Towers Included - Enchanting Northern Lights & Lapland - THY

1st DAY. ISTANBUL – ROVANIEMI – SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE – NORTHERN LIGHTS We depart from Istanbul to Rovaniemi on Turkish Airlines scheduled flight at 09:45 in the morning. We arrive in Rovaniemi at 13:25. After being welcomed at the airport, we head first to Santa Claus Village by our coach. VISIT TO SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE Santa Claus Village is known as Santa Claus’s home and is especially popular during the winter months. It is famous for its traditional Lapland houses and snow-covered scenery. Visitors can visit Santa Claus’s house and leave their special wishes. You can also post cards to yourself or your loved ones from Santa Claus’s post office so that they arrive in time for the next Christmas season, by placing them in the red mailboxes. The village is filled with souvenir shops, local handicrafts, and Christmas-themed cafés. Santa Claus Village is a wonderful place to experience the magical atmosphere of Christmas for people of all ages, and it is located on the Arctic Circle, where the polar line is marked by a blue light line. After our visit to Santa Claus Village, we head to our hotel in Rovaniemi city center. Before checking into the hotel, we stop by the safari office to collect our thermal clothing, which we will use on the safaris and tours. VISIT TO THE ICE HOTEL, DINNER AND NORTHERN LIGHTS After check-in and a short rest, we head to the Ice Hotel. The Ice Hotel is a popular attraction open to visitors every day from December 15 to April 1. It is one of the largest snow hotels located on the Arctic Circle. The Snow Hotel is built differently every year and decorated with ice and snow art. Visitors can tour the ice-made rooms, ice sculptures, the Ice Bar, and the Ice Restaurant. After the visit, we have dinner in Kota, the traditional Lapland lodge belonging to the Ice Hotel, with salmon cooked over a wood fire as the main course. If luck is on our side and the weather is clear, we will have the chance to see the Northern Lights. Late in the evening, we return to our hotel. 2nd DAY. ROVANIEMI – HUSKY AND REINDEER SAFARIS After breakfast, we head to the husky and reindeer farm. Husky Safari Upon arriving at the husky farm, we visit the huskies, one of the world’s most adorable dogs. Today we will learn how to guide our own husky team and experience an unforgettable sled ride with these lovely animals. Afterwards, we relax around the fire in a traditional Lapland hut (kota) with hot drinks. After the husky tour, we move on to the reindeer farm. Reindeer Safari After learning about reindeer from our local guide, we take a sled ride pulled by reindeer through the snow-covered forest. After this unforgettable experience, we spend pleasant moments around the fire and receive a “Reindeer Driving Certificate” at the end of the tour. Afterwards, we have our lunch consisting of reindeer roast, a traditional Lapland dish. BY BUS TO THE NORTHERN LIGHTS If you did not see the Northern Lights the previous night, this evening we head by bus to an open area away from city lights or to the edge of a frozen lake in the hope of seeing the Northern Lights for a second chance. After our 3-hour bus tour for the Northern Lights, we return to the hotel. 3rd DAY. ROVANIEMI – FREE DAY (OPTIONAL ICEBREAKER TOUR) Free day in Rovaniemi. Those who wish may join the optional icebreaker tour. ICEBREAKER SHIP TOUR – 500 EUR per person After breakfast, we depart for the icebreaking activity to Kalix, Sweden, located 170 km from Rovaniemi. During our journey, we cross the Sweden-Finland border and arrive at Axelsvik harbor. During the 3-hour journey on the world’s largest tourist icebreaker ship, you will witness how the ice on the frozen sea is broken. In the middle of the icy sea during the second half of the trip, we put on special thermal suits designed to help us survive in cold waters and keep us afloat, and we swim in the pool created by the ship breaking the ice. After the tour, which is among the activities that National Geographic says one should experience before dying, we go to Kukololaforsen, a fishing town in Sweden, for lunch. After lunch, return to Rovaniemi and free time for dinner. 4th DAY. ROVANIEMI – SNOWMOBILE - ISTANBUL Snowmobile Safari This morning we will take an unforgettable tour on snowmobile through frozen river valleys and snow-covered forests. During the trip, we will enjoy the frozen landscape and take breaks with hot drinks. Two people share one snowmobile, and you may switch drivers halfway through. After the snowmobile tour, we return our thermal clothing. Afterwards, we transfer to the airport. We depart for Istanbul on Turkish Airlines scheduled flight at 15:50.