews on GetYourGuide.
Apukka Resort's 6 km self-driven safari from ~$245 is our pick and the most reviewed of the self-drive trips, with 4.6 from 1,500+ reviews on GetYourGuide. The fare covers a thermal overall with boots and the smaller kit down to wool socks and mittens. A hot drink and time petting the dogs come with it too.
A Day In Lapland's safari from ~$245 costs about the same and lists 6–10 km over roughly 30–50 minutes, with grilled sausages by a kota fire afterward. Groups stop at eight (more in our small-group guide), and it scores 4.9 from 220+ reviews on GetYourGuide.
Price per minute is the fairer yardstick
Comparing fares alone hides how much sled time each one buys. Measured per minute behind the dogs, A Day In Lapland's 30–50 minutes put it ahead, even though its fare sits at the top of the range.
Safartica charges a little less for 20–30 minutes, and Bearhill's 7–12 minutes cost far less in total but come as a passenger. Apukka's listing gives a distance rather than a time, and some reviewers call the 6 km short for the price.
One more factor halves the numbers. On most self-drive tours two adults share a sled and swap halfway, so each of you drives roughly half the distance. Our guide to ride lengths turns each distance into minutes.
The most reviewed self-drive safari near Rovaniemi
Apukka's 6 km run with pickup in the town centre or at Santa Claus Village, a full set of winter gear and time with the dogs afterward. The ride is short for the money, but little is left to pay on top.
The combo days and a sampler extra
Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park's husky and reindeer day from ~$221 spreads the money across six hours. You get a shared snowmobile ride, two people to a machine, followed by a 500 m reindeer sleigh ride and a 500 m husky sleigh ride.
Driving the snowmobile needs a valid physical category B driving licence. The husky part is brief, so book this day for variety rather than for the dogs; it scores 4.6 from 1,200+ reviews on GetYourGuide.
The same company's Reindeer, Huskies and Santa Claus Village day from ~$210 adds a salmon soup lunch and free time in the village. Its weak point is the same 500 m husky sleigh ride inside a six-hour day, so it is a sampler rather than a husky safari.
What the listed price leaves out
- Hat and gloves (plus socks) on A Day In Lapland, which lends nothing beyond overalls and boots (see what to wear)
- A taxi out to the farm if you miss the pickup point
- A second booking on Safartica if you turn up late, since late arrivals lose both the safari and the fare
- Children's fares, which vary with the tour and the age, so check the listing for your dates
- A proper meal on the shorter rides, which stick to hot drinks or juice with biscuits
Families should also read the rules on who may drive before comparing totals. Our page on husky sledding with kids sets out the age limits tour by tour.
Cancelling and paying
Most listings on GetYourGuide cancel free until 24 hours before the start, and Apukka's confirms it. That flexibility counts in Lapland, where plans can change at short notice after a warm spell or a storm.
Snow is never guaranteed, so a trip at either edge of winter carries more risk than one in January or February. The guide to the best months covers when trails are most reliable. Our drive or ride guide helps you pick your seat on the sled.