Finland Part 5: Husky Safari

Kakslauttanen Resort which I stayed in works with a few companies that organise a variety of winter activities for its guests. I joined one called Aurora Hunting Husky Safari.
If given a choice I would have gone for a daytime safari as ours started around 9 pm by which time it was too dark to enjoy the scenery traversed during the ride. 

It was extremely cold out in the wilderness and we had to get into warm clothing which was supplied by the safari operator. The overalls are waterproof, windproof, weatherproof and slipping into them with our existing thick jackets really made us look like humpty dumpties.

A two to three hour husky safari costs around Euro120 per pax. The ride started from a husky farm near the resort. The huskies were very tame and have been trained to pull sleds along a certain path through the wilderness. They were howling and barking vigorously and looked impatient enough to start pulling the sleds.

A traditional wooden sled is pulled by 6 huskies. One person sits in the sled which is cushioned with a reindeer hide while another stands on 2 planks protruding behind the sled to steer the huskies.

Before the ride we were given a briefing which was mostly about how to maneuvre the speed of the huskies. There is a break attached to the wooden sled which can be stepped on for slowing down or for bringing the sled to a complete halt. To help the huskies climb up slopes, we have to manually push the ground with one leg. No matter how fast or slow the huskies run, the rule is no overtaking of other sleds are allowed.

The path traversed was completely dark and I couldn't take any photos especially when I was the driver. This photo is for illustration only as it shows exactly how our husky ride is like.

This is another photo for illustration. I thought it was nicer to sit in the sled but my partner had a backache and I had to be the one who steer the huskies the entire journey. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I really had a great time and steering the sleds in complete darkness over an undulating terrain in the wilderness is indeed an experience of a lifetime.

It seemed like a very long ride. By the time we returned to the husky farm, my backpack was completely covered with ice. The warm clothing provided helped as I did not feel cold at all. We sat by a fire and were given hot berry juice and some snacks in this traditional Lappish dwelling. 

The Aurora Borealis did not appear during the duration of our ride but appeared later on the same night. 

RELATED POSTS: 

Finland Part 1: Inari

Finland Part 2: Ice Fishing On Lake Inari

Finland Part 3: Kakslauttanen Artic Resort, Saariselka

Finland Part 4: Aurora Restaurant @ Kakslauttanen Artic Resort
Finland Part 5: Husky Safari @ Kakslauttanen
Finland Part 6: Cruise Of A Lifetime On Sampo Icebreaker, Kemi
Finland Part 7: Cumulus Kemi, My Hotel in Kemi
Finland Part 8: Scenery Of The Artics On A Bus Journey From Kemi To Rovaniemi
Finland Part 9: Ranua Wildlife Park
Finland Part 10: A Visit To Artikum, Rovaniemi
Finland Part 11: Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi
Finland Part 12: Artic Circle Reindeer Farm @ Konttaniemi
Finland Part 13: Getting To Know Rovaniemi
Finland Part 14: Rantasipi Pohjanhovi Hotel, Rovaniemi
Finland Part 15: Traveling On VR Night Train From Rovaniemi To Helsinki
Finland Part 16: My First Day In Helsinki
Finland Part 17: A Walking Tour Of Helsinki
Finland Part 18: Beautiful Helsinki
Finland Part 19: Brief Review Of The Original Sokos Hotel Presidentti, Helsinki