4 days in Lapland on a budget

For £750 per person, we saw the northern lights from our bed in a glass roof hut, went husky sledding, drove through frozen lakes on a snowmobile, petted some cute reindeer and said HI to Santa. 4 days in Lapland is certainly doable on a budget!

Here is our budget itinerary for 4 days in the fairytale-like Lapland that includes all of the above. We’ve also included the companies to choose for your safaris (the internet is full of choices and it can be a bit overwhelming – we know!), and finally, of course, a breakdown of our budget.

Day 1 – Arriving at our affordable northern lights hut and spending time with reindeer

We arrived in Rovaniemi, Lapland on a snowy, freezing, wintery Sunday morning. We were a bit nervous about the 2-hour car drive to our hotel in the outskirts of Levi in the middle of a snowstorm. Might have something to do with the immigration officer telling us several times to be careful on the road as it was snowy. Surprisingly though, the drive was quite smooth. 

As we approached the Northern Light Huts where we staying, I couldn’t help but squeak with joy. It was beautiful. The high windows in the hut overlooking the tall arctic trees and blankets of the thick snowy ground was a sight like no other. 

The hut was a good size for two people with heated floors, a work area and two very comfy chairs apt for a hot chocolate and a snuggle. It was equipped with an ensuite bathroom and a massive bonus for us was the mini-fridge in the room. 

After unpacking, we headed out to the reindeer farm in the hotel grounds. We spent some time with the reindeers and walked west along the reindeer trail to enjoy the beautiful sunset.

The rest of the night was spent staring out the windows in hopes of seeing the Aurora Borealis. We caught our first real glimpse of northern lights just after midnight on Bobbe’s 31st birthday. What a way to start the day.

Day 2 – Tasting Chaga Chai Latte and a crazy northern lights display

We had a lie in that day after a night of intermittent sleep. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we drove around Levi and the nearby town of Kittila, just taking in the beautiful scenery. We also tried a drink called Chaga Chai Latte in town made by a lovely guy on the side of the road.

Chaga is a mushroom that grows on deciduous trees. It’s a very valuable medicinal fungus and has a very high concentration of antioxidant substances. The guy works on his own very unique family business called Halipuu, which is about adopting hugging trees. Check their page out here.

That night, the Northern Lights appeared again. This time they put on a proper show for Bobbe’s birthday. He was super excited as this has been on his bucket list for as long as he can remember. And to actually see the northern lights on his birthday made it even more memorable. Have a look on our Instagram page for some time lapses of the incredible northern lights.

Day 3 – Husky Safari and More Aurora Boreales (the best one so far)

Again, it was a night with a few hours of sleep. We actually set alarms throughout the night to wake up and see if the aurora was visible. Next morning, we were up early for the husky safari with Tundra Huskies. 

There were approximately 80 huskies at the place we went to. It was surprising how well behaved and quiet they were. However, once their master gave one single signal, they started going crazy. Never seen anything that excitable and hyper. They were ready for the sledding. 

After 20 crazy minutes of sledding, part of which involved going through a massive frozen lake, we thought our toes might fall off. It was so cold! We warmed up by a cosy fire and had some tasty Finnish berry juice. Afterwards, we spent some time with the huskies before heading back to our lovely hut.

By the time we got back, we were quite knackered. The previous night spent chasing the Aurora, the husky ride and the minus degree weather had shattered us. So we took a long cosy nap and woke up in time for the sunset. The sunset did not disappoint. Plus it was great for some drone shots.

We were ready for another night to see the aurora borealis. And she did not disappoint. The Aurora put on her best show in the three days, and we just sat in our beds with our mouths wide open. I’ll let the pictures do the talking..

Day 4 – Snowmobile Safari and Meeting Santa

The last activity we had booked for the trip was a 2-hour snowmobile trip to a reindeer farm with Perhesafarit. It was thrilling driving through the frozen lakes and the snowy bumpy paths. The safari included a stop at the cafe’ in the Reindeer farm where we had the most chocolatey hot chocolate to warm us up. It was divine!

Afterwards, we drove back to Rovaniemi for our flight later that evening. We met up with another Maldivian couple, Shifa and Hammi, who was also in Rovaniemi and who also happens to have the travel bug. Check out their Instagram for some more travel inspiration!

Oh, we also met Santa Claus. The real Santa supposedly lives in Rovaniemi!

And that wraps up 4 days in Lapland on a budget!

Budget for 4 days in Lapland

Lastly, we wanted to share how much we spent on this amazing, once in a lifetime, bucket list trip. We understand that our Maldivian friends would not be able to get flights as cheap as this when travelling from the Maldives. But hopefully, you can get an idea of the costs involved in everything else.

Return flight for two: £144.58 (we booked 7 months in advance! EasyJet London Gatwick to Rovaniemi (Lapland))

Extra luggage (for the drone): £40 (added cost)

Car rental: £199.95

Petrol: £43.77

Accommodation for 3 nights: £776 (you could cut down on costs by staying only one night at an expensive place, and rest at a more affordable hotel)

Activities: £287.64 (€170 for Husky safari and €160 for Snowmobile)

Food: £67.55 (we made our own lunch (sandwiches) and dinner (cup noodles!))

Souvenirs: £17.25 (fridge magnet and picture with Santa)

Total: £1,576.74 ($2,085.83, MVR 32,227)

Thanks a lot for taking the time out to read this post. If you enjoyed it, do check out our weekend trip to St. Petersburg. We included the cost of our stay 🙂

Hope you found this post useful!

Happy Travels,

Amana & Bobbé

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