Reindeer & husky rides

Is there a reindeer ride at Santa Claus Village?

Yes. Santa Claus Reindeer, inside the village, runs short reindeer sleigh rides in winter and autumn, plus a feeding visit you can do any time of year.

Santa Claus Reindeer sells its two short rides at the enclosure only, not online. The Reindeer Path is a 400 m sleigh ride of about 6 minutes, from 30 euros. The Forest Path is 800 m through the forest in 10 to 15 minutes, from 50 euros. Both are pitched for all ages. If you want a set time in the December rush, the Priority Reindeer Ride (800 m, a warm drink and a Reindeer Driving License) costs from 100 euros, and the pre-booked Winter Adventure Reindeer Safari with a 30-minute sleigh ride from 139 euros.

No ride, just reindeer? Meet Santa Claus Reindeer is 25 minutes of feeding with glögi and gingerbread, from 35 euros. Santa's Pets, open daily 11:00 to 18:00, also keeps reindeer alongside alpacas, goats and rabbits. In summer the reindeer offer is encounters without a sleigh.

How much is a reindeer sleigh ride in Rovaniemi?

From 30 euros for 400 m at Santa Claus Village, 50 euros for 800 m, and 119 to 139 euros for a longer safari. Farm days with transport, lunch and a husky ride as well start at $210.

Prices below are the operators' own "from" prices, fetched October 2026. Euro prices are per person; GetYourGuide prices are USD from-prices and move with the date.

Sources: Santa Claus Reindeer (experiences list); Visit Rovaniemi (Wild Nordic Finland reindeer safari); GetYourGuide listings 301148 and 504314.

Can you ride huskies at Santa Claus Village?

Yes, with two operators. Bearhill's Santa's Husky Rides runs a 2.5 km ride from 30 November, and Arctic Circle Husky Park next to the village offers rides from 500 m to 5 km.

Santa's Husky Rides by Bearhill is at Joulumaantie 4, open daily 10:00 to 16:00 from 30 November 2026 to 4 April 2027. You get a 30-minute slot with a 2.5 km ride of 7 to 12 minutes, a musher drives, and you warm up in the yurt with hot juice and cookies afterwards. Sleds take up to 4 adults, so small groups may share. Visit Rovaniemi lists it from 63 euros. Bearhill's longer tours run from its main kennel, about 35 km away.

Arctic Circle Husky Park, at Joulumaantie 3, keeps about 100 Siberian huskies and is open all year except May. Visit Rovaniemi lists a park visit with a 500 m ride from 50 euros, a 2 km ride from 65 euros (45 euros for children 4 to 12), a ride and meeting experience from 85 euros and a 5 km ride from 220 euros. The 2 km ride is bookable from 15 December to 31 March "as long as we have enough snow", and the guide drives.

Holly, after the Bearhill ride in April: "the ride even though short felt like a long time and enough for the experience."

Should you ride at the village or book a farm day?

Ride at the village if you want a quick taste between Santa and lunch. Book a farm day if you want both animals, warm overalls, lunch and someone else handling the transport.

The village rides are short and cheap to fit in: no transfer, no clothing, buy and go. A farm day is the full version. The most-booked one on GetYourGuide takes you from the city centre to a reindeer farm, where you drive your own reindeer sleigh for 500 m and earn a Reindeer Sledge Driver's License, then ride 500 m behind Alaskan huskies, eat salmon soup by the fire and hear the herders talk about their work. Free time in Santa Claus Village closes the day.

Manuela wrote of that day: "Great care is taken to ensure the welfare of the animals." Allison loved "that they provided big winter suits to wear in the cold too!"

Sources: GetYourGuide listings 301148 and 504314; Santa Claus Reindeer; Visit Rovaniemi.

Drive your own reindeer sleigh, ride behind huskies, eat salmon soup at the farm, then free time in Santa Claus Village.

★ 4.6 · 6 hours · from $210

Explore the reindeer, huskies and Santa Claus Village day → Tour details

How long are the rides, and who drives the sled?

Most rides are short: 400 m to 2.5 km, about 6 to 15 minutes. A musher or guide drives the husky sleds; on the farm day you steer the reindeer sleigh yourself.

• Reindeer Path: 400 m, about 6 minutes.
• Forest Path: 800 m, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Farm day reindeer: 500 m, and you drive.
• Farm day huskies: 500 m behind an Alaskan team.
• Bearhill at the village: 2.5 km, 7 to 12 minutes, the musher drives.
• Husky Park: 2 km in about 8 minutes of driving, guide at the back; 5 km for the longer ride.

Short means short. Flavie gave the farm day five stars and still wrote: "We just would have liked the husky ride to last a little longer." If speed and distance matter most, pick the 2.5 km Bearhill ride or the 5 km Husky Park ride. If you want to drive a sled yourself, the farm day's reindeer sleigh is the one.

Are reindeer and husky rides suitable for children?

Yes, most are made for families. Santa Claus Reindeer calls its short rides suitable for all ages, Husky Park has a child price for ages 4 to 12, and the farm day adds mini snowmobiles for children under 150 cm.

The limits worth knowing before you book:

• Reindeer rides in the village: "perfect for all ages", Santa Claus Reindeer says.
• Husky Park: children 4 to 12 pay the child price on the 2 km ride.
• Bearhill: up to 4 adults per sled; groups stay together but may share with others.
• Farm day: children under 150 cm get 10 minutes on a mini snowmobile track; not suitable for wheelchair users.
• Small-group morning: not suitable for pregnant women; baby seats in the van on request.
• Finnhorses: from age 5, up to 118 kg.

The real limit for small children is the cold. A sled ride in an open seat at -15 °C feels much colder than walking. Dress them in an overall, wool layers and mittens, keep the ride short and have the hot juice ready. Our winter guide has the packing list.

When is the season, and what if there is not enough snow?

Sleigh and sled rides need snow, which usually lies from mid-November to mid-April. Most listings run rides from mid-November to April; early in the season rides can be shorter or use wheeled carts.

Santa Claus Village says there is typically no snow between mid-April and mid-November, and that first permanent snow can come at the end of October or only in early December. No company can guarantee it. That is why Bearhill opens its village rides on 30 November and Husky Park sells its 2 km ride from 15 December, and why some listings warn that rides may run on wheeled carts when snow is limited.

The safest window for a proper snow ride is mid-December to March. Late March has long days and soft snow; Esmee, on the Bearhill ride in March, found the trail "still good to go!" In summer and autumn the offer changes: reindeer encounters without a sleigh, kennel visits at Husky Park, and Finnhorse rides through the autumn forest.

Sources: Santa Claus Village (FAQ, Opening hours); Visit Rovaniemi (Husky Park 2 km ride, Winter); GetYourGuide listing 1152323.

Can you ride horses at Santa Claus Village?

Yes. Aurora Horses, at Joulumaantie 2a by the village, takes groups of up to 6 on Finnhorses through the snowy forest, about 30 to 40 minutes in the saddle.

Aurora Horses calls the Finnhorse a cooperative, reliable co-worker, and its rides are slow-paced and suitable for beginners. After a short safety briefing you ride through the forest, then sit by the fire in a hut with a warm drink, gingerbread and marshmallows while the guide talks about the horses. The ride takes about an hour in all. Not suitable for children under 5, pregnant women, people with animal allergies or riders over 118 kg. No transport is included, so walk over from the village.

Renate, a first-time rider, wrote: "I felt completely safe and well taken care of." Silvia's partner had never ridden: "Jonna led my partner by the reins because he doesn’t know how to ride." Santa Claus Village also lists horse sleigh rides in winter with Lovely Finnhorses / Aurora Horses.

A slow forest ride on Finnhorses next to the village, beginners welcome, then a fire, a warm drink and gingerbread.

★ 4.7 · 1 hour · from $117

Explore the Finnhorse ride → Tour details

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