Both animals
Huskies and reindeer in Rovaniemi: doing both in one day
They are sold together constantly and they could hardly be less alike. A husky team runs; a reindeer walks. One is loud, fast and modern; the other is silent, slow and older than anything else in Lapland. Doing both in a day is the most popular booking in Rovaniemi, and it is popular for a good reason.
Quick answer
Combined husky and reindeer days in Rovaniemi run three and a half to six hours and cost from $178. The two rides are completely different: a husky team runs at ten to twenty kilometres an hour, a reindeer sleigh walks in near silence. The most-reviewed combination here adds Santa Claus Village and costs $205.
Both animals, at a glance
- Cheapest combination
- $1783.5 hours, huskies and reindeer
- Most reviewed
- $2056 hours, plus Santa Claus Village
- With a snowmobile too
- $2166 hours, three activities
- Husky speed
- 10–20 km/hand a great deal of noise beforehand
- Reindeer speed
- A walksilent, and much older as a tradition
- Reindeer are
- Semi-domesticatedherded rather than kept as pets
- You drive the huskies?
- On somenever the reindeer
- Best for
- One day in Laplandthe fullest single booking here
- Season
- Dec – early Aprboth need snow
- Cancellation
- Free to 24 hon every listing here
The difference
What is the difference between a husky and a reindeer ride?
One runs and one walks. That is the whole difference and it is a large one.
Almost everything, starting with the speed.
A husky team is four to six dogs that want to run, at ten to twenty kilometres an hour, on a sled with runners and a brake. It is loud before it starts, silent once moving, and the whole experience is about momentum. On several tours you drive it yourself.
A reindeer sleigh is one animal at a walk, pulling a wooden sleigh, led by a herder. You do not drive it. It is quiet from the beginning and it stays quiet, and the pace gives you time to look at the forest rather than at the trail ahead. Reindeer herding is a Sami tradition far older than commercial dog sledding in Finland, and the good operators say so.
People expecting a second version of the husky ride are usually disappointed by the reindeer for about ninety seconds, and then they are not. It is a different thing: slower, older and closer to how this landscape was actually crossed for centuries.
Doing both
Five ways to combine them
Ordered from the cheapest to the fullest day.
- The straight combination
$178 for three and a half hours with both animals. The simplest version and the shortest.
- With Santa Claus Village
$205 for six hours, and 2,415 reviews behind it — more than anything here except the top pick. The fullest single day in Rovaniemi.
- With a snowmobile as well
$216 for six hours and three activities. Three completely different ways of crossing the same snow, and 1,289 reviews.
- Separately, over two days
If the trip is long enough. A self-drive husky safari and a reindeer farm on different days gives each of them room, and the husky safari can then be a long one.
- Huskies only, if you must choose
For a single short visit, the huskies are the more dramatic of the two and the one people come to Lapland for. The reindeer is the better surprise.
If it is one day and you want no regrets, the six-hour combination is the shape most people end up booking.
Our verdict on all twelve→Every trip, current fare
Every tour, and which include reindeer
Twelve tours, cheapest first. Three of them put you with both animals in the same day.
| 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
Huskies and reindeer, answered
Can you do huskies and reindeer in one day in Rovaniemi?
Yes. Three tours on this page combine them, from $178 for three and a half hours to $205 for a six-hour day that adds Santa Claus Village.
What is the difference between a husky and a reindeer ride?
Speed and character. A husky team runs at ten to twenty kilometres an hour and on some tours you drive it. A reindeer sleigh is a single animal at a walk, led by a herder, in near silence.
Can you drive a reindeer sleigh?
No. Reindeer are led by a herder; the visitor rides. Driving is a husky thing.
Which is better, huskies or reindeer?
Huskies are the more dramatic and the reason most people come. Reindeer are slower, quieter and the better surprise, and reindeer herding is a much older Sami tradition. If you can, do both.
How long is a combined husky and reindeer tour?
Three and a half hours for the straight combination, six hours for the versions that add Santa Claus Village or a snowmobile.
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.
You driveDriving your own team
The runners, the brake and the one rule that matters.
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.
