A Private Christmas in Finnish and Swedish Lapland

Arrive in Finnish Lapland and begin the journey with a private transfer from Kittilä Airport to Levin Iglut, set high on the fell above Levi. The landscape quickly changes from airport lights to snowy forest, giving you an immediate sense of how far north you have travelled.

On arrival, settle into your glass roofed accommodation and enjoy a welcome drink before taking time to look around. One guest stays in a Prime Superior Igloo with valley views, while two guests share a spacious Suite Igloo. Both are designed around the sky, with heated glass and wide views across the surrounding winter landscape. The Suite also has a private outdoor hot tub, giving you an easy first taste of Lapland at your own pace.

There is no need to rush into activities today. This first afternoon and evening are about arriving properly, unpacking, warming up and getting used to the Arctic light. If the sky is clear, keep an eye overhead. Northern Lights can appear without warning, and the glass roof means you can continue watching from the comfort of your room.

Later, head to dinner for the first three course meal of the trip. It is a relaxed introduction to the food and atmosphere that will shape the days ahead, with snowy views outside and the promise of more adventurous experiences beginning tomorrow.

The setting makes the arrival feel special without asking anything of you. Forest, snow and open sky do most of the work, while the warm interiors give you somewhere comfortable to pause before the first full day outside.

Wake beneath the northern sky and start with breakfast at Levin Iglut before meeting your guide for a private husky adventure. Today you take the reins yourself, learning how to handle a sled and work with your own team of dogs before heading onto snowy trails. The experience lasts around four hours and brings together speed, quiet forest and time at a local husky farm, where you can learn more about the dogs, their care and their relationship with the mushers.

Afterwards, return for lunch and a slower afternoon. A private sauna session and outdoor hot tub have been arranged for around two hours, giving you time to warm up after the morning outside. It is a classic Lapland contrast: cold air, deep snow and then the steady heat of the sauna, with the winter landscape just beyond the door.

This evening begins with a three course dinner before you head back out into the dark for a private Northern Lights search. Your guide will use local knowledge and conditions to look for the clearest skies, travelling through the surrounding landscape in search of the aurora. The experience is planned for around three hours, with the night itself deciding what you see.

Professional photography can be added to both the husky experience and Northern Lights search if requested, making it possible to capture the day without spending the whole time behind a camera.

Even if clouds move in, the journey into the night is part of the experience, with frozen roads, quiet forests and almost complete darkness.

After breakfast, spend the morning with one of Lapland’s most recognisable animals on a private Sami and reindeer experience. Rather than simply watching from a sled, this encounter takes you closer to the reindeer and the traditions that surround them. Walk through the forest alongside the animals while your guide shares stories about reindeer husbandry, local culture and the role these herds continue to play in life across the north.

There is also the chance to try the traditional skill of lassoing before warming up with fika. Coffee and something sweet taste particularly good after time outside, and the slower pace makes this morning a contrast to yesterday’s husky ride. Professional photography can be added to the experience if you would like someone else to capture the moments along the way.

Return to Levin Iglut for lunch, then keep the afternoon free. This is time to enjoy the setting rather than fill every hour. Step into your private outdoor hot tub, watch the light change across the valley or simply settle into the warmth of your igloo. With wide windows and open views, staying here is part of the experience rather than just somewhere to sleep.

In the evening, head upstairs for a five course dinner. It is the final night at Levin Iglut, so there is time to linger over dinner and look back on the first part of the trip before tomorrow’s journey towards Rovaniemi.

If the sky clears after dinner, your last evening on the fell also offers another quiet chance to watch for the Northern Lights.

Enjoy breakfast at Levin Iglut before leaving Levi behind and travelling south towards Rovaniemi. A private premium transfer takes around two hours, giving you time to watch the scenery shift through snowy forest as you make your way to the next chapter of the trip. Lunch is at leisure either during the journey or once you arrive at Skýra Retreat.

Set on the shores of Lake Norvajärvi near Rovaniemi, Skýra Retreat is designed around rest, nature and Nordic wellbeing. You will stay in two Mökki Log Suites, with one arranged for double occupancy and one for single occupancy. Each handcrafted log suite has its own private sauna, while guests also have access to the shared Nordic Spa and the retreat’s daily wellness programme.

The move also places you close to Rovaniemi for festive experiences planned over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the retreat.

After checking in, take the afternoon slowly with tea at Skýra. There is time to settle into the forest surroundings, explore your suite and enjoy the quieter rhythm of the retreat before dinner. This change of pace is intentional. After several active days in Levi, Skýra gives you space to experience Lapland through warmth, food and stillness as much as through adventure.

A three course dinner is served this evening, followed by one of the trip’s most unusual experiences: ice floating. Wearing specialist equipment, you enter icy water and float safely in the Arctic surroundings. The shared experience lasts around two and a half to three hours in total and offers a completely different perspective on winter.

Christmas Eve begins with an a la carte breakfast at Skýra Retreat before you head into the backcountry on a private guided skiing experience. Over around two to three hours, travel across quiet winter terrain towards a remote lake, moving at a pace that allows you to take in the forest and the stillness around you. Lunch is included as part of the experience, served outdoors in the landscape before you make your way back to the retreat.

The afternoon is deliberately open. Return to Skýra for afternoon tea, spend time in the Nordic Spa or simply explore the surroundings around Lake Norvajärvi. Your Mökki Log Suite has a private sauna, so there is also the option to retreat to your own space and warm up before the Christmas celebrations begin.

If you want more time outdoors, the retreat surroundings offer a simple chance to walk beneath the trees and enjoy the brief Arctic daylight.

Later, gather in the lounge for tree decorating and a visit from Santa. In the heart of Finnish Lapland, it is a festive moment that feels rooted in the setting rather than staged around a busy schedule. The programme continues with a Christmas sauna ritual in the Nordic Spa, where seasonal aromas, candlelight and a festive drink bring a distinctly Finnish rhythm to Christmas Eve.

A three course dinner rounds off the evening. There is no need to go anywhere afterwards. Step back into the forest quiet, return to your suite and let Christmas arrive slowly.

Christmas morning at Skýra Retreat starts gently with a special breakfast and a Christmas gift from the retreat. There is time to enjoy the quiet of the forest before heading back outside for a private ice fishing experience on a frozen lake.

Travel out across the winter landscape and learn how to fish through the ice with expert guidance. The experience lasts around four hours and is as much about being out on the lake as it is about the catch. Snow, open space and the stillness of the Arctic make this a slow, simple way to spend Christmas Day, with a lunch stop planned around the experience.

Back at Skýra, the afternoon keeps the festive mood going without becoming too busy. Settle into the lounge for afternoon tea and gingerbread decorating, or make time for the Nordic Spa and your private sauna. After a cold morning outside, the warmth of the retreat feels especially welcome. There is also space simply to sit by the fire, read or watch the winter light fade through the trees.

As darkness settles, the lakeside setting gives you another chance to look out for clear skies overhead.

This evening is centred around a festive Christmas dinner. With no transfer or evening excursion planned, you can take your time over the meal and enjoy the feeling of being tucked away in Lapland for the holiday itself.

After breakfast at Skýra Retreat, leave Finnish Lapland behind and begin the journey west into Swedish Lapland. A private premium transfer takes you towards Loggers Lodge, with a lunch break and a visit to Gammelstad Church Town in Luleå along the way. The journey is expected to take around five hours, turning the transfer into part of the day rather than simply time on the road.

Gammelstad offers a glimpse into northern Swedish history, with hundreds of traditional red timber cottages gathered around a medieval stone church. Take time to walk through the old streets before continuing towards the forest and the final accommodation of the trip.

Loggers Lodge is secluded, private and designed for guests who want the wilderness almost entirely to themselves. The property is reserved for your exclusive use, with hosts on hand to look after the details. On arrival, meet your hosts, tour the property and settle in with a welcome drink and snacks. The lodge combines historic character with Scandinavian comfort, centred around an open fireplace and surrounded by snowy forest.

It is a complete change of scale, from a retreat setting to a lodge surrounded only by wilderness.

Dinner is served in the lodge this evening, prepared as a gourmet meal in the privacy of your accommodation. Afterwards, head outside to the wood fired sauna and outdoor hot tub. With no other guests around, the evening can unfold slowly, whether you stay by the fire, step into the sauna or watch the dark sky from outside.

Wake in the quiet of Swedish Lapland and enjoy an a la carte breakfast served at Loggers Lodge. Today is about travelling through the forest at a slower pace, with a snowshoeing experience that begins by heading out from the lodge towards Lake Långtjärn.

Once on snowshoes, walk through deep, untouched snow with time to notice the smaller details of the landscape. Your guide can point out signs of Arctic wildlife and explain more about the forest around you as you move at a comfortable pace. There is no rush to cover ground. Stop somewhere scenic for warm lingonberry juice and gourmet snacks, then settle in for a wilderness lunch cooked over an open fire. The full experience lasts around four hours.

When you return to the lodge, afternoon tea and the wood fired sauna are ready. It is an easy transition from the cold outside to warmth indoors, with time to relax before another private gourmet dinner is served in the lodge.

One evening during your stay at Loggers Lodge, depending on conditions, you will also head out on a Northern Lights safari in a heated panoramic glass sled. The hosts choose the best night after arrival, giving you the strongest possible opportunity to make the most of the weather and sky. Wrapped in warmth, you can travel to a viewpoint without losing the sense of being surrounded by the Arctic night.

Few places on the trip offer such privacy, making the quieter hours feel part of the experience.

Start the final full day with an a la carte breakfast at Loggers Lodge, then swap snowshoes for a snowmobile and head deeper into the Swedish Lapland landscape. The route takes you through snow covered forest, across frozen lakes and towards the Lule River, opening up areas that would be difficult to reach through deep winter snow any other way.

The snowmobiling experience lasts around four hours and covers roughly thirty five kilometres. Modern machines carry two people, and drivers can switch during the journey where appropriate. Instructions are provided before setting off, with a valid driving licence required for anyone taking the controls. The pace gives you a sense of movement and adventure while still leaving time to take in the scale of the landscape around you.

Return to Loggers Lodge for lunch and a warm afternoon. Tea is served and the wood fired sauna will be ready when you come back, so there is time to recover after the ride and enjoy the lodge at its best. Wellness treatments may also be arranged in advance if you want to make the afternoon even slower.

Your final gourmet dinner is served in the lodge this evening. By now, the rhythm of the place should feel familiar: adventure outside, warmth inside, food prepared just for you and no need to share the setting with anyone else.

Outside, the forest remains almost completely dark, reminding you how far from everyday life the lodge sits.

Your final morning in Swedish Lapland begins outside. Take a quiet walk through the forest and make time for one last soak in the outdoor hot tub, surrounded by snow and the stillness that has defined your stay at Loggers Lodge.

Back inside, an a la carte breakfast is served in the lodge. There is no activity programme to rush through today, so the morning can move gently. Pack at your own pace, sit by the fire and enjoy the last views of the forest before it is time to leave. After several days of huskies, reindeer, skiing, ice fishing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling, this simple final morning gives the journey a calm ending.

When it is time to depart, a private premium transfer takes you from Loggers Lodge to Luleå Airport for your onward journey. The exact timing will be planned around your flight arrangements, allowing enough time to travel comfortably from the remote lodge back towards the city.

There is a natural contrast in the final drive. The forest roads and deep snow gradually give way to signs of everyday life again, marking the end of ten days spent moving through Finnish and Swedish Lapland. You leave having experienced three very different places to stay, from glass igloos above Levi to a lakeside wellness retreat near Rovaniemi and an exclusive forest lodge in Sweden.

It is a soft ending to a journey built around big landscapes, private experiences and Christmas in the far north.