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Autumn Colours & Auroras
Family Holiday in Lapland
Independent tour with guided private & group experiences
Photo: Visit Finland/Julia Kivela
Dates
Duration
On request between
September - Mid-October 2024
5 days/4 nights
Suitable
Price
For nature loving families looking for some quality time away from the crowds
From AUD 9075 for a family of 4
We designed this getaway particularly for families planning to spend the Australian/New Zealand Spring school holidays overseas. Usually this time of the year Lapland is covered with beautiful autumn colours and, as the nights are dark, you have a good chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis. Santa Claus is also returning from his holidays - and as a surprise we have arranged a meeting with him so your kids can discuss their Christmas wish list with the Big Man himself!
On this holiday your family can spend some quality time together away from the crowds - enjoy some of the purest (crisp) air in the World while enjoying outdoor activities and meeting some of the cutest animals of the North including huskies and reindeer.
Completed in February 2023, Kurula's Resort offers its guests understated luxury with a feeling of serenity away from an increasingly hectic world. What we love the most about this resort is its location by a lake surrounded by wilderness. If you are lucky you can see the Northern Lights from your suite window dancing on the Northern sky above Lake Pyhä. In Autumn - when the lake is not frozen - the Auroras reflect from the lake's surface creating a magical display!
Kurula's Resort is only a short walk from the ski lifts, hiking trails and the oldest national park in Finland. There are three buildings in the hotel complex: one for accommodation with 17 spacious suites, one service building and a separate lakeside sauna.
The service building houses the reception together with a dining room with its own fireplace. Each suite has a kitchenette, sauna, and terrace or balcony with beautiful views over the lake. The lakeside scenery appears to flow into the suites through the large windows, blurring the line between indoors and outdoors and weaving them together. By the lake, you find a sauna and a terrace with a jacuzzi enticing guests to sit down and unwind.
We can customise this holiday with additional/alternative activities that will suit families with older kids. This holiday can also be modified to suit adults only, too. Ask for a proposal!
Tour Highlights
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Enjoy understated luxury in serene surroundings
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Perfect location for quality family time
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Outdoor activities for the entire family
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Chance to see the Northern Lights
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Meeting the cutest Arctic animals - huskies & reindeer
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Private meeting with Santa Claus
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Lapland
Upon arrival at Rovaniemi, a private transfer will take you to Kurula's Resort. Drive time about 1.5 hours.
Depending on your arrival time, we can include an optional activity here, too!
Enjoy dinner at the resort restaurant before retiring to your cosy suite room. Have a look at suites available:
Premium Suite
Day 2: Fishing experience & night time Aurora walk
After a leisurely breakfast your guide will take you on a fishing trip.
Have you tried your luck with fishing before? Your local guide will take you to the best spots where you can try luring in some Finnish fish. You might have a nibble from a strong trout or a pike or you might pull in some graylings! Your guide will tell you more about the Finnish fish species and the lakes. Did you know that there are about 188,000 lakes in Finland? Being outside in the fresh air makes you hungry, too! During the tour you will enjoy hot drinks and some snacks around a camp fire. Duration about 2.5 hrs.
Return to hotel where you enjoy lunch. Free time to go for a walk or enjoy a paddle on the lake. Ask us about other optional activities.
After dinner your guide will take you for a wander to admire the Arctic sky and with some luck, the Northern Lights. Walk in an old pine tree forest along beautiful trails while listening to the sound of silence. Your guide will share stories and facts about the Arctic nature, the way of life up here in the North, the skies above you and the Aurora Borealis. Your guide will also teach you about right camera settings and how to photograph the Northern Lights, should they appear. During the tour you will enjoy hot drinks and grill some sausages for a snack by a camp fire. Duration about 2.5 hrs.
Day 3: Meet huskies & enjoy private sauna and hot tub by the lake
Enjoy breakfast while admiring beautiful lake views.
Todays' outing will take you to a small family owned husky farm. Meet the huskies and learn about their lives from puppies to full grown sledge dogs! Huskies originate from the North and are well accustomed to the cold weather. They are working dogs used primarily as sled dogs. Hence, they love running! You will be paired with a husky for an easy walk in the surrounding forest. After the visit a transfer back to your hotel. Duration about 2 hrs.
Enjoy lunch at the hotel. Maybe do some reading or play games in the afternoon.
Before dinner enjoy a private sauna session with your family by the lake. Finns absolutely love their saunas! It is estimated that there are three million saunas in Finland, for a population of 5.5 million. Big companies and state institutions have their own saunas. The president has an official sauna, as does the prime minister. Saunas can be found in city apartments and country cottages.
Warm up in the sauna and then maybe try a refreshing dip in the waters of the lake. Enjoy the serenity in the hot tub before returning back to your suite.
Enjoy dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Day 4: Visit a reindeer farm and catch up with Santa Claus
After breakfast it's time to meet the most important creatures of Lapland, the reindeer. In the province of Lapland there are about 185,000 residents and about 200,000 reindeer. Reindeer husbandry - the term for herding reindeer in a limited area - is still a major livelihood for many in the region and is considered an important tradition to keep alive.
Reindeer are perfectly adapted to the cold climate. Their fur is thick but the hairs themselves are hollow and light. The air inside the hairs are great insulators - in fact, a healthy reindeer can thrive in temperatures as low as -50°C! Their legs are also incredible; they have strong circulation and special bone marrow that keeps their legs warm while trudging through deep snow.
On this visit you can see the reindeer up close, feed them and learn more about the reindeer and reindeer herder's life. Duration about 1.5hrs.
On the way back to the hotel, we stop for a quick chat with Santa Claus at his hideaway.
After lunch free time to rest or embark on some optional activities.
Dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Day 5: Time to say 'good bye'
After breakfast it's time to return to the hustle & bustle of life outside this little haven on earth. Private transfer to Rovaniemi.
We can also add a couple of nights in Rovaniemi, if you wish! Get in touch to find out where to stay and about things to see & do.
Prices
Tour price
From AUD 9075 for 2 adults and 2 kids (4-12 years old) sharing a suite
Please ask for quote if you are travelling with older children or if you have a smaller or a larger family.
What's included
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5 nights' accommodation
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Full board (from dinner on arrival day until breakfast on departure day)
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Fishing Experience (about 2.5hrs)- small group tour
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Aurora Walk (about 2.5 hrs) - small group tour
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Husky Experience (about 2 hrs) - small group tour
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Private Sauna & Hot Tub by the lake (1 hr)
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Reindeer Farm visit (about 1.5 hrs) - small group tour
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Private chat with Santa Claus (about 20 minutes)
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A donation on your behalf for protection of the endangered Arctic Fox - read more >
Booking Conditions
SAFETY & TRAVEL INSURANCE
All outdoor activities carry an element of risk and we strongly advice you to purchase a comprehensive travel insurance to cover all activities in this package. You warrant that the information you provide regarding your health & fitness is accurate and there are no other medical issues (both physical/mental) that may impact your ability to participate in these activities.
WEATHER
If the organisers do not deem one of the activities safe, they reserve the right to change the order of the activities or the content of the program if necessary due to the weather. In extreme conditions they might have to reschedule or cancel.
ALTERATIONS BY ORGANISER
Sometimes the organiser has to make changes, usually because of circumstances out of their control. If this happens, they reserve the right at any time to substitute accommodation or activities. If this means extra cost to you, we’ll let you know.
ACCEPTANCE OF RISK
You acknowledge that travel involves personal risks which may be greater than those present in your everyday life. This could be as a result of the adventurous nature of your trip or the visiting of destinations which present geographical risks and dangers.
Our full terms & conditions (link).
What's not included
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Meals other than described
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Alcoholic beverages during meals unless mentioned
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Tips or any other items of personal nature
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Flights
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Travel Insurance - strongly recommended
Please note
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Order of the activities can change and will be confirmed prior to your arrival.
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A stay here during other times of the year is also available - get in touch for a quote.
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Northern Lights is a natural phenomenon and witnessing them is always dependent on luck.
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Autumn colours are also weather dependant and predicting the exact time of them appearing is very hard.
Weather
Please note that weather conditions vary from year to year and it is advisable to check the weather conditions before your arrival. You can check the weather on weather service sites such as http://www.yr.no/ or http://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi.
Daylight
Check daylight hours for this region via this link.
Ask us about
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Creating a tailor-made pre and/or post tours
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Adding extra activities to your travel package
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Arrangements for special celebrations or milestones during this tour
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Travelling by train to Rovaniemi.
Payment & cancellations
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20% deposit is required within 7 days after your participation is confirmed
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Balance due 65 days prior to travel
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Cancellations:
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More than 66 days prior to departure - loss of deposit
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From 65 to 31 days prior to departure – loss of 50% of total cost
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Less than 30 days prior to departure - loss of 100% of total cost
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Please arrange a comprehensive travel insurance which covers activities and any cancellation costs, should you not be able to travel
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Our full terms & conditions can be found here (link)