Saariselkä with kids

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Saariselkä works well with children because the ski slopes lie right next to the village, several tour operators start from offices there, and many tours collect families at their accommodation. What needs planning is the age limit of each tour, which varies widely, and the cold. On this page the tours are sorted by what children can do on them, followed by the free things in the village and some practical points for the trip.

Reindeer for all ages

Reindeer tours have the lowest limits. The daytime reindeer safari from Saariselkä states no minimum age and calls itself ideal for families. It starts at noon with a hotel pickup and lasts about two hours, with an hour on the sled in Urho Kekkonen National Park, a chance to steer, time to feed the reindeer and a break in a kota. Thermal clothing is included. Guests write that the ride itself is cold on the very coldest days, so dress children in their warmest layers underneath.

From Ivalo, a morning with reindeer herders lets you help feed a large herd that lives freely in the forest. There is no sled ride and no minimum age, groups are small, and pickup is included in Ivalo only; from Saariselkä it costs extra. In Inari, a member of a Sámi reindeer-herding family hosts a four-hour visit for all ages with a craft workshop using reindeer leather, bone and antler, a visit to the reindeer and a homemade lunch. The reindeer sled ride after dark, from the Lapponia safari house in the village, takes children from 7.

Huskies and snowmobiles

The 10 km husky safari takes children from 4. Under 12 they always ride as passengers, and teenagers may drive the sled from 16. Overalls, boots and gloves are handed out at the kennel, and the outing takes about four hours with an hour in the van each way. The husky walk near Ivalo starts at 8, and the evening husky ride with an aurora hunt at 11. Our husky sledding page compares them.

Snowmobile drivers must be 18 and hold a car licence, so children always ride behind an adult or the guide. On the one-hour safari, children aged 4 to 14 sit in a sledge pulled by the guide, which makes it the shortest way to try the machines. On the two-hour ride with hot drinks the sledge is for ages 4 to 12. The tundra safari puts every child under 140 cm in the guide's sledge; taller children ride as passengers on an adult ticket. At Muotka, a ride among lakes and fells accepts children from 6 who are at least 120 cm tall. More options are on the snowmobile tours page.

On the lake and under the aurora

Skating on the natural ice of Lake Inari is possible from age 4. The track is about an hour from Saariselkä, with an optional transfer for a fee, and the operator lends skates, a helmet and a balaclava. Check the sizes first: the figure skates start at size 36 and the hockey skates at 40.5, which can be too large for small children. Bring gloves and hats, and expect a natural surface with some cracks and bumps. The ice fishing tour with lunch on an island takes children from 7.

The aurora photo tours by minivan and minibus accept children from 1 year. They last three to four hours and pick up in and around the village, and the guide takes the photos. The Finnish Meteorological Institute names the hours around midnight as the best time to see auroras, so even a short tour keeps children up late, and clouds can mean an evening without any. One minibus tour lends no clothing and serves no hot drinks, so pack a flask and extra layers. Some evening tours exclude children: the snowshoe walk under the aurora starts at 12, and the private hunt requires a height of at least 135 cm and has no child seats.

Free and easy in the village

The ski resort on the fells Kaunispää and Iisakkipää lies right next to the village. Children under 6 wearing a helmet ride the lifts free with a paying adult or a ski instructor, though they need an Axess card. Several very easy runs of 100 m and a mini skicross course suit beginners, and the ski school takes first-timers. The resort plans to run its normal season from 21 November 2026 to early April 2027, with a cheaper off-season after that.

Sledging is the other draw. Right in front of the restaurant Lieggâ Láávu there is a snow tube area that is free and suitable for the whole family. The aurora tobogganing run starts at the top of Kaunispää and is lit by a light installation; its planned opening date is 15 December 2026. The resort says it is not suitable for children under 7, that children under 130 cm share a toboggan with an adult, and that families with small children should not start from the top. Free toboggans are no longer provided, but you can rent them in shops, hotels and at the bottom station. Sledging outside lift hours is not allowed, because snow cats work on the slopes. The regional tourist office also lists children's bikes, kickbikes and bike trailers for rent at the ski resort.

A day in Inari can include Siida, the Sámi museum, where children up to 6 enter free and a family ticket covers two adults with all their children under 18. Our page on Inari and Siida has the opening hours.

Cold, light and practical points

Average temperatures in the village are roughly −9 °C in December and −12 °C in January, and the tourist office warns that it can fall below −30 °C. Dress children in layers: merino wool or synthetic fabric next to the skin, no cotton, a fleece or wool layer in the middle and a windproof shell. Mittens keep hands warmer than gloves, and a balaclava helps on the coldest days. Many tours lend overalls and boots, but few name children's sizes, so ask before you travel. Our page on what to wear has the full list.

From 6 December 2026 to 6 January 2027 the sun does not rise, and on 21 December the twilight lasts from 09:36 to 14:41. Book outdoor tours with young children for the late morning and midday, and keep afternoons short. By March the days are long, and the snow is near its deepest.

The airport bus from Ivalo carries pushchairs and other family equipment. Tunturi Medical Centre at Lutontie 3 in Saariselkä is open every day from 10:00 to 19:00, Ivalo Health Centre has a doctor on call around the clock, and the emergency number is 112. The tourist office recommends travel insurance before the trip.