Finland 

day 3

We drove to Apukka Resort to check in for our dog sledding tour. Though we have no other experience with this resort, the grounds were very nice. They had all the gear necessary to keep us warm for this activity, unless we opted to wear our gear. At minimum, they recommended wearing their boots due to the possible dog poop one could encounter. We found there was a bit of a walk to get to the dog kennels, so be prepared and able to do some walking. We had the first tour of the morning, and the dogs were very awake, loud, and ready to run. We received an overview for driving the sled and met our dogs. Some were more friendly than others.

I drove one sled and my husband drove the other, and we each had two kids sitting in our sleds. Our 17-year-old could have had a turn to drive, but she didn’t feel comfortable.  

The dogs pulled us through a brief section of forest, which was my favorite portion of this run, and then we entered a big open area and ran laps around a frozen lake.  

When we returned, we were served hot juice and learned more about the dogs. They had new puppies on site, and we got to snuggle them as well. We had an Alaskan Klee Kai for a pet, whom we lost just months after returning from this trip, so we have a soft spot for these smart, loyal, hardworking arctic dogs.

We spent the afternoon driving two hours further north to Levi to stay our next couple of nights in the Northern Lights Village. This was our accommodation splurge of the trip, hoping to be far enough north, with glass roof cabins, to see the Aurora Borealis. 

Unfortunately, it was cloudy our entire stay and we never saw them from the comforts of our bed. Nevertheless, this resort was top notch and beautiful. Our package included breakfast and dinner buffets in the village restaurant during our stay. 

The only downfall for our family of 6 was that we had to reserve two cabins and split up because there were no options that could accommodate all of us. At least our cabins were next to each other, and both were equipped with saunas. For the cabins that don’t include a sauna, there is a community sauna that visitors can use if they sign up for designated time slots.