Apukka Activities Reviewed: Huskies, Snowmobiles and a Reindeer Ride to Santa

Is the Apukka husky ride worth it?

Yes. The 3 km Husky Ride was amazing, and the adults got to drive their own sleds.

Apukka told us it partners only with kennels where the dogs are loved and well cared for. All 108 dogs at ours have names and scheduled rest days. After a quick training session, we drove our own sleds, which was very cool and a bit crazy.

The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful, and somehow we lucked into a private tour for just the four of us. My son loved petting the dogs afterward and talking to the guides, and then we had hot drinks by the fire.

What is the Reindeer Ride to Santa at Apukka?

A reindeer ride to a private family visit with Santa in the Enchanted Forest, with elves, gingerbread baking, card writing and games. It was magical.

We had a private family visit with Santa, activities with the elves, gingerbread cookie baking, Christmas card writing and games. My daughter was a little scared of our reindeer, which had very large antlers that came close to her face, but overall it was wonderful.

Reindeer in Lapland are semi-domesticated and herded by local owners, so these are working animals used to people, but they’re still big, and those antlers are real. Warn small kids before they meet them.

Because we met Santa here, we didn’t wait in line for him at Santa Claus Village.

Is family snowmobiling at Apukka good for kids?

Great for adults, not so much for kids.

The adults had a fantastic time riding their own snowmobiles. The kids were bored: they were enclosed in the “kid boxes” with other children, with lots of waiting around. They did get to ride mini snowmobiles afterward, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the downtime. Unless you want a brief round of “caged babysitting,” think twice with young kids.

If you do go, snowmobile tour companies generally ask drivers to show a valid driver’s license, so pack yours.

What is Apukka Snow & Fun?

A four-hour session of winter activities for the whole family.

We had perfect weather: cold but sunny, with lots of snow. We tried skis and snowshoes, and the kids loved the snow tubing, the mini snowmobiles, a mini pony ride and a 1 km family husky sled ride.

Is the sauna and jacuzzi experience OK with kids?

Yes. It was lovely and relaxing, and the kids enjoyed it too.

It’s an hour and a half rotating between the sauna, an outdoor jacuzzi and the showers. Sauna is a big part of Finnish life, so this is one of the most local things you can do on a Lapland trip, and sitting in a hot tub in the snow is a novelty kids love.

Is the mini pony ride worth doing?

It’s short, about 10 minutes, but very cute and fun.

The animals are clearly well cared for.

Should you do the Aurora Snow Train with kids?

We skipped it. Tours leave at 7:45 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. and last three hours, which was too late for our kids.

If it were only an hour, we might have gone. We ended up seeing the northern lights from the resort anyway.

What do Apukka’s activities cost now, and who can ride?

The menu below is Apukka’s 2026 to 2027 list, not the invoice from our November 2025 package. Adults drive the husky sled and the full-size snowmobile. Kids ride.

We booked the Early Winter Fun package plus the husky ride, family snowmobile and the sauna. We never published a package total, and we won’t invent one. What you can book today is priced per person on Apukka’s winter activities page. Family-of-four figures below are two adults and two children in the 4 to 14 band. Infants 0 to 3 are €0 on the products that say so. Prices checked November 2026.

Our husky ride was about 3 kilometres and the adults drove. The product listed now is the Apukka Husky Adventure, 6 kilometres, about 2 hours, and the resort is explicit that the guides do not drive. A child passenger has rules: one adult traveling with one child needs that child to be about 9 or 10 and able to hold on. With two or three children the oldest needs to be at least 12. A toddler has to sit with an adult who is not the driver. We had two adults, so both kids rode with us.

What should you book before you arrive?

The photo session, the husky ride, the reindeer visit, and anything on a December morning. Not the snowtrain, if your kids are young.

The family photo session at Apukka was sold out when we asked on site. That is the booking we would make before the flight, alongside the husky ride and the Reindeer Ride to Santa. Snow & Fun and the sauna were easier to fit. The snowtrain leaves at 20:30 on the current menu, which is the same reason we skipped the late departure in 2025. Don’t “add it in case.” You will either drag two tired children into the woods or eat the cost.

Apukka says the winter activity season runs 1 December to 3 April, with early-winter departures from 10 November using stored snow. We were there 25 to 29 November 2025, in that early window, and there was real snow. Day visitors can book the same tours. You do not have to sleep at the resort, though sleeping there is why we saw the lights without a bus. If you are choosing the cabin, the layout is in our Apukka review. The wider list of Rovaniemi days is on things to do.