Kimkim Trip Reviews for Finland

Emerson is the best travel agent. He was wonderful at helping us plan our trip to Finland. His knowledge of the country and its environment is superlative. He was quick to understand our preferences and gave us great advice on where to go, how to get there, where to stay and what to do. He is patient and responds to questions and requests quickly — almost immediately — starting with my first communication with him and continuing through planning the trip and even during the trip, when he would check in with us just to see how we were doing.

Once, at about 10PM, we decided we needed a driver for early the next morning. I messaged Emerson. I heard from him 20 minutes later—he scheduled our driver!

He also booked wonderful guides for us, one of the best aspects of our trip—Jonna in Helsinki (she is a historian and seems to know everything about her city), Felipe for the Helsinki design district tour, and Emmi in Tampere. These guides were the best!

We hope to return to this beautiful part of the world. As I told Emerson, when we do — he will be the first to know!

All connections were smooth. A no hassle experience where we could still do things independently.
I thought the hiking around Pyha was exceptional. It is nice there was plenty of independent time in location ( except bear watching cabin) to be able to walk about.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Fabian

Helsinki

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ski-Inn Kultakero Hotel

Pyhätunturi

Loved this place off season , after the big concert crowd had left. Was so nice to have our own sauna and hot tub. Such a nice spacious room for two people with kitchen facilities. The walking and hikes nearby were great. Unfortunately, our two outings with the same guide we didn’t get a chance to see much wildlife, but the weather was an issue and we enjoyed visiting with him.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bear Watching Cabin

Kuusamo

It was a long time to be cooped up. I would have had second thoughts , if I knew it was 14 hours in a stuffy cabin with no chance to take a walk to get fresh air. It n the other hand it makes a memorable visit and a great story to see bears by the Russian border. I didn’t realize they bait the bears directly in front of the cabin. Something about this struck me as wrong , but my wife liked it more than I did.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Long drive to get to this cabin.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arctic Light Hotel

Rovaniemi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Can walk anywhere from here

Staff

Attentive and accommodating staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sauna in excellent shape

Overnight Train

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Solo Sokos Hotel Turun Seurahuone

Turku

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Haven

Helsinki

Liked the buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Midnight Sun Photography Tour

Rovaniemi

Ryan was a very patient and enthusiastic guy that made for a memorable evening.

Quality of Experience

No

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Turku City Walking Tour

Turku

Informative guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Canoe Trip in Lapland

Rovaniemi

Beautiful spot , very private. Good guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Helsinki Sauna Tour

Helsinki

Was a fun trip. Bike riding was no problem , felt safe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Supportive and informative. Excellent English.

Transport

Overnight Bear Watching Experience

Kuusamo

Long time at a stuffy cabin. An interesting experience to see bears that close to the Russian border. I didn’t realize they baited the bears to come to the right in front of the cabin.

Quality of Experience

No

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Clearer communication

Transport

Good drivers on a long drive.

Porvoo Private Day Tour

Helsinki

It was fine , seemed a bit touristy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fishing Experience

Finland

Didn’t have much time to get the line in the water, but still a nice spot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bird & Wildlife Watching Tour

Pyhä

Rainy day and didn’t see much.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Reliable for a rainy day

Transport

River Cruise on an Eco Rubber Boat

Rovaniemi

Our guide was informative and personable. He gave us a choice of rubber or rustic wooden boat. I chose the wooden, but there was a problem with a bit of a leaking. The bailing made for a memorable journey.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guide should have probably checked boat leak before guests.

Short Arctic Wilderness Hike (Summer/Autumn)

Rovaniemi

Nice hike , young French guide didn’t add much info.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Never felt like Ryan was rushing through things.

Transport

Picnic Cruise Along the Aura River

Turku

Boat operator did not arrive.

Transport

Back up plan for boat operator.

Guided Hike in the Archipelago Sea

Helsinki

Our guide Alex was excellent with good sized group.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taste of Helsinki & Tour of Suomenlinna

Helsinki

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a marvelous trip to Finland. Emerson established our itinerary, and every phase of the trip played out exactly as planned. For example, every driver we expected for a transport showed up early. I never felt worried that we would be stuck somewhere and have to figure out an alternative plan; things occurred as stated in the itinerary.
I loved the app too - it kept all of the important information, directions and tickets together in one source. I will definitely use KimKim again for international travel.
Emerson was available during the trip via the app or email, just in case we had questions or concerns. It was reassuring to know that we could consult with our travel specialist at any time. He was pretty quick to get back to us when we did contact him.

Hotel Reviews

Arctic Light Hotel

Rovaniemi

This is an amazing hotel! The room was incredibly spacious, and staff was friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet was incredibly eclectic! We loved it!

Authenticity & Character

It has its own bar and restaurant, and has a beautiful lounge area with an outdoorsy decor.

Location

This is a great location to walk to city center businesses and shops, but feels like it is on a quiet side street.

Staff

So helpful and friendly. We asked for directions to locations and businesses multiple times and always received friendly help.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room had so much space I. It and that made it feel exceptionally comfortable to stay in.

Overnight Train

The sleeper cabins with private bathrooms are extremely small for two people! You barely have room to do anything in the room or the bathroom.

Authenticity & Character

Definitely not a typical space to stay in. Very unique!

Location

Very convenient to use for a long travel distance, making overnight travel attractive.

Staff

Helpful. Answered questions that we presented.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sleeper cabins for two people need to be a bit larger to allow both to be able to move around.

Solo Sokos Hotel Turun Seurahuone

Turku

A very nice hotel in a great setting in Turku.

Authenticity & Character

It has unusual decor inside.

Location

Perfect setting in order to walk downtown, yet it feels like it’s on a quiet street.

Staff

So friendly and accommodating in every situation that arose during our stay!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was plenty big, and there was plenty of comfortable space to sit in the lobby or dining/bar areas.

Hotel Fabian

Helsinki

This was a nice hotel, set in a very convenient location for walking around Helsinki. It is a smaller hotel, but the room was quite adequate.

Authenticity & Character

This was a smaller hotel, but was pretty adequate for most amenities.

Location

Close to downtown activities , businesses and parks.

Staff

Very friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was good.

Activity Reviews

Canoe Trip in Lapland

Rovaniemi

We had a great canoe experience that included our ability to look at a solar eclipse.

Quality of Experience

Excellent training by the guide before we began.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Martin gave clear directions and explained how to stay safe.

Transport

Mushroom and Berry Picking

Rovaniemi

This mostly involves picking blueberries to make juice.

Quality of Experience

It was fun and interesting.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was nice and personable.

Transport

Finnish Legends and Stories Around the Fire

Rovaniemi

We enjoyed the campfire and whole experience.

Quality of Experience

Making pancakes was fun.

Food

The pancakes were good. We thought there might be other food provided, since it said dinner was included.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Martin told interesting stories.

Transport

Electric Fatbike Trip to the Reindeer Farm

Rovaniemi

The Fatbike made the ride so comfortable and easy. The reindeer farm experience we great.

Quality of Experience

Nice ride the farm was terrific.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was terrific. He quickly and adeptly made us lunch at the fireplace.

Transport

Ooo

Korouoma Canyon & Auttiköngäs Waterfalls Adventure

Rovaniemi

This was a fun, amazing, mostly moderate hike, and it had some nice viewpoints.

Quality of Experience

Good pacing

Food

I loved the fireplace at the shelter. It was so user-friendly and safe.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable tour guide.

Transport

Archipelago Ring Road Tour

Turku

This was a nice tour, but not quite what I thought I was getting. I thought we would get out of the vehicle more to see incredible sights. I didn’t realize that most of the time would be spent in the vehicle because it takes so long to complete the Ring Road.

Quality of Experience

Food

We only stopped to eat at once place to eat. The food was great, but we should have had a little more time to eat it.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tour guide was very nice, and shared some good information.

Transport

Car was comfortable.

Turku City Walking Tour

Turku

The guide was very knowledgeable, and gave us a nice mix of historical information as well as local cultural information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As mentioned previously, he gave a good mix of information. The only downside was that he seemed to become distracted by his personal wants when we entered the library.

Guided Hike in the Archipelago Sea

Helsinki

We enjoyed a really nice hike through a forested nature area.

Quality of Experience

Very nice hike at a good pace, with free time given for exploration.

Food

The guide prepared traditional Finnish food, and the presentation was terrific!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very nice and interesting, and knowledgeable about forest plants.

Transport

She drive the van very carefully along these windy roads.

Helsinki City Walking Tour (3h)

Helsinki

Nice walk around the city with a nice guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip to Finland was the trip of a lifetime! Highlights were hikes in the forest with a break to eat Finnish sausages grilled over an open flame, riding a bike in Helsinki to a public sauna and experiencing the hot sauna, followed by a dip in the cold ocean water, canoeing in a beautiful lake, visiting a Medieval castle, eating salmon soup, drinking coffee, learning about Finnish history, and more. Our guides were knowledgable, punctual and friendly. The pace and variety of activities were perfectly orchestrated.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Haven

Helsinki

Hotel Haven in Helsinki was wonderful. The hotels throughout the trip were excellent, and the breakfast buffets were incredible, offering a great way to sample Finnish cuisine. The accommodations were comfortable and added to the overall positive experience of the trip.

Hotel Fabian

Helsinki

Chic decor. Great location. Wonderful buffet breakfast. Great way to spend last night in Finland

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Canoe Trip in Lapland

Rovaniemi

The canoe trip in Lapland was a peaceful and breathtaking experience. We were out in the middle of a large lake with no other people around, which made it feel very serene and mind-blowing. It was a great way to connect with nature and enjoy the pristine wilderness of Finland.

Midnight Sun Photography Tour

Rovaniemi

The midnight sun photography tour was an amazing and surreal experience. We were out at around 1:30 AM, and even though it was late, it was not dark because of the midnight sun and a full orange moon rising. Walking on the boardwalks over marshy areas filled with blueberries was eerie but beautiful. The guide made a campfire with birch wood and grilled Finnish sausages, which was a lovely touch. We got some great photos, including professional ones from the photographer, which made the experience even more special.

Overnight Bear Watching Experience

Kuusamo

The overnight bear watching experience was truly unique and adventurous. We saw two bears and many other wildlife, which was amazing. However, the experience was a bit challenging and stressful, especially for older travelers like us. The cabin was stuffy, and we had to remain very quiet, which was hard to fully understand beforehand. Also, the lack of cell phone coverage and the uncertainty about the pickup time added some anxiety. Despite these challenges, it was a memorable and worthwhile experience, but I would suggest better preparation and clearer information for future travelers.

Helsinki Sauna Tour

Helsinki

The bike ride followed by a visit to the public sauna was a wonderful experience, especially for someone like me who hadn't been on a bike in years and was initially nervous. Our guide Olga was incredibly calm, kind, and patient, which helped me feel comfortable and enjoy the ride. The public sauna was a new and somewhat intimidating experience, but the whole process was fascinating and memorable. I highly recommend this activity for those who might be hesitant about biking or trying a Finnish sauna.

My sister and I visited Finland for 2 weeks. We visited Helsinki, Turko, Tampere, Vaasa and Rovaniemi. All of our guides were excellent and really knew the cities inside and out. I can’t pick a favorite spot or guide because they were all amazing! Moonika arranged our trip with the tour guides, accommodations and transport. I would not change a single thing! I highly recommend Kim Kim for anyone wanting an authentic experience with the bonus of all travel being arranged. We definitely maximized our time in beautiful Finland!

Everything was perfect.. The transportation, guides, and tours were great. Learned lots of history and sampled local food. Everything ran exactly on schedule. It was great not having to worry about getting to places or worrying that we would miss something. We still had time to explore things on our own too. Thank you Moonika!!!

I will start with what went well or very well.
- Hotel in Stockholm was excellent in an excellent location.
- The Wildlife Safari was a disaster. The guide, I think his name was Daniel, smelled so bad it was nauseating. The trip was not as advertised. The van was not comfortable and it was dirty -- so dirty I could not see out of the windshield and we were supposed to be looking out the window to spot wildlife. It included one hike up a fairly steep hill with NO PATH. It was extremely difficult and I would never done that trip if I had known. I would never recommend this trip.
- Guided Tour in Stockholm was great with an excellent guide, Adam.
- Pre-arranged transportation in Stockholm from hotel to airport worked well.
- Helsinki & Suomenlina Tour was good with an excellent guide, Danielle.
- Guided Tour to Porvoo was good with an excellent guide.
- Pre-arranged cab in Rovaniemi worked well.

Here is what was not so great.
- The Hotel Reisen in Stockholm was not within walking distance of where the ship left us off. We were easily able to get a cab but it would have been helpful to know that in advance.
- Loyly Sauna was not a great place. We went for a drink but did not stay for dinner.
- Turku was very disappointing. Not much to see or do there. We took the train, walked around from the Cathedral to the Tower (which was a pretty long walk), stopped at a cute place for a drink but not much was open. I would not recommend going all that way.
- Rovaniemi was not a good choice in the summer. Most everything including most restaurants in town were closed. Our hotel was fine but the BAR and restaurant were closed. We got off the 9 hour train ride to check in and have a drink but we could not. At the point, we did find one restaurant in town that was open and pretty good. Sitting at our table, we began the process of trying to fly home earlier than we anticipated. That night our hotel room was so hot. There were only a couple of guests at the hotel and no manager on the property. He had given us his What's App contact and I contacted him to ask how to make the room cooler. He did not respond until we had left the next day at noon.

I think that is it.

Hotel Reviews

Nova Skyland Hotel

Rovaniemi

Pleasant room. Bar and restaurant were closed. And room was way too hot with no ability to make it cooler. Not a great place in the summer.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Way too hot

Hotel Lilla Roberts

Helsinki

Nice hotel. Good lobby. Pretty good location. Room was a bit overdone.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Reisen in The Unbound Collection by Hyatt

Stockholm

Really great location. Nice hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right at the edge of the old town.

Staff

Our room was not available when we got there. We walked around for quite a while and then went back to the hotel for a drink in the lobby until the room was ready. One women at reception charged my phone for me.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Wildlife Safari

Stockholm

Horrible experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Tour Stockholm (private)

Stockholm

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Tour to Porvoo

Helsinki

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Helsinki and Suomenlinna

Helsinki

Good trip. Guide was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It has been a wonderful adventure. We have many many pictures that record all our travels.

Our personal agent was Emerson and he answered all our questions during the planning stages and some small issues during the actual trip. In the planning stages, he worked to schedule what we wanted to do, what we wanted to see, with our preferred travel times, the kinds of hotels we like, and the types of tours that became very meaningful as the 10 days progressed. We had a phone meeting which really helped the backs and forth, about a month before all the details were finalized, and was always responsive to messages sent through the website. He gets an A+!!!!!

During the trip, we were in regular touch by text with Emerson, and again he was SO responsive and we applaud him for helping us like that. All those small issues related to drivers not being in the location given to us in our instructions. That is the only area of planning that needs improvement. For example, we were told to be at the door to the lobby of our hotel, but the driver was around the corner at the restaurant entrance, making us almost late for an inner city bus.

The tour guides were excellent in explaining history and culture and answering numerous questions we had. We enjoyed hearing from the diverse group of people who guided us on their experiences too, as not all were Finnish and one had lived in the US. That made for great conversations and we loved that the tour guides shared their stories with us, plus gave us all kinds of information on Finnish history.

We would definitely work with KimKim in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Apartment with Sauna in Kluuvi

Helsinki

The apartment was really nice. We didn't expect 2 full bathrooms, a nice addition since we were traveling with our adult son. The primary bedroom was roomy and the bathroom nicely setup. Our only issue was the pre move-in process, which we had to complete more than once as our data submitted before we left the US wasn't there when we needed to get our keys. We also found it difficult to find some information, and luckily our travel agent stayed in touch with us to guide us and get the info we needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy walk into the middle of Helsinki and to the National Cathedral where we were attending a wedding.

Staff

Issues with the pre move in process.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lapland Hotels Tampere

Tampere

Breakfast was amazing and the restaurant had great choices when we didn't go out for dinner. The room was clean and comfortable, although a bit small for Americans!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Solo Sokos Hotel Turun Seurahuone

Turku

Breakfast was lovely and the restaurant had great choices when we didn't go out for dinner. The room was clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Towers of Tampere Tour

Tampere

Liked our time in Tampere with Peter but the tour was laid out oddly so we lost some time in getting around via bus and tram. Being at each of the 3 towers gave us a great opportunity to see different areas of Tampere. It made less sense to us that we went from our hotel, across town via tram to tower #1, a long walk back to the observation from a hotel only a block from where we started, then a bus ride to tower #3 at the amusement park. That bus ride was so long because lots of riders were going to the park and traffic was backed up. Each location was good to see, and the walk across town gave us a feel for the city, but the transport took away from the experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

We ended with a lovely lunch.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

See above comments.

Tallinn Day Trip

Helsinki

Our guide was Christopher Robert. We liked our tour so much we referred my brother and his wife, who were in Tallinn a few days after our trip there, to him. Christopher took us to many different areas of the town, which we didn't realize had such a mix of old and new. We navigated a meeting of heads of state which blocked some streets but didn't interfere with our walking, very different from the US security around such events. We loved that Christopher shared his background including time in the US, and how that played into the tour and his expertise on the places he showed to us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

all walking....!

Rauma City Tour

Rauma

Riina was our guide and despite a constant drizzle, she showed us the old city of Rauma. We wandered the narrow streets, saw lace being made by a small shop run by women who do this all by hand, toured a small church and saw many old buildings that explained the history of the old town.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

all walking....!

Helsinki City Walking Tour (3h)

Helsinki

Our guide was Ruslan. He took us all around the center of Helsinki, meeting us where expected at the train station and then ending the tour with recommendations for authentic food! He was knowledgeable and fun to talk to, including my brother and his wife who were in Helsinki at the same time although not touring with us for the duration of our vacation. He planned the tour to meet our request to show us the history, which we learned was not as many years as that of other parts of the country, being the capital only about 200 years.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All walking....!

Magical Taiga Forest Hike

Helsinki

SO SO much fun. Quintos was our guide. He shared his story of being an environmentalist and working to show the national forests in both the Helsinki and Lapland areas to folks like us. He really loved showing us where all the goodies (fruits/berries/mushrooms) would soon be growing, making our lunch of salmon soup, and walking through different areas of the forest. He seemed extremely knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

We enjoyed hearing of his move to Finland and what made the country special to him, while we shared a bit of ourselves.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quintos was our driver and guide, and made the trip easy.

Unveiling Turku: History, Culture, and Culinary Gems

Turku

Laura from Magni Mundi was our guide for a 5 hour walk and lunch throughout Turku. She was very knowledgeable about the history of the town, and the current conditions. We liked how she blended history with today.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great tour guide.

Transport

We walked, Laura picked us up promptly where we were told to be.

Moonika did a wonderful job planning our trip. It was an experience me and my children will cherish forever. We particularly enjoyed our bike tour of Helsinki and walking tour of Tallinn. Thanks, Moonika!

I had a wonderful and memorable trip to Finland, thanks to Alise, my local tour expert from Kimkim. She carefully planned the itinerary according to my preferences and was always ready to provide helpful advice and support throughout the trip. Her attention to detail and prompt assistance made the entire journey smooth, enjoyable, and stress-free.

I would also like to thank the three excellent tour guides who made my experience even more enriching: Ruslan in Helsinki, Emmi in Tampere, and Karoliina in Turku. Each of them was highly knowledgeable about their city, local culture, and history. Their passion and expertise allowed me to gain a much deeper understanding of the places I visited and made every tour both informative and engaging.

Overall, this was a fantastic experience, and I highly recommend Kimkim, Alise, and her team to anyone planning a trip to Finland. Their professionalism, local knowledge, and dedication helped create an unforgettable journey.

⸻

Not knowing where to begin when planning our trip to Finland, I started by searching online for travel specialists who focus on the Lapland region—and that’s how I came across kimkim. After completing a quick questionnaire about the type of trip we were hoping for, we were connected with Emerson, who took care of every detail from that point on.

We scheduled a Zoom call to go over our wish list and discuss the level of accommodations we had in mind. Emerson’s personal experience in the Lapland region really stood out—he offered thoughtful suggestions on where to go, what to do, and even shared valuable insight on some of the stops we were considering. We truly appreciated his honest input.

Following our call, Emerson provided a detailed itinerary that outlined everything—from accommodations to excursions to transfers. We were able to adjust it several times to better suit our schedule and interests, and he was always responsive and helpful in answering our questions leading up to the trip. During the trip itself, he remained quick to respond whenever needed.

Everything unfolded exactly as planned. The accommodations met our expectations, and the tours and excursions were led by knowledgeable, professional guides. One guide was also a professional photographer who led us through a national park and sent us home with beautiful photos of our day!
The day-by-day itinerary made everything seamless and stress-free. A couple of our northern lights tours were unfortunately canceled due to cloudy weather, but we were pleasantly surprised to receive refunds for those experiences.

We’re already looking forward to planning our next adventure and would absolutely work with kimkim again. We can’t recommend Emerson and the company highly enough—thank you for an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime trip!

I had a wonderful time on our Northern Lights trip in Norway and Finland. Some of our planned activities were cancelled due to the warm weather and lack of snow. Moonika took care of rebooking cancelled activities like snow shoeing, dog sledding and snowmobiling to other locations that still had snow. We were able to see the Northern lights in several locations and enjoy the culture and history of the area. Overall, a very enjoyable vacation and would highly recommend Moonika in coordinating travel plans.

This was a very easy process. I sent a few details of things I would like to do to Roy, my local specialist, and then had a call with him where he asked my preferences, including what I liked to do, how busy I wanted to be, etc. He came up with a perfect trip! The website had very easy to navigate information about the trip, including information on the tours and places I was going to sea, tickets for entry, details on where to meet, and an emergency contact number in case of any issue. Camila was also helpful in providing any updates or changes to my itinerary. For me, I said I was interested in outdoors-y type activities, I liked animals and art, and really wanted to see the Northern Lights. I was scheduled for an afternoon on an ice breaker that included a swim in the water in a survival suit, chasing northern lights in Lapland that including a fire with roasted marshmallows, warm blueberry juice, and salmon soup, a visit to the Arctic museum, and to the Wildlife Park. Unfortunately, the weather got too warm in Finland to go snowshoeing or ice fishing, but the team offered alternatives (I was too jet lagged to take it so took the day off!) Overall, I highly recommend. Easy to book, easy to follow, great people.

Had a fantastic time despite the challenges of an unexpected flight cancellation. Moonika helped to salvage my vacation and made it very easy for me to pivot and join my friends in Finland. I credit her professionalism and valuable experience. So much of how tours turn out rests on the shoulders of the coordinator. Moonika made this experience easy, fun and worthwhile.

Hotel Reviews

Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos

Rovaniemi

This is a must-do experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Northern Lights Ranch

Köngäs

Lovely cottages. The food at the restaurant was consistently amazing.

Activity Reviews

Dinner at Ice Restaurant

Sinettä

Such a unique experience. If you’re staying at the hotel, you definitely have to eat here.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Husky Safari (10km)

Finland

Loved the experience! Driving the sled team through the woods was so much fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Snowshoe Trek at Pallas-Yllästunturi

Levi

The guide was charming and incredibly accommodating. The warm lunch prepared at the hut was the highlight!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This trip wouldn't have been possible without all the help from Emerson, he was a rockstar in planning! With his help and expert guidance we managed to pull off 5 countries in 23 days and never felt stressed about any of the moving parts. During the trip we traveled by plane, train, bus, car and ferry, with only one minor delay because of a "wildlife accident". The small guided tours he arranged exceeded our expectations, everyone was so nice, helpful, and knowledgeable. We learned so much more than if we had joined a big group tour or a bus tour. All of the hotels were also top notch, with friendly staff, comfortable beds, and superb breakfast buffets! Any questions we had along the way, we answered right away, and even checked in to make sure things were going smoothly. If you're on the fence about letting someone else make your travel plans (I know I had been) I would highly recommend Emerson and his fellow travel specialist, they know what they are doing, they now the areas you want to visit, and help take the stress out of vacation planning!

Activity Reviews

SnowHotel & Ice Dinner Experience

Rovaniemi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Korouoma Canyon & Frozen Waterfalls Adventure

Finland

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Group Reindeer Safari and Farm Visit

Rovaniemi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Helsinki City Walking Tour (3h)

Helsinki

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tallinn Day Trip

Helsinki

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aurora Ice Floating

Finland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snowmobile Tour to the Border of Three Nordic Countries

Kilpisjärvi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ice Fishing Experience

Kilpisjärvi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Winter Arctic Landscapes Tour

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mostraumen Fjord Cruise

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Copenhagen in a Nutshell Tour

Copenhagen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Food & Culture Walk

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had the trip of a lifetime to Norway and Finland…Thanks to Moonika! She was absolutely amazing! She kept us well informed on any updates to our activities and helped plan alternative options! We loved all the accommodations that were selected for our group! We loved the location of our hotel in Tromso! It was centrally located and we could walk pretty much anywhere in town! We also loved the hotel in Senja! Loved the cottages right on the water and we enjoyed the hot tub in the snow! That was an awesome experience! The owner of Norwegian Wilde was such a lovely person! We loved talking to her every morning at breakfast!
The Northern Lights Ranch was awesome! Loved lying in bed and watching the snow fall and the stars above! The food there was delicious and the staff was amazing! We loved Kristina in the restaurant! She was so sweet and looked out for us!
Our snowshoeing experience was so much fun! We had such an awesome guide! We loved Andres! He made my first experience snowshoeing so much fun!
We were so happy that we got to see the Northern Lights several times on our trip! The best was our last night at the Ice Hotel & Glass Igloos! Loved that they had an aurora warning alarm in our room! We knew when to look out for them!
This was such an amazing experience and loved the trip! Thank you Moonika again for taking such good care of us! Can’t wait to return and explore more!

Moonika did an amazing job of booking everything and going with the flow to rearrange things upon some cancellations or additional requests!

Hotel Reviews

Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos

Rovaniemi

Just to see all the ice hotel rooms and ice sculptures was amazing! Sadly the warm weather had caused some melting

Authenticity & Character

Very unique! You could tell all the hard work that was put into creating such a place!

Location

Staff

Shayne was an amazing host, safety guide and was helpful to answer all our questions!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Northern Lights Ranch

Köngäs

What a cute and unique property!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very remote , but great place to enjoy nature and see the northern lights

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cahkal Hotel

Kilpisjärvi

Nice hotel, the clothes dryers were a nice touch! The sauna was nice. The 3 course dinner menu was really tasty. Christina was an awesome dinner host we enjoyed chatting with her!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not too much around the area, but good place to enjoy nature

Staff

Christina and Lena both were awesome and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Norwegian Wild

Vangsvik

Absolutely beautiful cabins and location!!

Authenticity & Character

The cabins were so unique and allowed beautiful views of the water and the northern lights

Authenticity & Character

The cabins were so unique and allowed beautiful views of the water and the northern lights

Location

Such natural beauty everywhere

Location

Such natural beauty everywhere

Staff

It was nice to meet the owner and hear about the history of this facility. She definitely has passion for her vision of creating a serene place to enjoy nature!!

Staff

It was nice to meet the owner and hear about the history of this facility. She definitely has passion for her vision of creating a serene place to enjoy nature!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleanliness & Comfort

Enter St Elisabeth Suites & Spa

Tromso

Very nice rooms and the spa was amazing!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Up a steep hill from the main shopping street

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Ishavshotel

Tromsø

Clean , quiet and comfortable , rooms a bit small and the lighting switches were a little tricky to figure out.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the water

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Dinner at Ice Restaurant

Sinettä

The food was pretty good. The restaurant and all the ice sculptures were fascinating. Unique experience overall.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Husky Safari (10km)

Finland

OMG, these dogs are AMAZING! Despite some but warmer than normal conditions the staff made sure the route was safe for the dogs. It was awesome to be on the sled and feel their power! The were so excited and happy to run!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Senja Scenic Route Tour

Senja

Our guide Rikki Martin took us to some great sights , so cool to see the beauty of the island and the natural landscape!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reindeer Feeding & Northern Lights Experience

Tromsø

The reindeer feeding was great they are very cute and learning about the Sami culture from Jon Michael was very interesting!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Hunting Tour

Tromsø

Arbo was an amazing guide. He really went out of his way to take us far out to try to see some northern lights despite some cloudy weather condition conditions. We did see a bit and he took some great pictures for us.! He also did a great job at trying to keep us warm with a great fire and warm meals !

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arctic Fjord Cruise

Tromsø

The weather really put a damper on some views and we weren’t able to go to the fishing village , but the crew made the most of it by providing more informational content and samples of the fish for us.

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport

Everything worked out well. We had no hitches, delays, obstacles during our entire 9 days. We went primarily to see the Northern Lights which we did see really well the second night on a guided trip. Made it well worth it. But I think for both my brother and me the highlight of the week might have been learning how to mush huskies. We thought we would get a nice tour of the husky farm and a demonstration but we actually got trained in how to drive a sled and manage the dogs and then we drove the sled for 6 miles! Great experience through "Visit Inari." we also went net fishing/ ice fishing with a biologist on a nearby lake. This was also a great experience learning how to net fish and having the opportunity the ice fish. We caught a trout in the nets and grilled it right on the lake. Our biologist was a great resource about all things nature related. We also visited a reindeer farm which was nice. We got to feed the reindeer and then went to their house and cooked reindeer steaks. Nice experience.
The hotel Inari was fine but the hotel Fabian in Helsinki was excellent. The staff went out of their way to give us directions and help. And a fabulous breakfast! Our tour guide in Helsinki was also excellent.
I would say it's very important to make sure visitors know about renting cold weather gear in Inari. The "Visiting Inari' office was great about it and very flexible and they provided insulated overalls, socks, boots and gloves. These were essential for the dog sledding and the ice fishing and should be clearly spelled out not to go out without them.
I did not go to the Sami museum in Inari but my brother did and he thought that should definitely be an emphasized part of the Inari experience.
And lastly I would like to highlight Moonika who was radically available anytime I reached out to her. months before our visit and during the entire time we were in Finland. I think she answered all my questions within 10 or 15 minutes after I emailed her. And everything worked out perfectly -- all of our drivers were great and friendly and competent.
And let me say the Finnish people were wonderful. Everyone we met was helpful and friendly and eager to answer our questions. I was not prepared that everyone spoke fluent English! Puts the U.S. to shame :)
I would highly recommend this tour to anyone. I have a good friend who is a travel agent in the U.S. and I have given her Moonika's contact info.
Thank you!

I would highly recommend this tour to anyone

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Inari

Inari

a good experience. clean hotel and staff was friendly. great location. I believe there is no room service / clean towels, etc unless you pay extra Breakfast is excellent. Dinner is excellent but a bit expensive

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Fabian

Helsinki

Great hotel. great location. staff was super friendly and helpful. the breakfast was fabulous

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Home Visit and Local Food Experience

Inari

great to visit the farm and learn all about reindeers and especially reindeers in Finland

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrive in Helsinki in Winter, Explore

Helsinki

Quality of Experience

Private Glass-Roof Sleigh Ride and Traditional Winter Net Fishing

Inari

Our guide was great. very knowledgeable about all things fishing and nature. spent a lot of time with us --- highly recommend this experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Husky Experience

Inari

The highlight of our trip ! the tour and staff were excellent and it's not just a demonstration. you actually learn the drive the sled and manage the dogs and then go out for 10 kms!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Tour with Professional Photos

Finland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Helsinki City Walking Tour (2h)

Helsinki

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Due to the unusually warm weather we had numerous cancellations, but thanks to Monika’s quick thinking and rescheduling we had a fantastic time anyway! Monika was great to work with. She kept up with the evolving weather and various cancellations and schedule changes our group had. All her hard work and planning made sure we enjoyed ourselves. Our dream Northern Lights trip was well worth the cost.

Thanks to Moonika, we only had to decide which to places we wanted to see and what we wanted to experience. She arranged authentic, small group experiences with guides and drivers that were genuinely helpful, knowledgeable and happy to be taking care of us. Thanks for arranging everything, we had a great vacation.

Activity Reviews

Korouoma Canyon & Frozen Waterfalls Adventure

Finland

This hike was a bit strenuous but I made it. The trail is well maintained and popular with locals and other tourist groups. Even though the parking lot was full, we didn’t see too many other people and most of the time we had the trail to ourselves as long as we kept moving. The scenery was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Our guide cooked us lunch. He had amazing outdoor skills.

Food

Our guide is a great cook and prepared a picnic lunch for us that involved roasting over an open flame. A great experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small group and a SUV for transport instead of a van.

Snowshoeing in Pyhä-Luosto National Park

Finland

Our guide is very in tune with the first surroundings and shared his knowledge with us along the way. The trails through the forest are well marked, and the experience was very relaxing and mildly challenging, which was what we were looking for. The area was adjacent to our hotel and our guide met us there. The equipment was in good condition and easy to use.

Quality of Experience

Our guide explained the features of the landscape, which I found interesting

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide is a local and had lots of knowledge and experience in the area. He was very personable and was someone who enjoyed sharing the forest with us.

Transport

This activity did not require transportation

Chasing the Northern Lights by Snowmobile

Pyhä

We had a great night under the stars and auroras. The warm clothes and boots they provided was everything we needed to be comfortable. Our guide instructed us on how to operate the snowmobile and then we rode under the stars to a place where we could see the auroras.

Quality of Experience

We had a small group and a guide who knew where to take us

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was obvious to me that our guide enjoyed taking people on adventures.

Transport

The snowmobile was easy to drive and the trails were well maintained. Our guide picked us up and dropped us off. Very convenient