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Is Lapland on your bucketlist?! I fully understand! It’s amazing. In this blog post I will share the 10 best activities to do in in the Kittilä/Levi area of Finnish Lapland.
The recommended organizations and activities below are based on my own personal experience. To get the best quality for the most affordable price, that is what I aim for, don’t you?! Some unique experiences for sure!
In this article
SnowVillage
- Organization: SnowVillage
- Location: Lainiotie 99 in Kittilä, 10min off the 80 highway between Ylläsjärvi and Kittilä
- Duration: 1-2 hours (open 10:00-22:00h)
- Price: 15 euro per person (entrance fee)
Each year, around 20 million kilos of snow and 350 000 kilos of crystal clear natural ice are used to build the spectacular SnowVillage which changes in shape, size and design to amaze visitors year after year. Covering an area of about 20 000 square meters, the entire hotel was Game Of Thrones themed in the winter of 2017/2018.
SnowVillage is an amazing, beautiful annual creation. It was really nice to see all the different rooms, the Ice Chapel and have a drink at the Ice Bar. The Ice Restaurant is also open to external guests (€60 p/p). Since I actually appreciate my night’s sleep, we decided just to visit and not to sleep here. Good to know: only the snow suites include artistic wall decorations, not the standard rooms!
Reindeer safari
- Organization: Wolverine Fell Wilderness and Nature
- Location: 10km southeast of Levi at Wolverine Lake
- Duration: 5 hours (11:00-16:00h)
- Price: 96 euro per person
When you think of Lapland, it’s hard not to think of reindeer, right? Riding the sleigh with reindeer Tornado, who participates in reindeer race competitions, galloping through the snow gave me butterflies to my stomach and a big smile on my face. Another great experience I will not quickly forget!
Read the complete story in my earlier blog post Sleigh ride with reindeer Tornado in Finnish Lapland. We booked this activity as a ‘4-in-1’ package deal including lunch.
Ice fishing
- Organization: Wolverine Fell Wilderness and Nature
- Location: 10km southeast of Levi at Wolverine Lake
- Duration: 1 hour
- Price: included in the reindeer safari
This activity was in our case included in a ‘4-in-1’ package deal, in combination with the reindeer safari mentioned above. If you catch a fish, you will eat it for lunch!
Northern Light safari
- Organization: Lapin Luontoelämys (Finnish for Lapland’s Nature Experience) via Levi Tourist Office
- Location: Rautusjärvi Lake near Köngäs (pick up from Levi Tourist Information)
- Duration: 3,5 hours (20:00-23:30h)
- Price: 75 euro per person
Almost all commercial organizations in the area offer northern light safaris. However, most of those tours go regardless the weather conditions, while your chance of seeing the Northern Lights strongly depends on the weather (and luck). A few organizations that can be booked via the Levi Tourist Information offer tours that only go if the sky is clear and the weather conditions give a reasonably good chance of seeing the northern lights.
Due to cloudy weather, our tour had to be postponed four times that week. Luckily we booked the Northern Light safari in the beginning of our stay, keeping our chances to see the Northern Lights open as long as possible. If you have a rental car, you could go out and explore on your own. However, the people of this organization know the area, where to go for the best Northern Light viewing. The pick-up was very close to our apartment, so very convenient.
We went to a warm cabin by the Rautusjärvi Lake near Köngäs, 20 minutes north of Levi by car. The staff helped us putting our snow shoes on and guided us to the middle of the lake. Temperatures drop dramatically when the sky is clear. It was -25° Celsius, freaking cold! My camera did not really work properly at this temperature.
The light rays were not as spectacular as you see on some famous Northern Lights pictures, but it was worth the experience! And a good excuse to go to Iceland next year 😉
Husky safari
- Organization: Rami’s Huskies
- Location: 20km east of Kittilä airport in the direction of Ylläsjärvi, just off the 80 highway
- Duration: 4 hours (23km), the longest ride offered in this area
- Price: 160 euro per person
I love travel. And I love animals, especially dogs. Great to combine both! The possibility of going on a husky ride was actually one of my main reasons for wanting to go to Finnish Lapland. To see them in their natural environment.
An absolutely fantastic, must-do experience when going to Finnish Lapland. For the full story, check out my earlier blog post Tears of happiness: husky ride in Finnish Lapland. Rami’s gives great value for money and is the only one licensed to offer safaris through the magical Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. Great to combine with Snow Village.
Cross-country skiing (langlaufen)
- Organization: Zero Point
- Location: book & pick up at Zero Point, at the foot of the main ski slope in the center of Levi
- Duration: 1,5 hours (Thu 12:00-13:30h)
- Price: 45 euro per person + 28,50 euro for rental gear (3 hours)
Levi is a ski area with numerous ski slopes. I am an adventurous girl but I do not find myself suitable for skiing. Cross-country skiing on the other hand, is something I wanted to try. We booked a trial class and rented pairs of boots, skis and sticks. The minimum rental is for 3 hours. Our instructor Johanna, a friendly local, picked us up at Zero Point. Luckily we were the only ones in this class so we got a private lesson, great!
Cross-country skiing has similarities with regular skiing but with less height. Balance by using your body weight and bending your knees are very important. During this class we also went on a regular cross-country ski track through the forest. Physically challenging and tiring, as it requires a lot of concentration and usage of muscles you otherwise do not use so intense. Would not have want to miss it though!
An alternative for cross-country skiing beginner lesson(s) would be with Lapin Luontoelämys in Köngäs, 10-15 min north of Levi, 55 euro for 2 hours including gear and a hot drink.
Snow mobile safari
- Organization: Perhesafarit
- Location: opposite Levilehto apartments and next to K Supermarket in Levi at highway 79
- Duration: 2,5 hours (45km)
- Price: 105 euro per person
We decided to book the snow mobile safari around the Kätkä fell, at the edge of the Pallas-Ylläs NP. This track takes a bit longer than most of the standard snow mobile safaris in the area and should be quieter. At about 2/3 of the safari we had a break with delicious warm waffles, home-made jam and hot berry juice in a wooden cabin in the middle of nowhere!
There are possibilities for longer, custom-made safaris of up to 6 hours, or to rent a snow mobile and drive around yourself. Snowmobile rental is a possibility that comes with more freedom than group safaris, but also involves more risks. We found and helped a guy who hit a tree and got stuck in the deep snow!
We shared a snow mobile and switched half-way. I had driven a snow mobile once before in the mountains of Beirut, but that was some time ago and under different conditions. It was snowing pretty hard and got dark already around 14:30h. Getting control of a snow mobile with someone else on the back, especially on a very bumpy track, was not as easy as it seemed, yet we had so much fun! Racing 60 km p/h on this snow track was incredibly cool. Big smile on my face when we got back!
We liked Perhesafarit. It’s a family-owned business and they really put an effort into making it a good experience for you. Our instructor was the owner’s daughter, who grew up in the area. They have all the gear you need. This activity requires a buff people! Kino Safaris is another snow mobile company in Levi with comparable prices and offerings.
Ice karting
- Organization: G2 Ice Karting Levi
- Location: between Kittilä airport and Levi town (±30 min by foot or 5 min by car)
- Duration: 15 minutes per heat
- Price: 27 euro per person per heat (cash, debit or credit card)
I have done the kart racing before, but never on ice, so that sounded like something I needed to do. It’s actually on Tripadvisor no. 1 of things to do in Levi! And the funny thing is: my boyfriend thought this was THE best activity of our whole Lapland trip!
This video is not mine but gives a good impression of the experience:
Show shoeing
- Organization: Wolverine Fell Wilderness and Nature and Lapin Luontoelämys
- Location: Kittilä/Levi area
Walking with snow shoes was included in two other activities we have done: the reindeer and northern light safaris. The snow shoes are pretty comfy and easy to put on with straps. Snow-shoeing is a form of hiking. It’s quite a physical exercise, especially going uphill and ‘off track’.
As a first-timer, snow-shoeing for about an hour is just enough to keep it fun and attainable for everyone. You get to see pieces of nature you would otherwise not; it is definitely worth to get a bit sweaty for!
Sauna
Saunas from Finland are famous and exported globally. I love going to the sauna; it’s healthy and very relaxing. Sauna in Finland is a different experience than back home relaxing in my favorite saunas in The Netherlands. Saunas in Finland seem to be mostly either home-based or combined with a public pool (and children).
If you can find yourself a nice holiday apartment in the Kittilä/Levi area with a sauna included, you should be fine, enjoy! Levi Spa, in the center of Levi, next to Burger King, can be fun when you have or don’t mind small kids in your sauna. Just don’t let the name fool you; it’s more a regular pool with a few saunas than a true spa (as in wellness). Better go to one of the smaller sauna and hot tub places in the area, mostly at hotels.
More activities
Staying longer than a week in Levi, Sirkka, Kittilä or Köngäs, or looking for evening entertainment? No worries, the following activities are also available in the area:
- Winter Lasergame
- Samiland museum
- Skiing & snowboarding
- Fat bike or e-bike
- Kick sledge excursion
- Icelandic horse riding
- Hiking
- Sledging (Lapp style)
- Bowling
- Bar hopping , for example to Narran, Ihku, Sohva and Panimo
Especially relevant: make sure you wear the right, affordable Lapland outfit to enjoy these activities the most!
By the way, the only ATM we could find in town is located outside at Levi Hotel Spa, next to the Classic Pizzeria and close to the main roundabout at the Tourist Office. Around New Years it was empty for a few days, so we had to go to Kittilä airport for cash.
Map Levi
This map includes places and spots mentioned in this article (and more). This one is ‘smartphone friendly’; you can easily use it via the Google Maps app. Click the icon at the top left to open the menu and see the categories. To adapt the map to your own preferences and interests, (de)select a category. Via Google Drive you can copy the map to your own My Google Maps account.
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Last Updated on 02/19/2021 by Elisa Flitter Fever
