©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Lapland Why Go? Rovaniemi......................271 Ranua ........................... 277 Kemi ............................. 277 Tornio............................ 279 Ylläs .............................. 281 Levi (Sirkka) .................282 Muonio.......................... 287 Enontekiö (Hetta) ........ 287 Pallas-Yllästunturi NP ...289 Kemijärvi ...................... 291 Pyhä-Luosto ................. 292 Sodankylä..................... 293 Saariselkä .....................295 Saariselkä Wilderness & Urho Kekkonen NP .......298 Ivalo ..............................300 Nellim ........................... 301 Inari ..............................302 Lemmenjoki NP ............305 Lapland casts a powerful spell and has an irresistible romance to it that haunts the imagination and memory. While you won’t see polar bears or rocky fjords, there is something intangible here that makes it magic. The midnight sun, the Sámi peoples, the aurora borealis (Northern Lights) and the wandering reindeer are all components of this, as is good old ho-ho-ho himself, who ‘officially’ resides here. Another part of the spell is in the awesome latitudes – at Nuorgam, the northernmost point, you have passed Iceland and nearly all of Canadaa and Alaska. Lapland, which occupies 30% of Finland’s land area but houses just 3% of its population, has vastt and awesome wildernesses, ripe for exploring on foot, skis or sledge. The sense of space, pure air and big skies is what is memorable here, more than the towns. Lapland’s far north is known as Sápmi, home of the Sámi people. Their main communities are around Inari, Utsjoki and Hetta. Rovaniemi is the most popular gateway to the north. When to Go LAPLAND °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm 30/86 Best Places to Stay 0/32 Porotila Toini Sanila (p309) » Kultahovi (p304) -10/14 » Villa Lanca (p304) -20/-4 » Erähotelli Nellim (p301) » City Hotel (p273) » Gaissa (p275) » Pirkon Pirtti (p296) 4/100 10/50 » Best Places to Eat 6/150 20/68 2/50 0 J F M Apr The best month for sled treks and skiing, with plenty of light and not-so-scary temperatures. A M J J A Aug Plenty of light and sunshine, the trails are less crowded, and fewer biting insects. S O N D Dec Reindeer, snow and Santa Claus himself are guaranteed to inject Christmas spirit. Teno jo ki 100 km 60 miles E6 Kirkenes Sevettijärvi o Lätäseno oen P or no äe äm nk Kö E8 Karigasniemi E75 92 92 971 NORWAY Kaamanen Kautokeino Inarijärvi Kietsimäjoki 93 21 Lemmenjoki National Park Kaaresuvanto Hetta (Enontekiö) 93 Ivalo Airport Ivalo 91 Saariselkä 955 RUSSIA Nellim Inari RajaJooseppi Saariselkä Wilderness (Urho Kekkonen National Park) Pallas-Yllästuntun National Park 45 E6 4 Karasjok Halti (1328m) Toskalharji Kilpisjärvi (1027m) Saana Fell (1029m) Ropi (945m) 269 Nuorgam Utsjoki E6 0 0 Tankavaara Muonio Köngäs Tulppio Levi (Sirkka) 21 Kittilä E8 LAPPI 80 Ylläs (718m) Kolari Tanhua Sodankylä Vaalajärvi 79 Luosto (514m) Lappea Lohiniua Unari E10 Pyhä-Luosto E63 Pyhä-Luosto National Park Pyhä (540m) 4 Arctic Circle Sinetta E75 Kemi 4 78 82 Kemijärvi 5 Oulanka National Park Kemijärvi 5 Riisitunturi E63 Juuma National Park Käyla 81 Posio i Pohjanlahti Haparanda Perämeri National Park Rovaniemi jo Tornion jok E4 LULEÅ ki Övertorneå Pelkosenniemi E75 Pello Miekojärvi Överkalix Savukoski 5 o ki Ylläs Pajala Lokantekojärvi L APL AND Muonionjoki 79 Kemij SWEDEN Porttipahdan tekojärvi Tornio Ranua Yli-kitka Ruka Kuusamo 20 OULUN Kemi Lapland Highlights 1 Trekking the lonely wildernesses around Saariselkä (p298) 2 Dashing through the snow pulled by a team of huskies or reindeer (p287) 3 Lapping up wonderful winter experiences in Kemi (p277), where you can sail on an ice-breaker, swim in the frozenover sea, then spend the night in the ethereally beautiful snow castle. 6 Learning about its environments at Rovaniemi’s Arktikum museum (p271) 4 Panning for gold in beautiful at exploring Sámi culture at Siida (p302) in Inari. Lemmenjoki and walking in the national park (p305) 5 Picnicking with views on top Saana Fell in Kilpisjärvi (p289) 7 Taking your first steps 8 Skiing at Lapland’s bestequipped resort at Levi (p282) 9 Gazing in awe at the aurora borealis (p295)