Looking for somebody who has stayed here.Want to go in winter primarily to see the northern lights. There was a thread back in 2016 but no good info.
Posted by
West Coast
302 posts
I haven't been there but did spend over a week in far northern Finland in and near Ivalo/Inari. RS didn't provide much information but at the time (pre- Covid! about 5 years ago) I found some helpful advice on Trip Advisor. That area you are considering is much more popular with tourists than where I was, as far as transportation and lodging options. Unless things have changed, if you are traveling be aware solo tours of any kind are likely more expensive for one person. Almost everyone spoke English, so you shouldn't have a problem making queries online.
Posted by
Medford, OR, USA
5837 posts
I don't know/remember the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort but have been in the area ages ago (April 2003). We started and ended a ski tour from the Fell Centre Kiilopaa Saariselka Finland 6 km east of the Kakslauttanen Resport according to Google Maps:
We flew into Ivalo north of the resort and took a local bus to the Fell Center. FinnAir flies from Helsinki to Ivalo. The Fell Center is on the western edge of a National Park who's eastern boundary is the Finland-Russian boarder. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urho_Kekkonen_National_Park
April is late winter/early spring. My wife did see the notehrn lights during our ski tour but they were not dramatically bright. (I was recovering from a "24 hour bug" and slept through it.
With respedt to the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort the resort and area are more Lonely Planet country than Rick Steves country. Expect to be surprised and consider the trip an adventure. The area is a tourist area and Finns are educated so finding English speakers is not a problem.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
6968 posts
How important are the northern lights and how much time do you want to spend doing other things? You need to remember that the northern lights are a natural phenomena that might or might not show up.
Posted by
St. Louis, MO
16 posts
Just stayed there 3 nights in February as part of a Collette tour. What do you want to know? You can PM me if you prefer.
Posted by
Medford, OR, USA
5837 posts
A lot of hotels/resorts in the Saariselka resort area:
https://planetofhotels.com/en/finland/saariselka
I hope you enjoy cross country skiing and snow shoeing. Snow biking is a new thing. The Finnish saunas are very hot and you can only pass so much time sitting in saunas. Think about how you will spend your daylight hours in the arctic.
https://www.kakslauttanen.fi/faq/
Can you guarantee that I will see some Northern Lights during my stay?
Kakslauttanen is one of the best places in the world to see the
magical glow of the Northern Lights. The season lasts from late August
to late April. ... However, we cannot guarantee Northern Lights or
any other natural phenomenon. There are many things that affect the
visibility of the Northern Lights like magnetic activity, position of
the sun and cloudiness of the sky.