Tourism and animals are certainly not always a successful combination. In Finland they have lived closely with nature and animals for centuries. People, reindeer, moose and huskies live together here and cannot live without each other.
Using animals for tourist purposes is of course something different, but if it is done in a good and correct way it can only be recommended. In that light I would like to tell you everything about my trip with Bearhill Husky. Read my review blog below about our experiences on our husky safari adventure.
At Bearhill Husky in Rovaniemi you will immediately notice that it is all about the dogs here. Huskies are built and born to pull sleds and run through the snow. You don't have to feel guilty or bad for the dogs. Pulling a sled is a reward and a fun outing for them.
The dogs are number one at Bearhill and are treated like kings and queens.
Dog sledding is of course one of the best things to do in Lapland. We mentioned before that our first ever visit to Lapland was in Summer. Find out everything about that trip in our Rovaniemi Summer Travel Guide.
Winter activities
Most Winter tours with Bearhill Huskey have a duration of about 2.5 to 3 hours and include around 45 minutes of actual husky tour. They are the perfect tours to get acquainted with this activity and to cross this dream experience off the bucketlist.
We had done the shorter husky experiences before and decided to go for the Tiaga Husky Tour. It’s a full day excursion of in total 7 hours, with 3 to 4 hours of husky activity. You will travel a total of 30 - 40 kilometers (18 - 25 miles), which is a lot. This wilderness husky tour also includes a delicious campfire lunch.
Your experience starts as soon as you arrive at the kennel. Your tour guide awaits you and guides you into their main building. Here you are provided with Arctic outer clothing, boots and gloves. There is absolutely no need to be cold during your husky experience.
There is usually two people per sled, one driver and one passenger. The passenger also gets extra blankets to stay warm. The tour guide leads the way and the rest follows. A guide on a snowmobile will also accompany you in this amazing outdoor adventure in Rovaniemi.
After two hours of sledding it’s time for a break. Bearhill Husky has a Kota in the middle of the woods and once you arrive there the campfire is being lit. But before all the guests get their lunch, all the dogs get to eat first.
You can help the tour guide feed the huskies. You’re one team with your huskies, so make sure they eat well.
Lunch is soup (salmon soup or vegetable soup) with bread, prepared on the fire. They also offer hot juice and other hot drinks as coffee, tea and hot chocolate. After lunch there is the option to roast marshmallows on the fire, a must!
Once people and animals are rested and have eaten well, it is time for the second part of the tour. It’s equally as beautiful as the first part, taking you through the Lappish wilderness. You go straight through forests and sometimes cross a lake for over an hour.
It's truly amazing to mush your own dog-team through the remote trails north of Rovaniemi and the Arctic Circle and enjoy the sound of silence.
We had quite extreme weather conditions during this excursion. It was -10 degrees Celsius (14 F) outside and it snowed and blew the entire trip. Our suits were completely icy. But, a husky ride in these snowy conditions was actually just extra fun and exactly what you want when you book an winter outdoor adventure with Bearhill Huskey.
Summer activities
Obviously in Summer there is no snow, so you would think dog sledding is a no-go in Summer. Well, that is not entirely true. Without snow there is still plenty things you can do with Bearhill Husky.
In summertime they offer educational kennel visits. These visits give you a peek into the daily life of the huskies. In Autumn, even before the snow comes, they teach you to drive a smaller cart that has wheels and the huskies are eagerly to pull. They offer year round experiences and activities which vary according to the time of the year.
Re-homing program
I actually think this is the very best part of Bearhill Husky. They have their very own re-homing program for their dogs. This re-homing program is an ongoing project. Some of the older sled dogs naturally go into a well-deserved retirement at a certain age. But sometimes they also re-home younger dogs, who they believe would thrive better in a different environment.
It sometimes happens that the tourist kennel life just isn’t their scene, and that is totally fine!
Bearhill Husky’s goal is to match them with families who are ready for the new adventures these dogs bring. Rehoming their dogs is always hard, because to everyone at Bearhill Husky they are loved co-workers.
Accommodation
Bearhill Husky kennel has a remote location. So, how cool would it be if you could spend the night at the kennel, in a luxury wilderness cabin. It’s a unique mix of modern luxury, wilderness, rustic buildings and Finnish tradition.
The cabin has a lake-front location, which is awesome. In Summer it means you can swim in the lake. In Winter you can walk on the lake, how cool. The cabin is equipped with a sauna and a hot tub. No better way to relax after a day in the wilderness. It’s a unique and perfect place to experience the peace and quiet of Lapland.
Spending the night in this cabin was in our plans, but plans sometimes change and so it happened that unfortunately we did not spend the night here. We’ll keep it on our list for next time, for sure.
Bearhill Husky Review
It is that idyllic and perfect picture that we all know. Huskies pulling a sled through deep snow and a magical landscape. It’s what we all want to do when we travel to Lapland. The selection of husky tour operators is large and diverse and the choice can be difficult. How do you choose the right provider?
Choosing Bearhill Husky means you choose responsible tourism. They are actively engaged in environmental sustainability, social sustainability, economic sustainability and ethic sustainability. To underline this, they have also received various meaningful awards and distinctions.
This blog was written by travel writer and Traveltomtom team member Ashley. She went on the Tiaga Husky Tour with Bearhill Husky, on behalf of Traveltomtom, and wrote this blog about her experiences.