Chase the Aurora

Approximately three hours, from the time you arrive at Wild Lapland until the experience ends and you leave.

The tour starts and finishes at our home in the middle of the forest, at Wild Lapland.

When you arrive at Wild Lapland, we begin by making sure that everyone is properly dressed for the weather. Warm winter clothing, boots, wool socks and large mittens are available to borrow.

We then head into the kennel and let the dogs out together. You will have time to meet them, learn about their different personalities and become part of the preparations. With guidance from your musher, everyone who wishes and is able to can help harness the dogs and bring them into position in front of the sled.

Once the team is ready, you settle into our large wooden sled. Your guide drives the team, so you can sit together and enjoy the dogs and the Arctic night around you. We travel through the forest and across the frozen lake, watching the sky for signs of the northern lights. When the weather and trail conditions allow, we use as little artificial light as possible, while always keeping safety first. The journey is normally approximately 13–17 kilometres.

During the journey, we stop at our tipi tent for fika around the fire. We warm up with coffee or hot chocolate, enjoy meat snacks and the stillness, and keep an eye on the sky before returning to the sled for the journey home.

Back at Wild Lapland, we take care of the team together. Those who wish and are able to can help unharness the dogs before saying goodbye to their new four-legged friends.

Chase the Aurora combines a guide-driven dogsled journey with watching for the northern lights along the trail and during our stop at the tipi tent.

Our journey takes us away from houses and streetlights, into the darkness of the forest and frozen lake. When conditions allow, we keep artificial light to a minimum so that our eyes can adjust and we can follow what is happening in the sky.

Northern lights sightings depend on both aurora activity and local weather conditions. They may appear faintly, fill the sky or remain hidden by clouds. We cannot guarantee that they will be visible during your tour.

The tour starts and finishes at our home in the middle of the forest.

Your guide drives a large wooden sled while the guests sit together and enjoy the journey. No previous dogsledding experience is required, and you do not need to steer, balance or brake the sled yourself.

The team normally consists of approximately 10–14 Alaskan huskies. The exact number of dogs is decided by the guide and may vary depending on the number of guests, the weight of the sled, the temperature, the trail conditions and the individual dogs working that day.

Before departure, you will meet the dogs and learn how we prepare the team. Everyone who wishes and is able to can help with harnessing and bringing the dogs into position in front of the sled. Your guide is always nearby to explain what to do and ensure that both guests and dogs have a safe and enjoyable experience.

During the journey, we stop at our tipi tent beside the trail. This traditional canvas tent is supported by wooden poles that meet above a central fireplace, with wooden benches arranged around the inside.

Here, we gather close to the fire to warm up and enjoy coffee or hot chocolate and meat snacks together. There is time to talk about the dogs, ask questions and listen to stories from life in the north. Between moments around the fire, we keep an eye on the sky before returning to the sled for the journey home.

The tipi tent provides shelter from the wind, but it is still an outdoor environment rather than a heated indoor building. Smoke from the open fire and uneven or snowy ground around the entrance are natural parts of the experience.

Chase the Aurora is designed for an unusually wide range of guests. It can be shared by couples, families, friends, grandparents and grandchildren, or colleagues looking for an experience together outside their usual surroundings.

Because the guide drives the sled, no previous dogsledding experience is required. You do not need the strength, balance or mobility needed to drive your own dog team. This makes the tour suitable for many children and older guests, as well as many people with impaired vision, limited mobility or other individual needs.

Pregnant guests are also welcome to join Chase the Aurora. The experience is intended to be calm and peaceful, although a team of enthusiastic sled dogs still provides plenty of pulling power. The sled travels over natural winter trails, and sudden movements or uneven sections can occur. Although the risk of something happening is small, no dogsled journey can be completely without risk. Please contact us before booking if you have any concerns about participating during pregnancy.

Children are welcome on Chase the Aurora, and there is no general minimum age. Because the guide drives the sled, families can sit together and share the experience.

A parent or responsible adult must accompany each child and is responsible for making sure that the child remains safely seated and follows the guide’s instructions throughout the tour.

Infants and very young children are assessed individually. Their age, clothing, ability to stay warm and the expected temperature and weather conditions must all be considered. We have plenty of practical solutions for keeping small children warm, comfortable and safe during a sled journey. Many of them have been thoroughly tested on our own children — with rather good results.

Please also consider how your child feels about darkness and an evening outdoors. Being comfortably seated, staying warm and enjoying the experience at that time of day are more important than age alone.

Please contact us before booking if you are bringing an infant or very young child, so that we can discuss their needs and how we can prepare the experience to give it the best possible chance of success.

The guide always makes the final safety assessment based on the child, the weather and the conditions on the day.

Chase the Aurora can often be adapted for guests with limited mobility, impaired vision or other individual needs. Because the guide drives the sled, guests do not need to walk long distances or have the strength and balance required to drive their own dog team.

Accessibility needs are different for every person. The snowy and sometimes uneven ground, getting into and out of the sled, and entering the tipi tent may require assistance or an individual solution.

The tour takes place in darkness, which may make it harder to see changes in the ground or move around during stops. Please tell us in advance if this affects the assistance you need.

Please contact us before booking and tell us what the guest can do independently, what assistance may be needed and anything else that could affect their comfort or safety. A detailed medical diagnosis is not necessary — we primarily need to understand the practical needs of the guest.

When there is a will, there is often a way. We would love to go the extra mile to create something beyond our standard setup or find a solution that requires us to think outside the box.

Together, we can discuss the possibilities and decide whether the experience can be carried out safely and comfortably. We cannot promise that every need can be accommodated, but we will always make a genuine effort to find a solution whenever it is reasonably possible.

Chase the Aurora has a low physical threshold. No previous dogsledding experience or particular level of fitness is required, as your guide drives the sled and guests remain seated during the journey.

The sled moves over natural winter trails and the ride may sometimes be bumpy or uneven. Guests must be able to sit safely in the sled and follow the guide’s instructions. Assistance with getting into or out of the sled can often be arranged when discussed in advance.

Helping to harness, unharness and care for the dogs is an important part of the experience, but it is not a physical requirement. Everyone is welcome to participate according to their own ability.

Guests should be prepared to spend approximately three hours outdoors in winter conditions.

Our standard maximum group size is eight guests.

There are never more than four adults on the same sled, with one guide for every four guests. A family of two adults and three children under the age of 15 may travel together on one sled.

For larger groups, we can accommodate up to 16 guests at the same time with several sleds and guides. Groups of more than eight guests must contact us by phone or email before booking so that we can plan the teams, sleds and guides together.

Chase the Aurora can also be booked as a private experience. A private booking is charged at the price of a full sled, regardless of how many guests are travelling.

Keeping each sled group small creates a personal and relaxed experience, with plenty of time to meet the dogs, take part in the preparations and talk around the fire.

During our stop in the tipi tent, we enjoy coffee or hot chocolate and meat snacks together around the fire. This is a fika rather than a full meal.

Please tell us about any food allergies, intolerances or dietary requirements when booking. With advance notice, we will do our best to provide a suitable alternative. Because the fika is prepared and served in a simple outdoor environment, we cannot guarantee a completely allergen-free setting.

You are welcome to bring a camera or phone. Please keep it secure during the sled journey and follow your guide’s instructions when taking photographs.

Our stop at the tipi tent is the main opportunity for photography while stationary. We do not normally make additional stops for photographs along the trail. If you would like to use a tripod, please tell us before departure so that we can discuss how it can be used safely during the stop.

The dogs are no more bothered by occasional camera flashes than we are, but common sense applies. Nobody enjoys having a camera pushed into their face and a flash fired straight into their eyes — dogs included.

Cold temperatures can reduce battery life, so keeping spare batteries or your phone warm between uses can be helpful.

Because guests remain seated while the guide drives, you may feel the cold more than you would during a physically active tour. It is therefore better to wear one layer too many than one too few.

Please dress in warm layers underneath the clothing we provide. Wool or synthetic base layers are recommended, as they retain warmth better than cotton.

Depending on the temperature, weather conditions and your individual needs, Wild Lapland can provide:

• Insulated High Mountain outer jackets
• Insulated bib trousers
• Thick fleece-wool trousers
• Non-stop Anojakke outer layers for very cold conditions
• Warm mittens
• Wool mitten liners
• Buffs
• Balaclavas
• Ski goggles
• A limited number of warm fur hats
• Polyver insulated boots for milder or wetter conditions
• Sorel Glacier boots for colder weather
• NEOS overshoes with Sorel liners
• One or two layers of Aclima HotWool socks when needed

Please bring your own warm hat, thin liner socks and warm trekking socks. We will help you choose and adjust the additional clothing before departure according to the temperature and conditions of the day.

When booking, we will ask for each guest’s clothing size and shoe size so that we can prepare suitable winter equipment before you arrive.

Your safety, the safety of the dogs and the wellbeing of the entire group always come first.

Before departure, your guide will explain how to sit safely in the sled, how to behave around the dogs and what to do during stops. Guests must remain seated as instructed, keep their hands and arms inside the sled while travelling and follow the guide’s directions throughout the experience.

Your guide decides when and where lighting is needed. Please follow the guide’s instructions when getting into or out of the sled and moving between the sled and the tipi tent in darkness.

Our guides have completed advanced wilderness first aid training and carry comprehensive first aid and emergency equipment during the tour.

Dogsledding takes place outdoors with live animals in a natural winter environment. Uneven trails, sudden movements, changing weather and other unforeseen events can occur even when the tour is carefully planned and all instructions are followed. It is therefore impossible to remove every risk completely.

Alcohol may sometimes be served in moderation during the stop in the tipi tent, particularly as part of a private or corporate group arrangement. This does not prevent participation, provided that guests remain able to behave safely, follow the guide’s instructions and show consideration for the dogs and the rest of the group.

Guests who are intoxicated, impaired by drugs or otherwise unable to participate safely may be refused participation or prevented from continuing. The guide’s decision is final whenever safety is concerned.

The guide has the final responsibility for safety and may change, shorten or stop the tour whenever this is considered necessary.

Chase the Aurora normally covers approximately 13–17 kilometres, but the exact route, distance and pace are never fixed promises.

Temperature, wind, snowfall and the condition of the trail all affect how the tour can be carried out. Fresh snow can make the trail heavier, while hard or icy conditions may require a different route or a more cautious pace.

The number of dogs and the composition of the team are chosen by the guide according to the number and weight of the guests, the conditions of the day and the individual dogs available.

The wellbeing of the dogs always comes first. Your guide continually observes the team and may adjust the route, distance, pace or other parts of the experience whenever necessary. In unusual or unsuitable conditions, the tour may also need to be shortened, changed, postponed or cancelled.

Chase the Aurora is an evening dogsled tour. We cannot guarantee clear skies or visible northern lights. Cloud cover, snowfall or other weather that limits our view of the sky does not in itself mean that the tour will be cancelled.

We also want you to have a wonderful experience. If the weather is particularly unfavourable, we are happy to discuss whether it may be possible to move your booking to another time or even change to a different tour. These options depend on availability and what we can arrange together.

Chase the Aurora includes:

• Approximately three hours at Wild Lapland
• A professional musher and guide
• A guide-driven journey in our large wooden dogsled
• A dog team normally consisting of approximately 10–14 Alaskan huskies
• Time to meet the dogs and take part in harnessing and caring for them
• A journey of normally approximately 13–17 kilometres
• A stop in our tipi tent
• Coffee or hot chocolate and meat snacks served around the fire
• The use of warm winter clothing, winter boots, socks, mittens and other cold-weather equipment as needed
• A headlamp to use during the tour
• Safety instructions and first aid equipment carried by the guide

Please read the information about Chase the Aurora carefully and make sure that it is suitable for everyone in your group.

Tell us before booking if any participant:

• Is an infant or very young child
• Has limited mobility, impaired vision or needs assistance
• Has an injury, medical condition or other circumstance that may affect their ability to sit safely, tolerate the cold or participate comfortably
• Has a food allergy, intolerance or dietary requirement
• Requires an individual adaptation
• Uses equipment that needs to be transported or stored during the tour

You do not need to provide a detailed medical diagnosis. We need enough practical information to understand what assistance may be required and whether the experience can be carried out safely and comfortably.

The person making a booking for several guests is responsible for sharing the tour information with everyone in the group and providing correct information about each participant.

If you are uncertain about anything, please contact us by phone or email before booking. We would much rather discuss a question in advance and find the right solution together.

Your booking is confirmed once the full payment, or another payment arrangement agreed with Wild Lapland, has been completed.

If you cancel:

• 15–30 days before the tour, 20% of the total booking price will be charged.
• 14 days or less before the tour, 100% of the total booking price will be charged.

We strongly recommend that all guests have travel insurance covering illness, injury, travel disruption and other circumstances that may prevent participation.

If the evening dogsled tour takes place, the absence of clear skies or visible northern lights does not entitle guests to a refund.

If Wild Lapland cancels the tour, you will receive a full refund regardless of how close to departure the cancellation occurs.

Whenever possible, we will first try to offer another suitable tour or an alternative experience. For example, tours have previously only had to be cancelled during exceptionally cold conditions below −40°C, when guests were offered an alternative programme instead. You are always free to choose a full refund if the original Chase the Aurora tour is cancelled.