sign in sign up
<<
Home , Ivalo, Karigasniemi, Kemi, Kolari, Lapland (Finland), Muonio

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

Lapland

Why Go? ...... 271 casts a powerful spell and has an irresistible ro- ...... 277 mance to it that haunts the imagination and memory. While ...... 277 you won’t see polar bears or rocky fjords, there is something ...... 279 intangible here that makes it magic. The , the Sámi peoples, the borealis Ylläs ...... 281 (Northern Lights) and the wandering are all com- Levi (Sirkka) ...... 282 ponents of this, as is good old ho-ho-ho himself, who ‘of- ...... 287 fi cially’ resides here. Another part of the spell is in the awe- Enontekiö (Hetta) ...... 287 some latitudes – at , the northernmost point, you Pallas-Yllästunturi NP ...289 have passed Iceland and nearly all of Canadaa and Alaska. Kemijärvi ...... 291 Lapland, which occupies 30% of ’s land area but Pyhä-Luosto ...... 292 houses just 3% of its population, has vastt and awesome Sodankylä ...... 293 wildernesses, ripe for exploring on foot, skis or sledge. The sense of space, pure air and big skies is what is memorable Saariselkä ...... 295 here, more than the towns. Saariselkä Wilderness & Lapland’s far north is known as Sápmi, home of the Sámi Urho Kekkonen NP ...... 298 people. Their main communities are around Inari, and ...... 300 Hetta. Rovaniemi is the most popular gateway to the north. ...... 301 Inari ...... 302 When to Go Lemmenjoki NP ...... 305 LAPLAND °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm 30/86 6/150 Best Places to 20/68 4/100 Stay 10/50 0/32 » Porotila Toini Sanila (p 309 ) 2/50 » Kultahovi (p304 ) -10/14 » Villa Lanca (p 304 ) -20/-4 0 J FDNOSAJJMAM » Erähotelli Nellim (p 301 ) » City (p 273 ) Apr The best Aug Plenty of Dec Reindeer, month for sled light and sun- snow and Santa treks and skiing, shine, the trails Claus himself are Best Places to Eat with plenty of light are less crowded, guaranteed to and not-so-scary and fewer biting inject » Gaissa (p 275 ) temperatures. insects. spirit. » Pirkon Pirtti (p 296 ) Nuorgam 269 E6 Utsjoki E6 0 100 km i 0 60 miles E6 nojok Kirkenes

Te 4

Karasjok Sevettijärvi E75 (1328m) 92 Toskalharji 92 Kilpisjärvi (1027m) 971 P Saana oroe Kautokeino Kaamanen (1029m) no Ropi Könkäm(945m) Kietsimäjoki Inarijärvi Lä täseno 93 Inari Nellim 21 äeno Lemmenjoki National Ivalo E8 Kaaresuvanto Ivalo Hetta Park Airport Raja- (Enontekiö) 91 Jooseppi Saariselkä 93 955 Saariselkä Pallas-Yllästuntun Wilderness 45 National Park (Urho Kekkonen National Park) Tankavaara Porttipahdan Lokan- Muonio tekojärvi 79 Köngäs tekojärvi Tulppio 21 Levi (Sirkka) LAPLAND LAPLAND Muonionjoki E8 Kittilä Ylläs LAPPI Ylläs 80 Tanhua (718m) Vaalajärvi Sodankylä 79 Luosto

(514m) Lohiniua Lappea 5 Unari Pyhä-Luosto Pyhä-Luosto E63 National Park ki Pyhä ijo (540m) E10 E75 Kem Miekojärvi Kemijärvi 82 4 5 Circle Oulanka Sinetta National Park Överkalix Rovaniemi Kemijärvi 5 Övertorneå Riisitunturi T joki E63 orn i National Park Juuma

em

io Käyla K 78 81 n 4 joki E75 Ruka E4 Yli-kitka LULEÅ Tornio Ranua Pohjanlahti 20 Perämeri National Park Kemi OULUN

Lapland Highlights 1 Trekking the lonely ice-breaker, swim in the frozen- 6 Learning about its wildernesses around over sea, then spend the night environments at Rovaniemi’s Saariselkä (p298 ) in the ethereally beautiful Arktikum museum (p 271 ) 2 Dashing through the snow snow castle. 7 Taking your fi rst steps pulled by a team of huskies or 4 Panning for in beautiful at exploring Sámi culture at reindeer (p287 ) Lemmenjoki and walking in the Siida (p 302 ) in Inari. 3 Lapping up wonderful national park (p305 ) 8 Skiing at Lapland’s best- winter experiences in Kemi 5 Picnicking with views on top equipped resort at Levi (p282 ) (p 277 ), where you can sail on an Saana Fell in Kilpisjärvi (p289 ) 9 Gazing in awe at the aurora borealis (p295 )