Guesthouse Husky Safari in Finland [Review]
Mention Finland and many things come to mind – Santa Claus’s hometown, Northern light hunting, crossing the arctic circle, Reindeer Safari and of course, Husky Safari! We had the chance to join Guesthouse Husky Safari in Ivalo for a day with the adorable Huskies.
Travel HANter
19 Aug 18
Guesthouse Husky Safari
Guesthouse Husky Safari is both a guesthouse and farm located in the Northern part of Finland. It houses 150 Huskies, who are all very enthusiastic for a run in the cold winter.
How to get there
Located about 10 mins drive away from the village of Ivalo, Guesthouse Husky Safari doesn’t provide hotel pickup so we rented a car to get there. We got a little lost but it was not a big issue.
According to the owners of Guesthouse Husky Safari, taking a cab from Ivalo to the farm would cost about EUR16-20, one way.
Before the ride
After changing into the warm clothing and shoes provided, we were given instructions on how to control the sleigh and other safety precautions.
HAN-dy tip: Wear a neck warmer or scarf. Though all other things are provided, a neck warmer or scarf really makes a big difference.
Finally, we got to enter the Husky farm, to be greeted by tens of energetic dogs, all anxiously waiting for the morning run. We got assigned our own team of huskies and for our 2.5 hr Guesthouse Husky Safari, we are taking turns to be the driver. *EXCITED*
All the teams aligned one after another and the staff was leading the pack. The staffs were also in the back to keep the pack together.
During the ride
Then, it was time to go!
The views were breathtaking! As a passenger, you will enjoy every moment of the ride, albeit the freezing cold.
The driver, on the other hand, might get a teeny-weeny bit exhausted. Okay, I lied. Being the driver was loads of fun and LOADS of physical training. It was really tough trying to stop the Huskies. They might be slowing down, but they never wanna stop!
The driver has to put the entire weight on a piece of flap that digs into the snow to slow and stop the Huskies. The nightmare comes when going up a slope. The Huskies will use those puppy eyes to look back at their BFF (YES THE DRIVER), for some help. That’s basically the cue for the driver to get off and start running and pushing! Okay, I think I exaggerated too much. It sounds torturous (IT IS) but it was all in the name of fun.
Lunch Break
Not to worry too much, there were breaks in between for the teams to catch up with each other.
The Guesthouse Husky Safari also provides lunch break where simple Finnish food and drinks were given. This was also a chance to play and snap photos with the Huskies. After lunch, the driver and passenger get to swap their roles for the return journey.
Cost
We took the 2.5 hr ride by Guesthouse Husky Safari and it cost EUR151 per pax.
The price includes:
- Outdoor clothing (overall, shoes, woolly socks, balaclava and gloves)
- A dog team of 6-7 dogs for 2 persons
- Coffee/tea with a pastry or sandwich
- Guidance
Conclusion
Although the Guesthouse Husky Safari is a little inconvenient to get to and the price is a little pricey, we thoroughly enjoyed the 2.5 hr safari. The Huskies seemed to be all well taken care of and also enjoying racing through the snow with us. All in all, we had incredible fun and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip!
Here is a video of our fun-filled ride:
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