Our Search for the Northern Lights

A snow-filled holiday, that doesn’t always include extreme sports (in my eyes, skiing and snowboarding ??), was always on my list. Seeing the Northern Lights was another. So, when I was given the opportunity to host a trip to Finland to search for the Northern Lights, how could I not resist? I had assumed COVID was going to affect the trip in some way, but thankfully apart from the forms to complete and the tests to purchase, we were permitted to travel, which was fantastic! The trip itself was provided by Transun; a great company that we, as Travel Counsellors, have worked well with for a number of years. There were a couple of Transun representatives at Gatwick Airport, so check-in was pretty seamless. The flight, with Polish Airline EnterAir was very good too – the plane was relatively new, nice and modern and the service was great. The flight to Enontekio took about 3 ½ hours, but it went really fast indeed. As you can imagine, we were all a little nervous about landing on a frozen, snowy runway, but the pilot was clearly an expert as the landing was pretty smooth, given the circumstances. On arrival we were met swiftly and directed to our transportation – a nice warm coach which would take us straight to the Davvi Arctic Lodge, some 45min drive away. It’s amazing how the drivers and the vehicles in snowy countries seem to just get on with it – the snow-covered roads were not a problem for any of the vehicles we went it – they are super-equipped for the weather. During the journey we were given a few details of what to expect in the days ahead, along with our room/cabin numbers, which would be ready for us when we arrived. One thing that we were told about was the curfew, that had just been changed (!). All bars in Finland were to close by 5pm, and all restaurants by 6pm (!). Luckily, we all had the foresight to purchase a little duty free at Gatwick, to help us sleep a better ;0) and it came in very handy in the evenings. Transun and the hotel were amazing throughout and very accommodating. The staff at the Lodge made sure that all of the mealtimes worked around the (COVID) curfew. There were a number of activities that were included with the holiday, the timings for which were displayed in the small lobby area of the hotel, so it was easy to find out when and where the activities were to take place. There was also a number of additional activities that could be booked including Ice Fishing, Cross Country Skiiing and staying in one of the resort’s own Igloos overnight! We choose to book an Ice Fishing trip on the morning after our arrival as our activities weren’t due to start until the following evening. It was brilliant – not only did we get to drive the snowmobiles across a frozen river, but we also got to drill the holes using traditional drilling techniques and try out fishing. The frozen river was over 50cm thick, so it took a while for us to drill the holes, but it was very satisfying when the drill finally plopped through the ice and the freezing water below rushed to the surface. Unfortunately, none of us caught anything (!), but the whole experience, including me turning the snowmobile over on the way back (!), was just so much fun! We stayed in one of the Cabins at the Lodge, which were dotted within the grounds and just a short walk from the main building where all of the meals were served. It is also possible to stay in the Hotel Rooms (located in the main building), the Fell House Rooms which are located about a 4-minute walk along a lovely snowy pathway or the Aurora Rooms which are right next to the Cabins. All rooms are really comfortable, not particularly luxurious, but clean, comfortable and best of all, nice and warm! The cabin we stayed in even had a private sauna – a real treat! To be continued...