Finland Adventures :: Part Two

Hi guys!

The second half of our Finnish journey took us further north to Lapland, above the arctic circle to the land of the midnight sun. We made our way to the ski town of Levi, which I’m sure some of you have seen some pretty wild Winter photos from! Although we visited early in the summer season (end of April), the mountain was still very much open for skiing!

While skiing wasn’t on our agenda, there were two things I DEFINITELY wanted to do while in Lapland : see the northern lights and visit reindeer! Surprisingly, both of these were a bit tricky to come by, at least that time of year. But we were persistent in our quest, and ended up seeing BOTH!

On the second night in the area, my cousin and I had the amazing opportunity to stay at the Levin Iglut - Golden Crown igloos! From the moment we drove up and spotted the igloo community, I knew we were in for a special evening. Because of the whole midnight sun thing, we actually lucked out and stayed the last open week of the season! This meant our chances of seeing the northern lights were slim to none, but we still set our alarms to wake up and see if we could spot them. The best thing about these igloos is that you don’t even have to get out of your cozy bed to gaze up at the sky! Around 1.30, we caught a glimpse of the lights. It was super brief, just a few minutes of glow, but we were still so excited.

The following morning, I woke up early to explore the grounds and have a bit of breakfast in the main lodge (another super cozy spot). After, the staff - which were all so incredibly friendly and accommodating, made me a fire to roast s’mores! It was such a fun way to round out this experience, and now I’m dreaming of visiting during the proper winter season.

With northern lights checked off our list, the next thing was to find ourselves some reindeer. Prior to this trip, I didn’t realize that the reindeer are let loose during the summer months - making them pretty impossible to visit with! Several of the farms we contacted were actually already in the process or had released their reindeer, so I was starting to feel it wasn’t going to happen. But then my aunt found the reindeer farm, Wolverine Fell Wilderness + Nature, and they invited us to come help feed the reindeer their dinner! This was completely the icing on the cake for this trip, and looking back at these photos makes me so happy :) . If you guys find yourselves on a trip to Levi, these guys offer year round activities! Be sure to check them out here .

After a wild week, it was time for me to part ways with my family and continue on with my adventure. I made my way back to Helsinki and after a quick coffee (or three), I hopped in a car and once again was at the airport. Next stop : Iceland!! Stay tuned.

xo

J.