pamela griffiths review 2 Mar 2013
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Hard to choose one memorable thing, as everything was fantastic, but I suppose it has to be the two hour show of northern lights
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Go prepared to be wowed and don't expect five star hotel conditions, it's much more comfortable and friendly than that.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes in so far as the hotel provides jobs for local people
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Absolutely fantastic. The staff and guides couldn't be more helpful and friendly, the food was delicious and everything was perfect
Rachel Aylmer review 24 Mar 2013
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Husky sledding.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Book it now.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I feel it was of benefit to local people as many of the staff were local and it was a local family business.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent.
Deborah Buffington review 16 Jan 2013
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Seeing the Aurora Northern Lights three nights in a row.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
If you have never driven a snowmobile before, the technical all day snowmobile all day trip in powder snow is too difficult. It would have been better if it had been shorter. We fell six times.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent.
Rhian Standley review 1 Jan 2013
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Husky driving.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Bring hand and toe warmers!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Clearly one of the only sources of employment in the area for local people.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Good, but the tour Rep was very inexperienced, and therefore not much use!
Nicola Windeler review 4 Mar 2012
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Seeing the most amazing display of Northern Lights at the Aurora Camp. Driving our own team of huskies was a close second!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don't worry about the cold. It really is a different sort of cold. Just have lots of layers including thermals. Also, was given some hand-warmers which were fantastic coming back on the snowmobiles at night.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes, definitely. It brought much needed employment to the locals and was all about respecting the environment and the Sami culture.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
One of the best we've ever had. Words just can't describe how wonderful it was.
Lorraine Brice review 21 Feb 2012
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Skidoo trip in darkness into the middle of a forest to see the Aurora... I haven’t smiled as much in a long time..!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
It isn’t a very 'active trip'. I think you just need to be mobile in most instances and up for a challenge. The only real energetic element was the cross country skiing. Good thermals are essential!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
The fact that we were riding around on Skidoos, perhaps wasn’t the best minimal impact on the environment, but there is no other comparable mode of transport to get to the middle of nowhere in the snow.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
I would thoroughly recommend this trip. I enjoyed every second of this thrilling ride. We were lucky the last day produced an aurora!
Read the operator's response here:
Great to see another fantastic review:-)
On the subject of snowmobiles, they are perhaps not the most environmental means of transport but they are critical to the local economy. There is a whole industry surrounding snowmobiling which creates jobs and incomes where there are few opportunities. The income from snowmobiles also helps sustain other activity providers such as husky owners and reindeer herders.
The vast majority of snowmobiles these days have much improved four-stroke engines and the trails are very carefully policed and managed.
On balance, we believe that they are of a far greater benefit to the local economy than they are detrimental to the local environment. They certainly beat the massive off-road vehicles that we see so frequently on our city streets here in the UK!!
Margaret Kerr review 30 Mar 2012
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Seeing the Northern Lights.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Read all the information provided on what to bring etc.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes - stayed in local hotel, used local firm for all the trips.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
5*- loved every minute - the snowmobiling, dog sledging, reindeer farm as well as seeing the Northern Lights. Thought the holiday was extremely well organised. Small groups so lots of individual attention. Have already recommended it to many friends.
Andree Jordan review 20 Feb 2012
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Most memorable: standing looking at the aurora all around me, on the river by the hotel. Most exhilarating: racing across a frozen lake on a snowmobile, trying to keep up with our leader. Most "in tune with nature": husky sleigh safari - the sound of the huskies and nothing else, moving across the wilds of lapland, and the way they communicate with us so easily - the dogs hated stopping!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Keep the aurora alert phone with you all the time - important messages can come in during the day as well as at night. Find out how to take the lid off the jacuzzi BEFORE you get outside, standing beside it freezing.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
I cannot genuinely say that it minimized impacts on the environment - travelling by plane to get there, then having two snowmobile safaris used a lot of oil, but I do intend offsetting that with planting some trees. Benefitting local people - yes. The activity leaders and most of the people we met were all local. Culturally, I think it did benefit. It is a good way to keep hold of local cultures.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Brilliant! The balance of activities was just right. Plenty to do, but enough time in between so nothing seemed rushed. Blessed - it must have been - each day I saw a bit more of the aurora, until the last day which was the best. I have only given this four stars and not 5 because of a holiday I went on in Mongolia, to see a total eclipse of the sun, which was equally as good, so I would have to put this joint first with that one.
