You drive
Drive your own husky sled in Rovaniemi: what it actually involves
The gap between riding and driving is the largest difference on this whole site, and it costs about a hundred and fifty dollars. It is also, for most people, the difference between an afternoon they enjoyed and one they still talk about. Here is exactly what you have to do.
Quick answer
On a self-drive husky safari you stand on the runners at the back of your own sled with a team of four to six dogs, one foot resting on a metal brake bar. A guide leads the line and the lead dogs follow. Pairs usually swap driver and passenger halfway. The briefing takes about two minutes. Self-drive safaris here cost from $224 and run four to ten kilometres.
Driving your own team, at a glance
- Cheapest self-drive
- $2244–5 km, three hours
- Most reviewed
- $2396 km at Apukka, 1,568 reviews
- Longest
- $26110 km on a forest trail
- Dogs per sled
- 4–6two leaders at the front
- Briefing
- ~2 minutesstand, lean, brake, never let go
- You steer?
- Barelythe lead dogs follow the sled ahead
- Swap halfway
- Usuallyso both of you get the runners
- Minimum age
- Operator sets itchildren ride, teenagers often drive
- Physical?
- Mildlyand warmer than sitting, because you work
- Cancellation
- Free to 24 hon every tour on this page
The briefing
What do they teach you before you drive?
Stand, brake, hold on. That is the entire briefing, and it is enough.
Three things, in about two minutes, and then you are on a sled.
How to stand. Both feet on the runners, knees soft, weight over the sled rather than behind it. You are not sitting down at any point and you will be warmer for it.
How to brake. There is a metal bar between the runners with teeth on the underside. Stand on it and it digs into the snow. That is the whole control system: no accelerator, no steering wheel, one brake. You use it going into corners and when the sled ahead slows, and the whole line moves at the pace of the most cautious driver.
Never let go. This is the rule every musher in the world says first. A team that loses its driver does not stop; it carries on happily up the trail while somebody goes after it on a snowmobile. Holding on is not difficult and it is not negotiable.
You are not taught to steer, because you do not. The lead dogs follow the sled in front, and the guide sets the route. What you control is speed and what you do with your weight in the corners.
What it is like
Six things about driving that surprise people
From the reviews, and from the difference between the first kilometre and the fourth.
- The first kilometre is concentration
Feet, brake, corners, and a great deal of thinking about not letting go. Nobody looks at the forest in the first ten minutes.
- The fourth kilometre is not
Somewhere around there it becomes automatic and you look up. This is why six kilometres is the standard distance and why ten is what people come back for.
- It is warmer than riding
You are standing, gripping and working. The passenger under the reindeer skin is the one who gets cold.
- Corners need weight, not hands
Lean into them like a bicycle. It is intuitive after the second one and completely counter-intuitive before the first.
- The dogs set the pace, not you
You can slow them. You cannot speed them up, and they do not need you to. This takes some adjustment for anyone used to a vehicle.
- Swapping halfway is the whole point of the pair price
Both of you drive and both of you ride. If only one of you wants the runners, the other gets a longer view from the sled.
If nobody in the group wants to drive, the passenger rides are a third of the price and nobody is pretending otherwise.
The thirty-minute ride at Santa Claus Village→Every trip, current fare
Every tour, and which ones put you on the runners
Twelve tours, cheapest first. The column that decides your booking is the last one: whether you drive, and how far.
| Tour | Length | Price | On the sled | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Claus Village Husky RideThirty minutes on the Arctic Circle | 30 min | $69 | ~1 km, you ride | $138.00 | 4.7 · 1,584 |
| Husky Farm VisitA kennel visit with no sled at all | 2 h | $86 | None — kennel only | $43.00 | 4.8 · 11 |
| Husky Farm Visit with a Sledge RideA farm visit with a short ride attached | 2 h | $114 | Short, you ride | $57.00 | 4.2 · 243 |
| Husky Farm and Reindeer ExperienceHuskies and reindeer in one afternoon | 3.5 h | $178 | Short, you ride | $50.86 | 4.3 · 553 |
| Reindeer, Huskies & Santa Claus VillageThe fullest single day on this page | 6 h | $205 | Short, you ride | $34.17 | 4.6 · 2,415 |
| Daytime Husky SafariNinety minutes, out and back | 1.5 h | $207 | You ride | $138.00 | 4.6 · 1,036 |
| Husky, Reindeer & SnowmobileHuskies, reindeer and a snowmobile | 6 h | $216 | Short, you ride | $36.00 | 4.6 · 1,289 |
| Self-Drive Husky Sled, 4–5 kmThe cheapest way to drive your own team | 3 h | $224 | 4–5 km, you drive | $74.67 | 4.6 · 284 |
| Apukka Husky Adventure, 6 km self-drivenSix kilometres self-driven, most reviewed | 3.5 h | $239 | 6 km, you drive | $68.29 | 4.6 · 1,568 |
| Husky Safari with Transfers & BBQFour hours with a fire stop, rated 4.9 | 4 h | $239 | You drive | $59.75 | 4.9 · 220 |
| Insider 10 km Husky Sled RideTen kilometres, deep into the forest | 4 h | $250 | 10 km | $62.50 | 4.6 · 172 |
| Husky Safari on a Snowy Trail, 10 kmTen kilometres on a forest trail | 3.5 h | $261 | 10 km | $74.57 | 4.7 · 496 |
Common questions
Driving your own husky sled, answered
Can you drive a husky sled yourself in Rovaniemi?
Yes, on five of the twelve tours on this page. You stand on the runners of your own sled with four to six dogs, after a briefing of about two minutes. Prices for self-drive safaris start at $224.
Is it hard to drive a husky sled?
No. There is one control — a brake bar you stand on — and the lead dogs follow the sled ahead, so you are not navigating. Leaning into corners is the only skill and it takes about two bends to learn.
What is the minimum age to drive a husky sled?
Set by the operator and published on each listing. Children always ride as passengers; teenagers can usually drive with an adult on the same sled.
Do both people get to drive?
On almost every self-drive safari, yes. Pairs swap driver and passenger at the halfway point.
Is driving warmer or colder than riding?
Warmer. You are standing, gripping and working. The passenger sits still under a reindeer skin and is the one who feels the cold first.
How far do you drive on a self-drive safari?
Four to five kilometres on the cheapest, six on the standard one at Apukka, and ten on the longest. Six kilometres is roughly forty minutes on the sled.
Go deeper
More on husky tours in Rovaniemi
Husky safaris in Rovaniemi
Every safari compared, by distance rather than by hours.
The activityDog sledding in Lapland
How it works, what the season is, and what it costs.
FarmsHusky farms and kennel visits
The version with no sled at all, and who it suits.
The villageSanta Claus Village
Thirty minutes on the Arctic Circle, eight kilometres north.
The dogsThe dogs themselves
Alaskan rather than Siberian, and why they are so loud.
The verdictWhich one is best
One recommendation for each kind of visitor.
