Finnish Lapland Adventure vacation

Planet

We have purposely chosen a destination that is a bit further off the beaten track and away from the crowds. We reach the North of Finland by train and local bus, rather than flying from Helsinki. We use a night train from Helsinki to Kolari and a local bus from there to Yllastunturi. This provides clients with a local way of traveling to the North of the country and it also minimises carbon emissions.

We educate our passengers on environmental issues on all of our trips. We have a group meeting in the beginning, during which we encourage everyone to refill bottles and recycle if possible. All our tour leaders are there to set an example on how to become more responsible travelers. They will pick up litter if they see any, use drinking bottles and always communicate to passengers about responsible travel.

We promote small group traveling, therefore maximum group size is 12. This has much less impact when traveling through rural areas, reducing our environmental and social affects. Tour leader will talk to travelers about Finland’s flora and fauna. For example, on Day 5, we will visit Saami Reindeer Farm where we will learn about reindeer herding and the fact that only Saami people are legally allowed to have reindeers. Additionally, as the trip entails dog sledding, we will choose the suppliers that take wellbeing of dogs into consideration.

People

We support local businesses and use local suppliers for all our included activities and optional services. This means that people experience local culture, your money stays in the area to benefit the local community and any of the activities done on this trip are helping the local economic development. For example, on day 3 guests will be offered to visit a traditional Finnish sauna as an optional activity.

Also, on this tour we visit a traditional Sami family, who will guide the group through their world and lifestyle. Samis are known for their rich cultural heritage and a close connection to the land they live on, shown through their skills in reindeer herding, fishing and foraging for foods. Guides will always brief guests on local customs and general courtesy (such as asking permission before taking photographs/dress-codes/conduct in places of worship etc.) and behave appropriately. Additionally, accommodation used on this trip is family owned.

We have a Foundation which was set up to empower travelers to have a positive impact on the communities they visit. Our Foundation now supports over 50 local, grassroots projects around the world. Over the past 15 years, The Foundation has distributed over AU $5 million to projects tackling areas such as sustainable development, human rights, child protection, environmental conservation, wildlife protection, education and healthcare. While we do not visit a project during this trip, tour leader will always talk through our Responsible Travel guidelines and will encourage clients to look at other projects running at the moment.