From a 400-metre ride at the farm to a 3-kilometre forest safari: every bookable ride with its sled distance, side by side.
Pick a day, or your first and last day in Rovaniemi. We check the booking calendar of every sleigh ride listed here and show the ones that still take bookings, from the short farm ride to the evening safari.
In the next 7 days, 6 of 12 tours on this page still have places.
Sled distance: 500 m
Sled distance: 400 m
Sled distance: 1.5 km
Sled distance: 2 km
Sled distance: 2–2.5 km
Sled distance: 2.5 km
Sled distance: 1.5 km
Sled distance: 2–3 km
Sled distance: 2–3 km
Sled distance: 3 km
Duration: 3 h
Duration: 4.5 h
Most listings just say “sleigh ride”. In practice the visits differ mainly in how far you ride and when. Pick a shape, then compare the rides inside it.
A farm visit with a few minutes on the sled. Enough for small children or a first meeting with the reindeer.
A longer ride that becomes the main part of the visit, with about 30 to 40 minutes on the sled where the listing says so.
Sled rides after dark. On a clear night there is a chance of northern lights, though no guarantee.
Feeding the reindeer in summer, when there is no snow for a sleigh ride.
One ride per situation, chosen on distance, starting point and what is included. The full table further down lists every ride.
About 40 minutes on the sled over 2–2.5 km of forest trail, the longest ride time a daytime listing here states. Pickup from hotels in the Santa Claus Village area.
The longest evening ride: 3 km and about 45 minutes on the sled, with winter clothing and transfers included. Northern lights are possible, not promised.
Starts at the farm inside Santa Claus Village (Joulumaantie 13), so you need no transfer. About 30 minutes on a 2–3 km forest route.
A 500 m ride at the farm, with overalls, boots and gloves and the drive from the city centre included.
Pick the kind of ride and what matters most to you. The suggestion shows the distance and time on the sled.
Question 1 of 2
Question 2 of 2
No tour fits every answer, so here is the closest one.
The short format: a reindeer farm visit with a 500-metre ride. That means a few minutes on the sled, which is plenty for a first ride or for small children.
A farm visit with a ride of about 400 metres. The ride depends on the snow, and the listing gives no refund if it cannot run.
About 40 minutes on the sled, with pickup from hotels in the Santa Claus Village area.
About 30 minutes on the sled, starting at the farm inside Santa Claus Village. There is no transfer, so you make your own way there.
A 2-kilometre ride at a local farm about 35 minutes from town, with feeding and professional photos included.
About 45 minutes on the sled after dark, in a group of up to six. Northern lights are possible on a clear night, not guaranteed.
An evening outing with about 20 minutes on the sled and a chance of northern lights. The listing states that the lights are not guaranteed.
Also a good fit
The most-reviewed ride is at the top. Distance and time on the sled sit next to each name; tap a header to sort by price or rating instead.
| Photo | Tour | Sled distance | Time on the sled | Day / evening | Rating ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
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Farm visit + 500 m ride Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park | 500 m | under 5 min (reviews) | Day | ★ 4.2 (1,586) | €87 per person | Book now |
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Apukka reindeer journey, 2–3 km Apukka Resort | 2–3 km | Not stated | Day | ★ 4.5 (1,022) | €189 per person | Book now |
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Farm visit + short 400 m ride Wonderlapland | 400 m | Not stated | Day | ★ 4.6 (417) | €150 per person | Book now |
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1.5 km ride, hot drink & cookies Wonderlapland | 1.5 km | Not stated | Day | ★ 4.6 (363) | €200 per person | Book now |
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Farm visit, 2 km ride & photos Beyond Arctic | 2 km | Not stated | Day | ★ 4.7 (345) | €107 per person | Book now |
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2–2.5 km forest ride Santa Claus Holiday Village Safaris | 2–2.5 km | ~40 min | Day | ★ 4.8 (275) | €179 per person | Book now |
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2.5 km safari + driving licence Arctic GM | 2.5 km | Not stated | Day | ★ 4.5 (105) | €199 per person | Book now |
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Apukka night sleigh ride Apukka Resort | Not stated | Not stated | Evening | ★ 4.3 (102) | €195 per person | Book now |
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Daytime 1.5 km ride Safartica | 1.5 km | Not stated | Day | ★ 4.4 (75) | €129 per person | Book now |
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Summer farm visit, feeding only Wonderlapland | No sled | — | Day (summer) | ★ 4.9 (31) | €110 per person | Book now |
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Northern lights sledge ride Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park | Not stated | ~20 min | Evening | ★ 4.4 (25) | €109 per person | Book now |
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2–3 km safari in Santa Claus Village Santa Claus Reindeer | 2–3 km | ~30 min | Day | ★ 4.5 (21) | €120 per person | Book now |
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Evening safari, 3 km Safartica | 3 km | ~45 min | Evening | ★ 4.4 (14) | €169 per person | Book now |
Ride prices load live from GetYourGuide and are per person. What a family or group pays in total, the booking page shows before checkout. Distances and times are the operators’ own figures from each listing, checked 28 September 2026; times marked “(reviews)” come from traveller reviews. “Not stated” means the listing gives no figure, and we do not estimate one.
The same points for every ride, taken from the booking pages. Where a listing gives no figure, the cell says so instead of guessing.
| Tour | Sled distance | Time on the sled | Whole trip | Food and drink | Winter clothing | Drive each way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reindeer farm visit with a 500 m sleigh ride | 500 m | up to 5 min per reviews | 2.5 h | Hot drink and a snack | Included | 20 min |
| Farm visit with a short 400 m sleigh ride | 400 m | Not stated | 2.5 h | Hot drink and a snack | Not stated | Not stated |
| 1.5 km reindeer sleigh ride with hot drink and cookies | 1.5 km | Not stated | 2.5 h | Hot drink and a snack | Not included | Not stated |
| Local reindeer farm visit with a 2 km sleigh ride and photos | 2 km | Not stated | 2–3 h | Hot drink and a snack | Included | 35 min |
| 2–2.5 km reindeer sled ride through the forest | 2–2.5 km | 40 min | 3 h | Hot drink and a snack | Included | 30 min |
| 2.5 km reindeer safari with a reindeer driving licence | 2.5 km | Not stated | 3 h | Hot drink | Included | Not stated |
| Daytime 1.5 km reindeer sleigh ride | 1.5 km | Not stated | 2 h | Hot drink | Included | Not stated |
| 2–3 km winter reindeer safari in Santa Claus Village | 2–3 km | 30 min | 60 min | Hot drink and a snack | Not included | None, it starts in the village |
| Apukka reindeer journey, 2–3 km | 2–3 km | Not stated | 3.5 h | Hot drink | Included | Not stated |
| Evening reindeer safari, 3 km | 3 km | 45 min | 2 h | Hot drink | Included | Not stated |
| Northern lights reindeer sledge ride (evening) | Not stated | 20 min | 3 h | Hot drink and a snack | Included | Not stated |
| Apukka reindeer sleigh ride at night | Not stated | Not stated | 4.5 h | Hot drink and reindeer sausage | Included | 35 min |
| Summer reindeer farm visit (feeding, no sled) | No sleigh ride | No sleigh ride | 2.5 h | Hot drink | Not stated | Not stated |
From the GetYourGuide listings, checked on 19 October 2026. Ride times marked “per reviews” come from traveller reviews, not from the operator. The length of the whole trip is the operator’s figure.
Short rides are short. On the 400–500 m farm rides, reviewers describe about five minutes on the sled, and the most common complaint is a ride that was over sooner than expected. If the ride matters to you, book a safari of 1.5 km or more; the ride-length comparison shows every option.
The edges of the season depend on snow. Sleigh rides start once there is enough snow, usually from around mid-November, and end in early or mid-April. Before and after, a ride can turn into a feeding visit, and one short-ride listing states that there is no refund for a ride that cannot run. Reviewers report rides cancelled for lack of snow in November and in late spring; the best time page has the details.
Warm clothing is not included on every tour. The 1.5 km Wonderlapland ride, for example, charges extra for winter overalls and boots. Check what the listing includes before you book.
Santa Claus Village gets busy. At the walk-in reindeer rides in the village, reviewers report queues of up to about an hour at peak times. A booked tour has a fixed start time.
Real traveller reviews from GetYourGuide.
★ 4.2 (1,586 reviews)
“Very nice activity, 500m with the sleigh was more than enough, very good value for the money and all the people there were very nice. … We got our reindeer driving licences, loved it. We fed the reindeers, made a lot of photos, learnt about the lives of reindeer.”
“It's nice to see the reindeer, but that's about it. The activity is very expensive for what it is… The reindeer ride lasts less than 5 minutes. …”
Reviewers who enjoyed this visit mention the staff, feeding the reindeer and the driving licence souvenir. The critical reviews centre on the length of the ride and the price for what is a short ride. A review from April describes the end of the season: too warm, most reindeer already released, and a few kept back to pull sleds around a sandy track. If you travel late in the season, weigh that before booking.
★ 4.8 (275 reviews)
“This is a beautiful tour to experience the magic of Reindeers with a quiet sleigh ride through the forest, followed by hot beverages by the fire and finally feeding reindeers. …”
“they were more then 1 hour late for pick us up,whithout explanation or apology”
The ride itself is praised throughout: quiet, through the forest, with hot drinks by the fire and feeding afterwards. The critical reviews are about organisation: waiting time, transport and punctuality, with one reviewer reporting a pickup more than an hour late.
★ 4.7 (345 reviews)
“Very recommend trip. We had wonderful time there. Long sleigh ride in beautiful place. We had time to feed reindeers and make some photos. We also eat very good pankaces/crepes and drink hot chocolate in Kota. …”
“Unfortunately, the tour is a typical tourist trap. It felt like just one of many tours. …”
Reviewers mention a long ride in beautiful surroundings, time for feeding and photos, crêpes and hot chocolate in the kota, and a guide who stayed with the group. The critical reviews describe the ride as very slow and the tour as one of many of its kind.
Reviews collected from the tours' booking pages. Shortened for length (marked with …), wording unchanged; names reduced to first name and country.
Rovaniemi lies outside the Sámi homeland, which in Finland covers Enontekiö, Inari, Utsjoki and the northern part of Sodankylä. Reindeer herding in Finland is practised by both Finns and Sámi, and most farms around Rovaniemi belong to Finnish reindeer-herding families. Where a listing claims Sámi heritage, we mark it as the operator’s own statement.
Two things we leave out on purpose: we do not promote staged “Lapland baptism” ceremonies or similar invented rituals, and we call the reindeer driving licence what it is, a souvenir certificate.
Combination tours with a short reindeer ride and a short husky ride, often with a stop in Santa Claus Village. Sorted by review count.
| Photo | Tour | Reindeer ride | Husky ride | Also included | Duration | Rating ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
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Reindeer, huskies & Santa Claus Village Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park | 500 m | 500 m | Santa Claus Village, salmon soup | 6 hours | ★ 4.6 (2,420) | €188 per person | Book now |
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Husky farm + reindeer experience Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park | 500 m | 500 m | Husky farm and reindeer farm visit | 3.5 hours | ★ 4.3 (555) | €99 per person | Book now |
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Reindeer & huskies + aurora BBQ Northern Future Oy | 400 m | 500 m | Evening aurora BBQ, up to 8 per car | 7 hours | ★ 4.5 (173) | €199 per person | Book now |
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Santa Claus, reindeer & huskies Northern Future Oy | 400 m | 500 m | Meeting Santa Claus | 5 hours | ★ 4.7 (113) | €219 per person | Book now |
Ride prices load live from GetYourGuide and are per person. What a family or group pays in total, the booking page shows before checkout. Distances and times are the operators’ own figures from each listing, checked 28 September 2026; times marked “(reviews)” come from traveller reviews. “Not stated” means the listing gives no figure, and we do not estimate one.
Both rides on these combination tours are short, 400 to 500 metres each. Husky tours with a longer or self-driven dog-sled ride and a reindeer farm stop are compared on rovaniemi-husky.com; trips that pair a snowmobile safari with a reindeer farm are on rovaniemisnowmobiles.com. The full overview of combination tours follows on our reindeer + husky combos page.
Husky, snowmobile and northern lights tours from Rovaniemi, each on its own site with the same kind of side-by-side table.
Longer and self-driven husky safaris, including the husky trips that stop at a reindeer farm.
www.rovaniemi-husky.comSnowmobile safaris, among them the trips that combine snowmobiling with a reindeer farm visit.
www.rovaniemisnowmobiles.comAurora hunts by minibus, camp and photo tours for evenings when the lights are the main goal.
www.rovaniemi-northernlights.comA “reindeer sleigh ride” can mean a few minutes at the farm or most of an hour on the sled, and the tour titles rarely tell you which. We read every listing, note the distance and ride time the operator states, and put the rides side by side. When you book through a link on this page, the booking platform pays us a small commission. It comes out of their margin, so your ticket price stays the same.
From ride length to the northern lights.
It depends entirely on the tour. The short farm rides cover 400 to 500 metres, which reviewers describe as about five minutes on the sled. Safaris cover 1.5 to 3 kilometres, and where the listing states the time it is about 30 to 40 minutes. The comparison table on this site gives the distance for every ride.
For most visitors, a safari of 1.5 to 3 km, because the ride then becomes the main part of the visit. Our pick is the 2–2.5 km forest ride with Santa Claus Holiday Village Safaris, with about 40 minutes on the sled and pickup from hotels in the Santa Claus Village area. For a first meeting with the reindeer, small children or a short slot, the 400–500 m farm ride is enough. If you are hoping for the northern lights, pick an evening ride and treat the lights as a bonus.
Yes. The reindeer farm inside Santa Claus Village offers short walk-in rides of 400 and 800 metres without a tour booking, and at busy times reviewers report queues of up to about an hour. The same farm runs a bookable 2–3 km safari that starts at the farm without a transfer, and another operator runs a 2–2.5 km forest ride with pickup from hotels in the village area.
Sleigh rides depend on snow. Operators run them from around mid-November to early or mid-April. In November a ride can be cancelled or turned into a feeding visit if there is not enough snow. One short-ride listing states that there is no refund for a ride that cannot run. Outside the snow season, some farms offer summer visits to feed the reindeer, without a sled.
Not on every tour. The 1.5 km Wonderlapland ride, for example, charges extra for winter overalls and boots. Check what the listing includes before you book, and bring warm layers either way: you sit still on the sled, and that is when the cold gets through.
Mostly not. Rovaniemi lies outside the Sámi homeland, which in Finland covers Enontekiö, Inari, Utsjoki and the northern part of Sodankylä. In Finland both Finns and Sámi herd reindeer, and most farms around Rovaniemi belong to Finnish reindeer-herding families. One operator in our comparison describes its hosts as a family with Sámi heritage (that is the operator’s own statement).
Maybe. On a clear, dark night the lights can appear, but no operator can promise a sighting, and one evening listing says so explicitly. Book the evening ride for the ride itself. If the lights are your main goal, a dedicated northern lights tour covers more ground in search of clear skies.
Most rides on this site can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before the start. The policy shown on the booking page is the binding one, so check it before you pay.
Yes. The daytime reindeer tours here take one to three and a half hours, and aurora tours start in the evening, usually with a pickup between 18:00 and 21:00. If you book one of the evening reindeer safaris instead, the chance of the lights comes with the sleigh ride. Compare northern lights tours in Rovaniemi
400 metres at the farm or 3 kilometres through the forest: the rest of the choice follows from that.
Choose your ride length