Aurora Reindeer

WELCOME TO THE AURORA REINDEER WEBSITE!

We are Aurora Reindeer, a family business that operates in Inari and Utsjoki. We want to offer you a little insight into the life of a reindeer herder and, above all, an authentic experience with reindeer in nature. Check out our reindeer safaris, sign up or ask for more information.

See you at our reindeer farm!

REINDEER SAFARI

Traditional reindeer ride during the day

Do you want to get to know reindeer, life on a reindeer farm and experience an unforgettable sleigh ride in a winter wonderland?

The program includes:

+Reindeer ride (approx. 40 min)

+Visiting our reindeer farm and getting to know the reindeer up close

+Reindeer feeding

+A small bite and a hot drink in a traditional log cabin

+Expert guidance
(in Finnish or English)

+Transportation to the reindeer farm
(within a 10 km radius from the farm)

+Warm winter clothes

+Insurances

Reindeer ride

We start the day with a reindeer ride (approx. 40 min) in the wonderful winter nature of Utsjoki. During the ride, we see the tracks of wild animals and, with a little luck, also the inhabitants of the forest itself.

After the sleigh ride, you will get to know the way of a traditional reindeer farm. You have a chance to reward the reindeer by feeding them, petting them, and if you want, you can crown the day with unique photos together with the reindeer.

During the visit to the reindeer farm, we will enjoy a snack and a hot drink by the open fire in a traditional Sámi lavvu. You will hear from your guide all you want about reindeer, reindeer herding and the importance of reindeer to the Sámi community.

Total duration approx. 2 hours

Price 141€, including VAT

Children under 11 years -50%

Minimum number of 2 people

HUOM! Mahdollsita vain Utsjoella

Auroras with reindeer

Did you know that a reindeer can see in the dark
1000 times better than a human?
Join us on a northern lights hunt with the reindeer!

The program includes:

Auroras with Reindeer

The northern lights tour starts with a reindeer sleigh ride lasting about 40 minutes in an atmospheric dark forest. With clear weather, an endless starry sky works as our roof, and with a little luck, the aurora borealis light up our sky.

After the sleigh ride, we get to know the reindeer in a traditional reindeer farm. You get to feed our farm's curious reindeer from your hand, you have a chance to see the reindeer's evening activities and you can crown your trip with a reindeer selfie!

During the visit to the reindeer farm, we will relax by an open fire in a traditional Sámi lavvu to enjoy some snacks and hot drinks. Our guide will tell you everything you want to know about the northern lights, reindeer herding and the importance of reindeer to the Sámi community.

Total duration approx. 2 hours

Price 152€, including VAT

Children under 11 years -50%

Minimum number of 2 people

Attentation! Possible only at Utsjoki

Traditional reindeer farm visit

Do you want to get to know the reindeer up close and hear about the life of a traditional reindeer farm?

The program includes:

+Visiting our reindeer farm and getting to know the reindeer up close

+Porojen ruokinnan ja valokuvauksen

+A small bite and a hot drink in a traditional log cabin

+Expert guidance
(in Finnish or English)

+Transportation to the reindeer farm
(within a 10 km radius from the farm)

+Warm winter clothes

+Insurances

Reindeer farm visit

During your visit we will show the every day life in our reindeer farm. You get to feed the reindeer, pet them and, of course, take photos together with them.

The day includes hot drinks and snacks by open fire in a traditional Sámi lavvu. You will learn everything you want from your guide about the life on a reindeer farm, reindeer herding and the importance of reindeer to the Sámi community.

Total duration approx. 1.5h

Price 130€, , including VAT

Children under 11 years -50%

Minimum number of 2 people

Attentation! Possible only at Utsjoki

Sign up for an unforgettable experience

We can do a lot, but we can't control the weather. Naturally, there is no guarantee of the aurora borealis or the starry sky.

OUR STORY

Born to be a reindeer herder

Hi, I'm Johan Erik Valle, reindeer herder from Utsjoki. I was born on October 15, 1990, into a family of reindeer herders, whose roots together with reindeer, stretch all the way back to the 18th century. Or actually, those roots reach much further back in history, there is simply no documented information from the time before the 18th century.

My birthday also happens to be during autumn's busy reindeer separation season, which is hardly a mere coincidence.

I remember when I was already as a little boy taken to the Skalluvaara reindeer fence in Utsjoki for reindeer separation. My part, alongside with other future reindeer herders, was to catch the reindeer by antlers and wrestle with them until they were marked with a number tag hung around the neck. The number tags make it easier to tag the calf to its rightful owner. The young reindeer follows their already ear-marked dam, whose owner will also be marked with the new youngling.

I became a reindeer herder as a very young man in 2005, when I was given responsibility for our family's reindeer by my father. I decided already then that I was going to continue and develop our family's tradition of reindeer herding for as long as I could.

Training the reindeer

Training reindeer to be able to pull sleighs with people is demanding work. It requires the right kind of character from the reindeer, versatile skills from the trainer and, above all, mutual patience.

I started training the reindeer as a hobby already in 2006, alongside my reindeer herding studies. Finally, in 2010, after four years of training, my reindeer were strong enough and I started arranging reindeer sleigh rides with them. Since those days, we have improved a lot and currently there are already 25 pulling reindeer.

I am constantly training more reindeer - on the reindeer's terms. When working with animals, you must always have the patience and ability to understand the animal.

I always want to offer my customers the safest and most memorable experience. I can proudly say that so far it has been successful. And we are hungry to improve every single day!

Aurora Reindeer

My reindeer business has developed little by little since 2010. At first, I toured with other reindeer herders in ski resorts and hotels in the south, offering sleigh riders for people, which gave me great experience. At that time, I also worked as a guide for the customers of my father's company, Holiday Village Valle located in Utsjoki. There weren't many guests yet, but we, including our guests, were grateful for every single visit.

I also started organizing reindeer safaris in Inari in 2013, when Visit Inari called and asked me to join. My partner at the time and I got our own place on state land and we were able to immediately develop the operation of our reindeer farm. The operation of the reindeer farm grew and developed a lot until 2020, when Corona temporarily stopped tourism. However, the reindeer and their maintenance remained, even though the travelers had understandably disappeared.

However, with Corona, I had time to breathe, find my husband and become a father, and develop plans for the future. Now I have the intention of building a large 30-person modern kennel for various occasions in connection with the Inari reindeer farm (to be completed in the summer of 2024), to train more reindeer in Inari and Utsjoki, and above all to enjoy my dear work.

Welcome to Utsjoki as a guest of Aurora Reindeer!

INFO

AURORA REINDEER

Tenontie 174, 99980

Utsjoki

+358 40 524 0609

info@aurorareindeer.com