Bucket List Travel is thrilled to offer a five-night trip to Utsjoki, Finnish Lapland to see the spectacular Aurora Borealis - the Northern Lights!

We will be staying in cozy private cabins at the charming Aurora Holidays resort, 280 miles above the Arctic Circle. It is  one of the best places on Earth to experience the lights! 

ALL of the guests who have stayed here since 2017 - every single one - have seen the lights here!!

Group size is limited to under 12 guests.

Seeing the Northern Lights is on everyone's bucket list - so make 2024 the year you stop dreaming, and start packing!

The Aurora Borealis is the most amazing natural phenomena in the world! But most people never get the thrill of seeing it. (I made three winter trips to Iceland hoping to see the Northern Lights and never saw them!) The Lights are usually only visible on Earth during four winter months from a 700-mile-wide band near the North Pole, known as the “Aurora Zone.” Our destination is located smack-dab in the middle of the Aurora Zone, in the tiny village of Utsjoki in Lapland, northern Finland. ("Lapland" is situated in Scandinavia and often referred to as the northern area of Finland.)

The guides at Aurora Holidays are Northern Lights-hunting professionals, ensuring you always get the best views of the spectacular aurora borealis. We’ll actively hunt the lights three evenings of our tour. The guides search the night skies and analyze conditions, always choosing the best nights, places, and times when you will most likely see the Aurora. (Sometimes the Lights are visible from your cottage!) Our viewing might take place around the resort or on the road in our van - guided by where we predict you will have the best possible chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis. These northern lights tours last between two to three hours, but some nights we are out longer if the lights appear at then end of our tour. 

Keep in mind that there is no guarantee you will see the Northern Lights during your stay. We will do our absolute best to make sure that your bucket list dream comes true, but we are at the mercy of nature and can't make any promises.

Your package includes full board (all 14 meals included) of delicious Finnish, Sami, and Scandinavian cuisine based on local ingredients of the best quality. The restaurant serves local free-range/grass-fed meat, and fish from local rivers, lakes and the Arctic Ocean. The resort's owners are an indigenous Sami reindeer-herding family, so self-raised free range reindeer meat is the star of the menu. They always have vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free meal options. The chef accommodates everyone based on individual dietary preferences, allergies, or restrictions. You'll enjoy five breakfasts; four lunches, either in the dining area or during the activities; five two-course dinners, including non-alcoholic drinks, water, soda or juice; and evening snacks when we are chasing the Northern Lights. In addition, the bar and kitchen are there if you want anything else (at additional cost.) The restaurant consciously works to avoid food waste, support small local businesses, chooses ecological options whenever possible, and uses only the cleanest local water (no bottled water). 

You will stay in one of our four cozy wooden Finnish two-bedroom cottages that sleep up to four people each. You might have a cabin all to yourself, or share it with up to three other friends or family members. These high quality Finnish cottages are fresh and clean, because they are quite new, well maintained, and smoke-free. They are equipped with everything you need, including a living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Each cottage has a private sauna where you can warm up after a cold night chasing the lights. The cottages face directly north, so you can check what is happening in the sky any time, and you can watch auroras from your window all night long if you like! 

Aurora Holidays is actively  LGBTQ friendly. It is the first business in Lapland to join the "We Speak Gay" community. 

The cost of this trip is $2,449 per person. There is no single supplement. Children under 15 years old are half price.

This does NOT include airfare to and from Finland.

Your space will be secured when we receive a  nonrefundable deposit of $500.

Tour deposits are non-refundable.

The balance is due two months before your departure (September 3, 2024.)

This tour includes:

• Five nights accommodation
• Full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks)
• Unlimited WIFI in all cottages
• Three guided Northern Lights chasing tours
•  Assistance with your photography
• Village tour of Utsjoki
• Tour of Northern Norway
• Polar Plunge
• King Crab feast
• Snowshoeing adventure
• Reindeer feeding experience
• Transfer to and from the airport and all activities 
• Firewood for your outside fireplaces
• 24/7 assistance by experienced guides

It does not include:

• Flights
• Optional activities
• Travel Insurance
• Alcohol
• Tips for guides (suggested total $50.)

Utsjoki is such a great place to see the Northern Lights because it is in a remote area of Lapland close to the North Pole. Yup, this is Santa country!

We recommend you fly Finnair (through Helsinki) and then to  Ivalo airport, which is a 2.5 hour drive from the resort. Transportation to and from our location is included in the package. 

You should book a flight that arrives Ivalo Tuesday, December  3, 2024 around 1 p.m.  We pick you up from Ivalo airport at 1:30 pm on Tuesday. 

Departure flights should be scheduled on Sunday, December 8, 2024 around 1 p.m. We'll drop you off at the airport around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. 

Note that you might be better off arriving to Ivalo already on Monday, depending on your flights. 

If you are unsure about the flights – please contact us before booking your flight so that we can advise you.

In early December, the daily average temperature is around 25°F, although it may go down to 20 below!. Overnight lows average 14°F.

The Polar Night begins at the end of November. (The polar night is a phenomenon that occurs only inside the polar circles where nighttime lasts for more than 24 hours.) The sun won’t rise again until January.

Almost three quarters of the days in December bring snow. During this period, you're more likely to enjoy snow activities, experience the true Lapland winter wonderland AND see the northern lights!

When packing. for this trip, follow the Nordic saying: "There's no such thing as bad weather. There's only bad clothing." Weather conditions in Lapland can change quickly and often, so you should bring many layers of warm, comfortable inner wear such as long johns, long sleeved shirts, and trousers. Here is a suggested packing list for your Lapland winter holiday: 

• Insulated boots with good grip
• Insulated jacket (preferably waterproof too)
• Waterproof or snowproof trousers
• Thermal underwear and base layers
• Warm woollen or fleece jacket
• Warm gloves, scarf and hat
• Thin thermal gloves (ideal as a base layer under snowmobile gloves)
• Warm woollen socks
• Small backpack
• Camera with extra battery pack
• Heat pads for hands and feet
• A swimsuit if you're going to take a polar plunge in the ocean. (Towels and swimming footwear are provided)

The owners of Aurora Holidays are a traditional Sami reindeer herder family, and there are some resident reindeer around the resort. During the winter the reindeer are fed every day in their enclosure, and you’ll get to help us feed them!

Reindeer are not fully domesticated animals, and by nature do not like to be touched. But if they are feeling brave, they might eat directly out of your hand!

We respect their natural tendencies and will never force human interaction with them. 

For his full-day trip, we leave the resort around 8:30 a.m., and drive to the picturesque village of Bugeynes, on the coast of the Arctic Ocean in Norway. We'll stop to admire and photograph the spectacular scenery along the way. The unique landscapes of the stunning Arctic coast will take your breath away! This day trip includes an opportunity to plunge into the clear frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean! This quick dip will be followed by a sauna, to warm you and bring calm to your very core.

On the way back, we'll stop at a sea-side bistro for a feast of local King crab! This trip can also be a vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free friendly, and we can work around physical disabilities. On the way back to Utsjoki, we'll look for northern lights along the way of course! 

Disclaimer: All activities are dependent on weather condition and availability. We reserve the right to make modifications for health or safety reasons.

This package includes three nights of aurora chasing activities, a village tour of Utsjoki, a tour of northern Norway, a polar plunge, a King Crab fishing expedition and feast, and a daytime reindeer feeding activity. 

You can opt to spend the rest of your time relaxing in the resort. Depending on the weather, other winter activities may be available at an additional cost.

Bucket List Travel recommends travel insurance for all of our guests. Travel insurance provides financial protection for unexpected events that affect a trip, such as a cancellation, illness, or an injury that occurs during the trip, and may include coverage for trip expenses, medical emergencies, travel delays, and luggage.

We have partnered with a company called Travel Insurance Master, which works with 11 of the country’s best travel insurance providers to find the best plan and value for you so you don’t have to figure it out yourself. 

They take into account your age, trip cost, and the features you want, and present you with what they think is your best option, as well as several alternatives. You only pay the premium amount; there is no additional cost to you.

Take a look at Travel Insurance Master, and rest assured they’ll find you the best trip insurance for your needs.  https://travelinsurancemaster.com/a?5cc9488b-808d-4077-a31f-c22a7c47abd2 

If you cancel more than 60 days before arrival, you only lose your deposit.

• Between 60 and 46 days before your arrival date, 50% of the entire tour price.
• 45 to 31 days before arrival, 25% of the full cost will be refunded
• Less than 30 days before the holiday is scheduled to start: no refunds.

If a person in your group must cancel, someone else can take their place for no extra charge. It is also possible to change the booking to another time, if there is availability.

Your trip to Aurora Holidays in Utjoski, Finland is scheduled for five nights, Dec. 3-8, 2024. If you would like to extend your trip, we are offering a pre-tour three-night add-on package to Helsinki and Tallinn, Estonia, Nov. 30-Dec 3, 2024.

You should arrive in Helsinki on Saturday, November 30, 2024, and make your way to the beautiful downtown hotel, the Scandic Grand Central Helsinki.

On Sunday, December 1, you’ll have a VIP tour in private car with personal guide of Helsinki and the Medieval town of Porvoo. Set off in a private vehicle with a driver to see a shortlist of key Helsinki landmarks— Helsinki Cathedral, Esplanade Park, Uspenski Cathedral, Central Library Oodi, and Sibelius Park. Then, visit the picturesque medieval Old Town of Porvoo and Porvoo Cathedral.

The next morning (Monday, December 2), we’ll take the ferry from the port of Helsinki across the Gulf of Finland to the country of Estonia. Once in Tallinn, the capital city, a guide takes you on a walking tour to discover the best of Tallinn’s medieval Old Town in just a few hours.

The next morning (Tuesday, December 3),after breakfast, we’ll head to the airport for the flight to Ivalo to continue our tour at Aurora Holidays.

The price for this tour is $669 per person, double occupancy. Single supplement is $100. This does not include the price of any flight.
If you would like me to book your round-trip flight from Helsinki to Ivalo for the aurora tour, I’ll be happy to do that for you at cost.  ( I will monitor these and recommend buying when prices are best.)

This excursion includes: 

·  3-night stay at the Scandic Grand Central Helsinki, double occupancy, with breakfast

·  One day VIP tour in private car with personal guide of Helsinki and the Medieval town of Porvoo 

·  One day tour of Tallinn, Estonia, including round trip ferry transportation