Diary of a day trip to Lapland
Tara O’Rourke and daughter Sophia met the real Father Christmas, rode on a husky sled, snowmobile and reindeer sleigh on this fabulous experience
Sunday, December 4, 6am: Arrive at Manchester for 8am Canterbury Travel Santa special flight to Enontekio Airport in Finnish Lapland at the northern tip of the country. Staff are wearing reindeer antlers. It must be Christmas!
8am: During the three and a half-hour flight (Lapland is two hours ahead) Santa sends us a message over the tannoy that he ‘can’t wait to see us!’.
1.30pm: We’ve arrived! It’s cold outside, very cold, -8C. It is the Arctic after all. So the thermal snow suits and boots, plus gloves and socks provided free, are so welcome and get us ready for the adventure. Inside the airport we meet our first elves who help us change into our warm gear, and we put our other clothes in a sack to leave in a storage tent. The 25-minute snowmobile trip takes us onto the frozen Lake Ounasjärvi. The scenery is spectacular.
2.30pm: Enjoyed a warm Finnish welcome and even warmer, delicious hot berry juice then we are taken on a secret, tree-lined path by snowmobile to a camp to meet an elf who took us along a candle-lit snowy path to the camp for the day and even more elves – to Sophia’s delight. Razzle and Marlow then take us up to Santa’s cabin. He is there to meet and greet us before our private audience. Sophia can hardly contain her excitement. When it’s our turn to meet him, he offers Sophia to pull his beard to make sure it (and he) are real. He is. It was a warm and wonderful 15 minute audience.
3pm: By now it’s already dark which makes the snow-covered paths lit by candlelight all the more enchanting. We are taken back to the main resort where all the activities are centred. We enjoyed a reindeer sleigh ride and a husky ride cuddled up under a reindeer hide blanket accompanied by Trixie the elf who points out the glimmer of northern lights in the distance, now red in the sky.
4.30pm: Enjoyed lunch in the wood-built restaurant as elf Torie sang songs. Pancakes with lashings of cream and jam for dessert! Lots of fun and giggles. Sophia loved chatting with elves Trixie, Pixie, Blizzard and Gingerbread, who was our favourite. They were all fantastic company.
5pm: We made for the snow castle, sat on ice seats and enjoyed the ice sculptures as we sipped more hot berry juice to warm up. There was more fun in the snow with the elves – snow fights and making snow angels. Singing songs around the fire pits was a treat.
5:45pm: A look around the souvenir shops with lots of Christmas goodies. Reindeer hide anyone?
6pm: Sledging together set us off giggling again. There are two types – Kicksledding, where you sit upright and Stigas, more traditional. There are also snowmobile rides which children can drive around and around and adult tester rides. You have to wait in line for each activity, but it never felt busy nor crowded.
7pm: Time to go home. In the coach back to the airport we enjoyed a sing-song with one of the elves and this continues on the plane home and we are all feeling so festive. As we fly over Lapland we are treated with a rare sighting of the dancing green lights of the Aurora Borealis. It’s like being in the perfect Christmas movie. A truly magical, unforgettable day. We’re tired but full of wonderful memories. Thank you Santa!
Top tips
Socks, gloves and balaclavas provided.
It gets colder around 5pm.
Wear a snood to keep your neck and face warm.
Storage bags provided to put your coat, boots etc in so if you have hand luggage you can leave it in the bag. It’s big.
Make sure you book to see Santa as soon as you arrive.
Eating early is best.
Find the elves as they are so much fun.
Travel facts:
Tara was hosted by Canterbury Travel on a Canterbury Travel package. The lead-in price for 2023 for a family of 4 is £2,668 (UK departures). Enchanting Lapland includes flights, a two-course hot lunch, in-flight catering, snow suits and boots, snowmobile and sleigh transfer from the airport, unlimited husky and reindeer sleigh rides, tobogganing, adult and children’s snowmobiles, an Ice Igloo, Elves and a private meeting with Santa Claus. Departures from a variety of regional airports.
Tel: 0800 270015
Lapland pics and captions:
The elves are on hand to help Santa and his visitors.
The husky sled ride is exciting.
It’s cosy inside the igloo in Lapland.
Santa arrives with his gifts.
Visitors can take snowmobile rides.
Tobogganing is a real treat.
Pics: Canterbury Travel
