A Magical Reindeer Ride
There’s surely only one way to travel when you’re in Lapland and of course, that’s on a reindeer sled (OK, there are two, or three, or possibly many more, but since Tipsy didn’t go on the Dog Sledding or Snow Mobile rides, and she’s not one for skiing or skating, she’s sticking to this philosophy). And this was a great, slow way, to enjoy our snowy landscape.
Having been driven off into the middle of nowhere, with the temperatures plummeting to minus 26, we donned our thermal suits (provided by the company, Lyngsfjord), and were taken to meet Karn and Ruar, a lovely husband and wife Sami couple, who sat us down on warm reindeer hide in a cosy Lavvu – a tiny tent, which centres around a koselig open fire.
They explained to the group about Sami traditions (never ask them how many reindeer they own, it’s most impolite) and told us more about the lovely reindeer themselves. We then had a go at lassoing a stationery target (not suitable for tiny cat paws), went to meet the lovely reindeer, and on to the actual sleds themselves.
Barely containing our excitement, we sat, two on a sled, with one reindeer pulling each sled in a convoy – all attached one to the other – so the person at the back got a nice view of a reindeer pulling the sled behind, and the person in front got a rather different perspective and saw (ahem) and the reindeer’s bum (tee hee), but there were plenty of opportunities to stop and swap over.
The landscape itself was absolutely breathtaking – just what you expect of a magical Lapland lapland, covered in snow, lit by a nearly full moon, cold, frosty and glistening. The convey travels at a gentle pace, with the tinkle of jingle bells (no Father Christmas though, as he was apparently off on holiday, sunning himself in Barbados). It’s fantastic and a definite must do if you come to this wonderful country.
We also got to feed the reindeer their favourite lichen. And then the trip ended with a warm meal in a warm log cabin (we decided not to have the offered reindeer stew, but had a veggie option instead – thank you) , lots of steaming hot tea, and a lovely pudding of a kind of pancake and brown sweet cheese. There was a really nice buzz in the log cabin – as there were many tours happening in the same place, and we got to meet others who had been off on other adventures, sitting on long trestle tables and exchanging our snowy stories.
Mid way through the meal, our guides came in to tell us that the lights had appeared – so we rushed out to take some photos.
All in all, every bit as thrilling as it could be!