Dreaming of a white Easter?
With Easter Sunday falling on 31 March this year, the relatively early Easter weekend is the ideal time to squeeze in a snowy trip, before the white stuff melts for summer.
March’s longer days and milder temperatures make Arctic activities all the more enjoyable, too, meaning you can pack in more activities each day. With there being less cloud cover at this time of year, you’re still in with an excellent chance of a Northern Lights-sighting, too. Lapland activity holiday specialist Activities Abroad and its new adult-only brand, The White Circle, have trips this Easter which will appeal to all ages.
For adults...
With Good Friday and Easter Monday both bank holidays, you only need to take two days off to enjoy this new adult-only activity holiday. Authentically Lappish, the town of Kittilä – 200km north of the Arctic Circle – is ideal for short trips; lengthy transfers are avoided with the (tiny) airport just five minutes’ drive from the hotel. The itinerary’s packed and you’ll learn to snowmobile, cross-country ski, mush huskies, drive a reindeer sleigh and more. Come evening, Aurora searching takes the form of snow-shoe treks, husky-sledding and drives in cosy heated minibuses. And, amid all the action, there’s time to have lunch in an ice restaurant and to unwind in the hotel’s typically-Finnish saunas. Departing 29 March, the new five-night Kittilä trip costs from £1,745 pp (two sharing) including flights (Heathrow), transfers, five nights’ full-board accommodation, all activities, cold-weather clothing and guides.
thewhitecircle.com
For older children...
A pioneer in the Arctic activity-holiday business – and the location for Activities Abroad’s first-ever winter holiday – Harriniva is the ideal base for a week in the snow. Situated 230km north of the Arctic Circle, the hotel has its own Arctic sled-dog centre, and is kitted out for all sorts of other activities, from snowmobiling to reindeer-lassoing. The hamlet of Harriniva is exceedingly remote, but this trip takes you out even further into the wilderness with an intrepid overnight husky safari, which will find you mushing huskies on a 25km journey and bedding down in a remote cabin. For the rest of the trip, you’ll stay in Scandinavian-style accommodation and, for the most avid Aurora hunters, the hotel has Aurora alarms to ensure you won’t miss a sighting. Departing 31 March and 7 April the six-night Winter Wilderness trip costs from £1,725 pp (minimum age is 15) – two sharing – including flights (Heathrow), transfers, six nights’ full-board accommodation, all activities, cold-weather clothing and guides.
activitiesabroad.com
For younger children...
Little ones in particular will appreciate spring’s kinder temperatures when it comes to Lapland holidays, and this family trip – for children aged eight and up – is packed with hands-on activities. Snowmobile to Lainio’s mesmerizing Snow Village, meet huskies and learn to handle a sled, try your hand at cross-country skiing – following trails through pretty Narnia-esque forests – and enjoy a leisurely ride in a reindeer sleigh. Based at Hotel Kittilä in north-west Finland, this small family-run establishment knows how to keep all ages happy with spacious family rooms and a restaurant which serves up international favourites, in addition to Lappish specialities. Departing 24 and 31 March, the week-long Lapland Family Winter Adventure costs from £1,625 per adult and from £1,195 per child (8-14) – two adults sharing with a child – including flights (Heathrow), transfers, seven nights’ full-board accommodation, all activities, cold-weather clothing and guides.
activitiesabroad.com