Jeris – Essence of Lapland
- Details
Details
This holiday will introduce you to Lapland old and new. You’ll explore the culture of the Sámi people including an evening in the company of a local Sámi who will sing traditional Joikus and relate tales from Sámi folklore.
Itinerary
You will be met at Kittilä Airport from where the transfer to Jeris’s stunning lakeside setting takes around an hour.
After settling into your accommodation, dinner will be served in the restaurant and you will also be kitted out with you winter clothing (this might be in the morning if you have a late arrival).
Included Meals: Dinner
After breakfast, it’s a short ten-minute bus transfer to Torassieppi Reindeer Farm. Not too many of Finnish Lapland’s older buildings survived World War II, so this 100-year-old Lappish farmhouse is a rare insight into the realities of life here in the north in the last century. Torassieppi was a reindeer herder’s farm and the Reindeer Museum here bears testament to the hardiness of the people who have herded here for centuries.
You’ll try your hand at lassoing (you may be relieved to hear it is not a live reindeer but antlers perched on a large log). You will then engage with the real thing in a reindeer-pulled sled as you enjoy a 3km circuit in the quiet, snowy forest.
Lunch will be enjoyed in the hotel restaurant.
Later this afternoon back at Jeris, your guide will host a Northern Lights Workshop to discuss the science and mythology that surround this remarkable celestial light show.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
t is just a short transfer to the dog sledding centre, but the decibel level is about to be turned up to eleven. These dogs just love winter because this is when they get to do their favourite thing in the whole world…..run!
You will meet the dogs, receive a full safety briefing and then take to your sleds. With one person driving and one in the sled you’ll head out into the wintery expanse on a 15km safari. It is almost cathartic watching the winter-white landscapes slip by accompanied by a soundtrack of swishing sled runners and the pitter-patter of canine feet.
Dinner this evening will be served in a traditional kota around an open fire or in the lakeside restaurant after which you will be joined by a local Sámi. He or she will sing traditional Sámi joikus. These sometimes haunting mixes of chant and song, tell of Sámi life and the natural world with which their lives have been so tightly inter-entwined over the centuries.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Two wildly contrasting activities are combined into one today.
After a full safety and tuition briefing, you’ll head out on the well-maintained trails for a snowmobile safari. One person will drive and another ride as pillion with opportunities to swap places along the way. Please note that you must be over 18 and hold a full driving licence to drive a snowmobile.
Snowmobiles are ubiquitous up here in Lapland and are used for daily trips such as shopping as well as leisure activities. They are also a fantastic way to get a sense of just how vast these snowy landscapes are. With rolling fells, frozen lakes and snowy forests you could easily imagine yourself to be in Narnia rather than Finland.
Stopping on one of those frozen lakes (the ice is incredibly thick), your guide will demonstrate how the Sámi people have traditionally fished here using nets and will also get a fire going and cook up lunch out in the open. Food always tastes better in the fresh air and as the air here is the cleanest in Europe you can look forward to a very tasty meal.
This evening, you may wish to include an additional Aurora activity in your holiday. The details can be found in the ‘Personalise’ section of the holiday page. Alternatively, you may wish to take a walk to enjoy the peace of the nearby Lake and keep an eye on the sky from closer to home; you are in prime Aurora viewing territory here.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today is free to relax or try additional activities (payable locally). It won’t have escaped your notice that there are a lot of dedicated cross-country skiing trails hereabouts and this is an absolute favourite pastime amongst the locals. There are few better ways to experience the intense silence of Lapland’s snow-laden forests. Skis and snowshoes can be rented at Jeris should you wish to explore independently. Alternatively, if you want to take a more relaxed approach to your day, there are several spa and sauna facilities available (fees may apply.)
This evening you will go in search of the Northern Lights with an expert local guide.
You’ll board one of the carriages that will be pulled by the guide’s snowmobile and be taken out into the dark Arctic night (the type of carriage used will depend on the availability and weather conditions.) Your guide will take you to a remote campfire site and will get a fire on the go. You will enjoy a snack and warm drink while you wait for Mother Nature to hopefully share her fabulous light show.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The Sámi people have used snowshoes for centuries and although today’s modern versions are somewhat less cumbersome, they remain essentially, ‘tennis rackets for your feet’. The genius of snowshoes is that they spread your weight and prevent you from sinking waist-deep into the powdery snow. This will be a definite advantage as you explore the stunning landscapes of the Pallas Fells.
Lunch will be served back at Jeris.
Later today, you will get to indulge in one of the Finns most favoured pastimes. It is said that the sauna is the first room any Finnish architect considers when planning any building and here at Jeris’s lakeside sauna complex, you will have the opportunity to try four different types of sauna. You can, of course, then take on the challenge of either a dip in the lake or a roll in the snow to really complete the experience – but it is entirely optional and only for those who are in excellent health.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
By now you will be familiar with the local area and you may know which activities you might like to try again or you may have discovered additional activities you’d like to arrange locally. Cross-country ski trails are also abundant in this area and if you want to explore independently, then equipment can be rented from the hotel.
This evening’s farewell dinner brings proceedings to a close and will include several Lappish dishes to round of a week that will have shown you the very best of Lapland, old and new. Don’t forget to take a walk after your evening meal in order to keep watch on the night sky one last time. The Aurora may well appear to bid you farewell.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Unfortunately it is departure time and you will be transferred back to the airport in good time for your flights home.
Included Meals: Breakfast
What's included?
- Return flights between London and Kittilä (via Helsinki). Direct return flights from London Gatwick are available for a supplement on specific dates. Flight routes are subject to change
- Return airport transfers
- 7 nights in a standard twin/double room at Hotel Jeris. Winter Cottage upgrades are available for a supplement.
- 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners (If you’re travelling between 29th December and 16th February on direct flights, you will receive 7 lunches)
- A reindeer farm visit and short sleigh ride
- Northern Lights workshop
- Husky safari and Sámi evening
- Snowmobile safari and net fishing
- Aurora Snow Shuttle
- Snowshoeing
- Arctic Sauna World and Lappish Dinner
- Cold weather clothing for the duration of your stay
- Fully qualified wilderness guides and instructors during activities
- 24/7 assistance from our UK based operations team and in-destination support from our local partners
Our Opinion
“I can distinctly remember my first ever visit to Jeris. It must have been about 15 years ago and I recall having a good look around, staring in awe at the magnificent view from the lakeside spa area and immediately ringing the office to say “sell Jeris, this place is perfect”. Naturally, it’s changed a bit since then but always for the better and the improvements are always made with heritage and tradition at the forefront. There aren’t many better places to explore Lapland old and new.”
Accommodation
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Hotel Jeris occupies an enviable location which is 20 kilometres from the nearest village and is located directly on the shores of Lake Jerisjärvi. It is this remote position that makes the hotel an enchanting forest retreat. The hotel is owned and run by the Pietikäinen family, who also manage the neighbouring sister hotels of Harriniva, Kittila and Torassieppi. Their hotels are some of our most popular accommodation options in Finland, having received high praise for their knowledgeable guides and exciting activity options. The hotel consists of a central building and 32 winter cottages in the adjacent forest. Hotel facilities
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Personalise This Tour
Tour Map
Additional Info
Key Facts
For your best chance to see the Northern Lights, contact the UK’s only Aurora specialists