Escape to Lapland ~ guest article Lapland travel

Kemi SnowCastle, Santa Claus Village, Ranua Wildlife Park

With the end of summer fast approaching it’s never too early to be planning your next holiday, whether that’s an autumn getaway, a Christmas break or even your next summer vacation. If you are looking to get away over the next few months then there’s no more magical place than Lapland, especially if you’re after a traditional winter fairytale of a holiday.  

While Lapland is world renowned for the magical Christmas experience that you can enjoy with activities such as reindeer sleigh rides, Santa’s trail and the opportunity to join a real Elves school there is a vast range of experiences available throughout the year, these include golf, Nordic trekking and ice pool diving.  

Lapland boasts numerous attractions to suit every taste, even if you’re not feeling in the Christmas spirit. Many attractions such as The Arctic Amethyst Mine are open throughout the year meaning that Lapland holidays can be enjoyed in every season.

The Lappish amethyst, with its various shades of violet, is classified as a gemstone. At the Arctic Amethyst Mine in Luosto, about 130 km (81 miles) from Rovaniemi, you can explore the tales and beliefs that have stemmed from this beautiful stone within various different cultures. You can even dig up your own lucky amethyst.

Ranua Wildlife Park is Santa’s own Wildlife Park and is home to more than 60 species of wild animal that originate and reside in the Arctic and northern regions. Ranua Wildlife Park is open throughout the year and in addition to a restaurant, it also has the Fazer Candy Store, a favourite with children and adults alike. In the summertime visitors are granted the opportunity to interact with a selection of animals in the domestic animal park.

Lapland is famous as being the home of Santa Claus and where would Santa be without his Reindeer? Lapland is, of course, home to a reindeer park, which covers 200 hectares (495 acres) with reindeer and hiking trails and offers activity programmes in both the summer and winter. The main building of the Reindeer Park houses the Forest Hall Exhibition, predator display and visiting art exhibitions. There is also a cafeteria, souvenir shop and an auditorium for events and presentations.  

The Kemi SnowCastle is an annual demonstration of the snow-castle building skill creative innovation native of Kemi. The SnowCastle is an attraction that changes slightly every year and provides events throughout the winter season. Facilities within the Kemi SnowCastle include a SnowRestaurant, SnowHotel and SnowChapel.  

For a truly inspiring experience the Santa Claus village is not to be missed. Located in the town of Rovaniemi, it is here that you can follow a trail full of Santa’s secrets and experiences that will lead you to the Santa Claus Office, where Santa Claus himself is waiting to meet you! At the Santa Claus Village you can also see his elves working at the Santa Claus Main Post Office, explore Finnish Christmas traditions in the Christmas Exhibition and take part in plenty of other fun activities! . . . Guest Article

Lapland holidays are available from Monarch starting at £727 including an online saving of £99.