Each evening, sit down to hearty, included dinners celebrating northern produce: salmon soup rich with dill, slow-cooked reindeer with lingonberries, and warm leipäjuusto cheese with cloudberry jam. The dining room hums with friendly chatter as skiers trade route tips and the day’s frost melts from cheeks.

During the week, themed nights showcase regional traditions and seasonal tastes, from smokehouse aromas to oven-baked rye. Expect unfussy, generous plates designed to refuel after hours on the trails, plus a few sweet Finnish classics for dessert. It’s an inviting way to share stories, plan tomorrow’s loop, and sample Lapland’s honest, comforting cuisine.

Transfer to a local kennel to meet an eager husky team and learn mushing basics before setting off two-by-sledge through snow-laden pine forests. The only sounds are the runners whispering over snow and the dogs’ joyful breathing as the trail winds across frozen marshes and gentle ridgelines.

Midway, pause to warm your hands by a fire and hear how these Arctic athletes are trained and cared for. The return run is pure exhilaration, the dogs settling into an even pace as you guide the sledge home. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; thermal overalls and boots are typically provided.

After a safety briefing and kit-up, pair up to drive a snowmobile across powdery fell trails, following your guide into wide, white silence. Climb steadily to misty mountain passes where the treeline thins and views sweep over the Ylläs massif and the frozen lakes below.

Stops along the route offer time to pause for photos and reflection and hear about life in Lapland between long winters and luminous summers. It’s a dynamic counterpoint to the gentle rhythm of skiing and a memorable window onto the region’s vast spaces. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; drivers need a valid license.

Trade skis for snowshoes and follow a guide into untracked forests where thick snow muffles every sound. Step between frost-feathered spruces, learn to spot capercaillie roosts and Arctic hare tracks, and feel the peaceful contrast of moving slowly through deep powder.

Depending on light and weather, your trek might end at a fire shelter for warm drinks and stories of northern nature. Twilight departures reveal a blue, velvety dusk unique to the far north. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; distances are gentle and suitable for most fitness levels.

Saddle up on a wide-tired fat bike and roll along packed winter trails that weave through birch and pine. The broad tyres float over snow, turning gentle hills into playful rides and opening quieter corners of the landscape beyond the ski tracks.

Guides set an easy pace with photo stops at snow-blanketed viewpoints and frozen marshes. It’s a fun way to vary your week while staying outdoors and close to nature. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; bikes, helmets and warm handlebar mitts are provided.

Swap skinny skis for alpine gear and spend a day on Ylläs’ groomed downhill slopes, reached by local shuttle. Cruise broad, confidence-building pistes from the fell’s summit or link longer descents as you soak in the lakeside panorama stretching across Lapland’s fells.

Rental shops fit you with modern equipment, and lift passes cover a network suitable for all abilities. It’s an enjoyable change of pace that complements your cross-country days. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; equipment hire and lift passes are purchased locally.

As darkness settles, join a guide to seek the Northern Lights from quiet shores or a heated kota near Lake Äkäslompolo. With the aurora forecast in your favour, learn how to frame the sky and capture the green arcs with a camera while warming hands around hot drinks.

Guides explain the science and folklore behind the lights as you watch for delicate veils or sudden dancing curtains across the polar night. On bright, starry evenings, the Milky Way glows over the snow-covered lake. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; departures are flexible during clear-sky nights.

New to Nordic skiing or keen to refine your glide? On day 2, join a small-group session to learn classic or skate technique from a local instructor. Start with balance and weight shift, then practice efficient poling and downhill control on gentle terrain near the village. Hire high-quality skis, boots and poles to match your style and the day’s conditions.

Tuition covers trail etiquette, cornering and climbing, plus tips for pacing longer loops later in the week. This is ideal early in your stay, building confidence so you can explore farther with less effort. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; equipment hire fees apply locally.

Join a local guide for a curated outing into Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, choosing a route for the day’s snow and light. Set a steady rhythm along silent forest corridors before emerging onto open fell viewpoints where wind-carved trees stand like sculptures and the sky feels immense.

Your guide shares stories of northern nature, winter wildlife tracks and seasonal changes, with warm-up stops for hot berry juice by a campfire shelter. It’s a relaxed way to deepen your skills while discovering trails you might otherwise miss. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with distances adapted to group ability.

Across days 2–7, step onto over 300 km of groomed trails linking Äkäslompolo with the fells of Ylläs. Glide through candle-lit spruce and over the frozen shore of Lake Äkäslompolo, or climb to open fell plateaus where the snow squeaks under skis and horizons stretch for miles. Along the way, pause for photos and reflection at panoramic shelters and cozy kota cafés.

This protected landscape is part of Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, celebrated for exceptionally clean, crisp air. Trail markers, graded loops and wayfinding boards make independent exploration effortless, while the steady rhythm of classic tracks offers a meditative flow. Expect long northern light, soft pastels at midday, and the satisfying warmth of the hotel sauna waiting each evening.

After the day’s skiing, unwind with included access to the hotel’s Finnish sauna and Arctic spa. Embrace the ritual of loyly — the gentle wave of steam — in separate men’s and women’s saunas before a cool-down in the winter air. Senses reset, muscles loosen, and conversation slows to the hiss of steam and the scent of fresh birch.

Finns swear by this cycle of heat and cold for recovery and calm, a tradition woven into daily life for generations. On selected evenings, the outdoor spa opens to the night, inviting you to soak in the lakeside atmosphere beneath frosted pines and, with luck, a faint veil of aurora on the horizon.

On day 2, meet the hotel team for a relaxed start to the week as you get kitted out for cross-country skiing and receive a clear map briefing of Ylläs’ groomed trails. From your ski-in, ski-out base, staff share up-to-date tips on weather, waxing and suggested loops, so you can choose routes matching your pace from lakeside tracks to gentle forest glides.

Learn local etiquette on the tracks, where to find wilderness kota cafés serving hot berry juice, and how to read trail signposts across Äkäslompolo’s network. If you plan to hire gear, fittings are quick and professional (hire is at additional cost), leaving the rest of your morning free to set off into the quiet, snow-draped taiga.