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Wilderness Hotel Nellim – Wilderness Weekend

Flights Included
  • Details

Details

This 3-night break features a Northern Lights-focused itinerary in Nellim, Finland and is perfect for those Aurora hunters who are short on time but still want to maximise their chances. Expert guides will take you on dedicated hunts and help provide you with the best possible Northern Lights sighting opportunities.

When enjoying a weekend Aurora hunting mini-break, it is always essential to maximise your chances of seeing the Northern Lights. Based at Nellim, one of our most popular destinations, this wonderful wilderness weekend includes two dedicated Aurora hunts which will really improve your chances of seeing the lights if conditions are favourable.

In the company of expert guides, you will be led out away from all light pollution and into prime Northern Lights viewing locations that only the locals know about.

Your first activity is a visit to one of the area's famed Aurora Camps which you will reach travelling in a snowmobile-pulled sleigh. Each camp has a spectacular location with views of the Northern skies and your guide will choose the best option for the conditions. With warm drinks and great company to pass the time, your stake-out will hopefully be rewarded with a display.

Your second activity will use the mobility provided by either a minibus or a car to try and outrun any localised cloud cover. Your destination will be determined by the forecasts but in this region, if conditions are right, you are unlikely to have to venture too far in order to catch a display. Please note that the order of activities is subject to change and that your Aurora hunting activities may be switched around.

Your days have been left free for you to tailor your itinerary to suit your preferences. You can choose from a number of activities that we have on offer, detailed in the 'Personalise' tab on the holiday page. There are some incredible options, including snowmobile safaris, dog sled trips and snowshoeing experiences.

During this short break, you will spend three nights at Nellim Wilderness Hotel, which is one of our best-selling destinations. It offers a wide range of accommodation options including rooms, suites and cabins.

Nellim is also home to the original Aurora Bubbles we highly recommend upgrading a night of your stay to one of these glass-domed rooms.

The activities outlined will all be included in your holiday, however, the order of activities listed here is for guidance only, and your final timetable will be confirmed on arrival.

If you are travelling over Christmas or New Year, you will enjoy a festive dinner and celebrations on the 24th and the 31st of December (traditionally in Finland, Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve).

Itinerary

After you touch down at Ivalo Airport, you will be transferred* to Nellim Wilderness Hotel.

On arrival, you will check in to your accommodation and head for a hearty dinner in the hotel’s restaurant.

Later in the evening you will be issued with your cold weather clothing and have a welcome meeting with one of the local guides. Once you have it, we recommend testing your cold weather clothing by taking a walk down on to the small frozen lake behind the hotel. It is a great Aurora viewing spot (at least 5 members of our office staff have seen the Northern Lights from this point) and gives you chance to check all of your equipment fits correctly and is comfortable for the next few days.

The order of activities listed in this agenda is provided for guidance only, your final itinerary will be provided on arrival.

*Transfers are based on a scheduled group shuttle that sometimes stops at a few nearby hotels. If you would prefer to upgrade to private taxi transfers please ask our Travel Experts for a quotation

Included Meals:  Dinner

[IVL] Ivalo Airport, Finland To Wilderness Hotel Nellim
Airport Transfer
Duration
00:00
Wilderness Hotel Nellim - Check In
Address : Nellim, Inari, Finland

After breakfast, your day is free for you to tailor your time.  The wide range of options that we have can all be found, in the Extras section.

You may wish to spend time simply exploring the landscape and wilderness in your own time, or you can book an activity and have a guided tour of the surrounding fells. Why not spend the day combining a snowmobile safari and a reindeer experience, as you take a fast-paced ride to the reindeer farm? Once you arrive, you can meet and feed the reindeer and enjoy lunch by an open fire. Or, explore on foot during a guided snowshoe trip, walking over thick blankets of snow into parts of the wilderness that would be unreachable with normal footwear.

Your lunches will be served in the hotel restaurant (unless you book activities which include a meal)

After dinner, it is time for your inaugural Aurora activity– travelling in a sleigh that will be pulled by your guide’s snowmobile. You will sit back and relax as you glide over the snow, beneath hopefully clear skies. Nellim has several Aurora Camps in prime Northern Lights viewpoints, so you will be taken to the most suitable location for the conditions.

Overall, you will be out for around 2.5 hours. Warm drinks will be served as you admire the view and, with any luck, the Northern Lights will dance and shimmer across the sky.

Included Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Wilderness Hotel Nellim - Stay
Address : Nellim, Inari, Finland

Once more your day is completely free so you can choose to pass your time however you wish. Choose from the many options that we have detailed in the Extras section and you can find yourself snowmobiling on Lake Inari, ice fishing, cross-country skiing or meeting and feeding reindeer.

Depending on which activities you book, both lunch and dinner will be served at the hotel.

Your final evening will be filled with a motorised Aurora hunt as you use the mobility provided by a car or minibus to hunt the Aurora with your guide.  The route will be selected based on the Aurora activity levels and the weather forecasts. When you arrive at your destination, you can enjoy warm drinks as you watch the sky for the first signs of a display. The activity will last for around 3 hours in total.

Included Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Wilderness Hotel Nellim - Stay
Address : Nellim, Inari, Finland

Today your short break comes to an end and you must say farewell to Nellim and take your transfer to the airport in time for your flight home. If you are on an early flight this morning, you will be provided with coffee and a packed breakfast to enjoy on your journey to the airport or while you are waiting for your flight. If you are on a later flight, you can enjoy your breakfast in the restaurant.

Included Meals:  Breakfast

Wilderness Hotel Nellim To [IVL] Ivalo Airport, Finland
Airport Transfer
Duration
00:00
Wilderness Hotel Nellim - Check Out
Address : Nellim, Inari, Finland

What's included?

  • Return flights from London to Ivalo (via Helsinki). Flight routes subject to change.
  • Return airport transfers
  • 3 nights’ accommodation in twin/double hotel rooms. Upgrades can be arranged, subject to availability and supplements
  • 3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners
  • Aurora Camp
  • Aurora hunt by car or minibus
  • Cold weather clothing for the duration of your stay
  • 24/7 assistance from our UK based operations team and in destination support from our local partners
  • Aurora Alert until approximately 1am

Accommodation

Wilderness Hotel Nellim
     
 

Wilderness Hotel Nellim is owned by our good friends Jouko and Mari Lappalainen. Nellim was their first hotel (they now also own the delights of Nangu, Muotka and Wilderness Hotel Inari) and is now renowned as an Aurora destination. It will always hold a special place in our hearts for being the first place many of us saw the Northern Lights. The hotel has been upgraded over the years and now has a wide range of accommodation options including rooms, suites, log cabins and unforgettable Aurora Cabins and Bubbles (see the ‘Personalise’ section for details) which are all within a short walk of the main reception and restaurant building.

A tiny village, Nellim is a remote spot close to the shores of Lake Inari and surrounded by incredible wilderness, providing perfectly dark skies, ideal for Aurora viewing.

Hotel facilities

  • The restaurant/reception building is the focal point at Nellim. With locally-made furnishings, the atmosphere is charming. Hearty buffets of local and international favourites are served three times a day. There is usually a soup and salad selection, two choices of main meal and a pudding for evening meals
  • Guests can relax next to the roaring fire and enjoy a drink from the bar in the restaurant
  • A sauna is available for guests to use and can be reserved at reception in hourly slots
  • There is a fully-stocked gift shop which offers a range of local produce and souvenirs for you to take home
  • Tea and coffee making facilities are available in the main building for guests outside meal times
  • Cross-country skis and snowshoes are available to hire from the onsite activity centre
  • The small lake behind the hotel is a great spot for some independent Aurora stakeouts – you can light the fire in the small wooden kota (traditional shelter) and watch the sky with a warm drink
Arctic Lake Villa
No of Days: 1
Accommodation Upgrade to Arctic Suite
No of Days: 1
Aurora Log Cabin
No of Days: 1
Accommodation Upgrade - Log Suite
No of Days: 1

Personalise This Tour

Tour Map

Additional Info

Tour terms, click here  

Booking conditions click here

Key Facts

Pace Relaxed
Holiday Type Package Holiday
Max Group Size NA
Cities / Destinations Finland, Nellim
Brochure Code 2909
Price from
£1,665 pp
4 days

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Wilderness Hotel Nellim – Wilderness Weekend

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