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In our opinion Nellim encapsulates the genuinely unspoiled wilderness of Lapland, a wild and untamed landscape which must be experienced to be appreciated in full.

Few destinations offer such a complete break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life making it a wonderful place for a family escape into what is essentially a completely different world and way of life.

Nellim is a tiny village, situated in the far North East corner of Finnish Lapland near the Russian border. The terrain here is hillier and perhaps more rugged than in other parts of Finland providing a fabulous contrast to the vast, flat, expanses of mystical lake Inari.

Nellim is perfectly located within The Aurora Zone making it an exceptional destination from which to view the Northern Lights. This is the place where three members of our staff saw the Aurora for the first time and the list of clients who have been lucky enough to share the same experience is growing.

Nellim also received some exceptional coverage in the national media last winter and sold out very early indeed (this tends to happen when the nationals write about seeing a spectacular Aurora Borealis!!). We expect the same to happen this winter too so please get in early if you want to avoid disappointment.

The activities during our Aurora Adventure are designed to ensure you experience the very best of Lapland during both the day and night. There are thrilling husky rides, encounters with reindeer, days in the wilderness and many Northern Lights adventures designed to keep the whole family busy and maximize your chances of seeing nature’s very own celestial light show.

Day 1: Flights, arrival and introduction
Your holiday begins at Ivalo Airport from where our transfer takes you through some stunning scenery to Nellim on the shore of Lake Inari. Dinner awaits in your new home and you’ll have time to settle in.

Day 2: Snowshoes, cross country skiing and Northern Lights Workshop
This morning it’s all about getting acquainted with your new surroundings. Cross country skiing and snowshoeing are on the agenda and you’ll have great fun learning these new skills. After lunch you’ll head off to explore on either a ski or snowshoe trip. This is the perfect introduction to the pristine winter environment that surrounds Nellim.

This evening your guide will provide an introduction to the Northern Lights and the science (don’t worry kids it’ll be brief), the legends and some hints on capturing them on camera. Afterwards you can head down to the lake and hopefully catch a live show.

Day 3: Husky safari and evening snowmobile sleigh ride to an Aurora Camp
You may well have heard some of the huskies by now as they are your friendly neighbours here at Nellim but today you will be formally introduced. Dog sledding is very possibly the most memorable winter activity and today you will head out with your team of huskies on a 10km safari. It’s the perfect way to travel in winter.

There will be some time for mucking about in the snow before dinner, after which your Aurora adventure begins in earnest. You will travel by snowmobile-pulled sleigh to one of the Aurora camps which are situated a short distance from the hotel. The guides at Nellim have established these camps using their local knowledge and personal experience of the Aurora so the locations could not be better. Warm fires and hot drinks are on hand throughout.

Day 4: Snowmobile safari
The wilderness surrounding Nellim is vast and is just begging to be explored so today you will head off on a thrilling snowmobile adventure. You will travel across frozen lakes and through snowy forests travelling approximately 30km. Children will ride in a sleigh pulled behind the guide’s snowmobile. You will break for hot drinks and snacks before heading back to Nellim.

Day 5: Day in the wilderness
Bear Grylls eat your heart out! Today you will really get stuck in to the Lappish outdoor life as you spend the day out in the wild. There will be a variety of things happening today including wilderness skills, ice fishing (with the aim of catching a snack to cook later) and snowshoeing. Later in the day you will all cook your evening meal on an open fire. Keep one eye on the your cooking and one eye on the sky because you never know when the “Temperamental Lady” will come calling.

Day 6: Sami reindeer farm visit and Aurora Hunting by minibus
No visit to Lapland is complete without reindeer. Travelling in snowmobile-pulled sleighs, you will visit a local Sami farm where you will feed the reindeer and meet the herder who will tell you about the Sami way of life. You will also visit the Russian border area - it's very James Bond!!!

If the Lights have eluded you then tonight you’re going to get the chance to really hunt them down. Your guides will be armed with the latest weather forecasts and solar activity predictions and you’ll head of in a heated minibus to hopefully escape any cloud cover and search out the Aurora.

Day 7: Departure

Tourism in Finnish Lapland has become the main source of employment and income, replacing traditional industries such as forestry. Working within this growth industry in rural and remote areas means that we must take a great deal of responsibility; socially, environmentally and economically. We fully appreciate the impact of tourist visits on local communities and their residents and strive to ensure that we are having a positive effect.

The wilderness hotel in Nellim is owned and run by the Lappalainen family, whose Sámi routes have been in this area for centuries. They have a strong sense of tradition and we encourage all of our clients to respect and embrace the lives and culture of all Nellim’s local inhabitants by learning a few important words: hello, goodbye, please, thank you etc. We have also included activities with a cultural base. In addition, we always encourage our clients to get involved in local events and activities which help to sustain traditional values and customs.

In all of our destinations we ensure that we use local accommodation, transport and activity providers, enabling locally owned businesses and the economies in which they work to benefit directly. The hotel in Nellim also serves as much local produce as possible and stocks locally made souvenirs. Through the tourism multiplier effect, this all helps to generate incomes and employment where the drift might otherwise be towards larger employment areas such as towns and cities. In a small and remote village such as Nellim the effects of such a drift could be devastating.

The use of small family run hotels and businesses means that the tourism income, generated by our presence stays where it should, in the local economy. We firmly believe in paying a fair price for all the services provided by our suppliers regardless of where they are in the world.

Our holidays rely on visiting beautiful and un-spoilt areas, and they don’t come more un-spoilt than Nellim. Naturally we wish to maintain the natural settings in which we work, not just for the future of our company, but also for future generations. We will always insist that our local providers are equally conscious of this need.

We do appreciate that some may feel that snowmobiles should not be included in such itineraries however in areas such as Nellim they are a way of life. They are the only means of keeping in contact with remote reindeer herders and communities as the road infrastructure is not extensive. All trails are well managed. The alternatives to snowmobiles would in most cases be large, gas-guzzling off road vehicles. All snowmobiles are regularly serviced and kept as fuel efficient as possible. The snowmobile service industry is also another vital source of employment in these remote areas.

We always ensure that all litter is removed from any of our activity sites, we strongly encourage group transfers to reduce traffic volumes and we make our clients aware of their obligation to the environment. We always offset our air travel emissions and would encourage you to do the same.