Saariselkä & Inari

An aurora hotspot at 68°N, with glass igloos for lying back and watching the lights, and Lake Inari for learning about Sámi Indigenous culture; direct access via Ivalo Airport.

Saariselkä and Inari are in the municipality of Inari in the far north of Finnish Lapland, at 68–69°N, about 250–330 km north of Rovaniemi, with Ivalo Airport in between. This is one of the regions with the highest chance of seeing the aurora. Saariselkä is a mountain resort beside Kaunispää fell and Urho Kekkonen National Park, and about 10 km to the south is the Kakslauttanen glass igloo village. Inari village sits on the shores of Lake Inari and is the center of Sámi culture in Finland, with the Siida museum and Sajos, the home of the Sámi Parliament. Seasons: autumn colors in early to mid-September; aurora season runs from late August to April; in December–January polar night brings just a few hours of twilight; February–March, with deep snow and longer days, is best for snow activities; June–July brings the midnight sun, good for hiking, lake cruises and gold panning. Getting there: Ivalo is about 1.5 hours by air from Helsinki; the airport is about 25 km from Saariselkä and about 40 km from Inari, with an airport bus. Sights are spread out, so we recommend driving (winter tires are required; watch for reindeer crossing) or booking activities that include transfers. Winter temperatures are often below -20°C, so you need proper warm gear. We suggest 4–5 days, spending 2 nights each in Saariselkä and Inari.

Top sights

• Saariselkä Glass Igloos (Kakslauttanen) – Lapland's most famous glass-domed resort, where you can lie in bed and watch the Northern Lights, the prototype of the “aurora glass igloos…
• Siida Sámi Museum, Inari – Finland's national museum of the Sámi people and North Lapland's nature centre; after a 2022 renovation, immersive exhibitions present the…
• Urho Kekkonen National Park – Finland's second-largest national park, with rounded fells, primeval forest and free wilderness huts, a paradise for hiking and skiing
• Kaunispää Fell – A 438-meter bald fell beside Saariselkä with a road to the summit, the top choice for northern lights, sunsets, and autumn colors.
• Kiilopää Fell – A 546-meter bald fell with a smoke sauna at its base; the 1.5 km hike to the summit offers distant views of the national park.
• Lake Inari – Finland's third-largest lake, with more than 3,000 islands and sacred to the Sámi; boat trips in summer and ice activities in winter.
• Ukonkivi (Ukko Island) – A Sámi sacred island in Lake Inari, once a site of ancient sacrifices, with a viewpoint at the top of its staircase overlooking the lake's…
• Sámi Cultural Centre Sajos – Home of the Finnish Sámi Parliament, this flowing timber building houses a Sámi craft shop, a library and cultural events.
• Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church – A wooden church built in the mid-18th century in the wilderness, Inari's oldest building, reached by a roughly 4.5 km hike.
• Tankavaara Gold Village – One of the birthplaces of Lapland's gold rush, with a gold prospecting museum where you can pan for gold in a stream yourself.
• Lemmenjoki National Park – Finland's largest national park, reached by river boat into gold-panning country and Lavadas Falls; gold is still prospected in the wildern…
• Juutuanjoki River Trail – A fast-flowing river running through Inari village, with a riverside trail linking to the Siida Museum; it stays partly open in winter.
• Otsamo Fell – A bald fell near Inari village with rest huts along its trails and a summit view over Lake Inari.
• Ski Saariselkä – One of the world's northernmost ski resorts, with more than ten runs on the slopes of Kaunispää, plus cross-country trails and a tubing hil…
• Saariselkä St. Paul's Chapel – A small wooden chapel in Saariselkä village with a floor-to-ceiling window behind the altar framing snowy fells and forest.
• Karhunpesäkivi – A giant boulder beside the road between Ivalo and Inari, weathered into a cave you can crawl into, said to have once been a bear's den.
• Nellim Orthodox Church – A wooden Orthodox church in the border village of the Skolt Sámi, offering insight into the Orthodox traditions rare among the Sámi.
• Inari Reindeer Farm – A farm run by Sámi reindeer herders, where you can ride a reindeer sleigh through snowy forest, learn to lasso reindeer and understand Sámi…

Where to eat

• Laanilan Kievari – A family-run log cabin restaurant outside the resort area, famous for its open-fire roasted reindeer shoulder and ranke…
• Restaurant Aanaar – A renowned restaurant on the banks of the Juutua River in Inari, using ingredients from local herders and fishermen, wi…
• Restaurant Petronella – An established fine dining restaurant in Saariselkä opened in 1989, famous for its willow grouse, reindeer, and lake fi…
• Teerenpesä Restaurant & Bar – A restaurant and bar in the center of the resort, serving everything from sautéed reindeer to burgers, open late with m…

Itineraries

• Helsinki to Inari Winter Northern Lights Tour – Take a night train north to Rovaniemi, then head to Saariselkä and Inari, balancing city sights, sledding, and the Nort…
• West Coast, Arctic Highway & North Cape Road Trip – Drive north from Turku along the west coast, passing through Oulu, Rovaniemi, and Inari, all the way to the North Cape…