Kimkim Trip Reviews for Finland

4.9
Based on 112 ratings
Read 112 verified reviews by travelers who booked their trip to Finland on kimkim. You can also read reviews about kimkim on 3rd party sites including Google, TrustPilot and Yelp.

Another great Kim Kim trip in the books!
Finland | Dec 27 - Jan 9, 2025

Linda
Linda S.
Greensboro, NC | Reviewed on Jan 12, 2025
Moonika was super. She listened to our requirements and set out to plan a great trip for our group of 4 adults. The excursions she planned were fantastic and so memorable. The hotels were quaint and unique for their destinations which is exactly how we like to travel. Our guides and drivers in Estonia and Finland were all excellent, flexible and offered different perspectives to our experiences. Moonika was available when we needed her and proactively checked in on us as well. We never would... Read more

Moonika was super. She listened to our requirements and set out to plan a great trip for our group of 4 adults. The excursions she planned were fantastic and so memorable. The hotels were quaint and unique for their destinations which is exactly how we like to travel. Our guides and drivers in Estonia and Finland were all excellent, flexible and offered different perspectives to our experiences. Moonika was available when we needed her and proactively checked in on us as well. We never would have had the smooth experience we had without her careful planning.

Hotel Review
Cru Hotel
Tallinn

Great location and quaint property. Comfortable. Very low ceilings hindered our 6'5" traveller. As this is an older hotel, there are no elevators and the walls between rooms are very thin and affect lack of privacy. Lovely bar area for evening drinks and cards. Nice staff and service. Breakfast was moderate.

Authenticity & Character
Lovely character. Charming, quirky and medieval.
Location
Great location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Various floor and ceiling elevations required careful navigation in rooms and public spaces.
Local specialist: Moonika Apart
Moonika
Moonika Apart
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Jan 13, 2025

Thank you for such wonderful feedback Linda! I’m so glad to hear the trip met your expectations and that you enjoyed the excursions, accommodations, and guides. It was a pleasure planning this journey for your group, and I’m delighted it created memorable experiences for you all!

I hope to have you as my guests again in the future!

Best,
Moonika

Magical Winter Wonderland
Finland | Dec 28 - Jan 4, 2025

H
Heather O.
Dallas, TX | Reviewed on Jan 11, 2025

Our trip to Finland was amazing. Moonika planned the most special trip for us, taking care of every detail. From our arrival to departure, it was seem less.

Local specialist: Moonika Apart
Moonika
Moonika Apart
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Jan 13, 2025

Thank you so much for your feedback Heather! I’m thrilled you had an amazing trip, and it was my pleasure to help make it special. I hope to have you as my guests again in the future!

Best,
Moonika

A trip beyond our expectations
Finland | Dec 29 - Jan 2, 2025

Alice
Alice W.
Singapore | Reviewed on Jan 09, 2025
We had an absolutely fantastic experience with Moonika from Kimkim! The trip exceeded all our expectations—every detail was thoughtfully planned and perfectly organized. A highlight of our journey was witnessing the breathtaking Northern Lights on New Year's Eve, an unforgettable moment that made the trip truly magical. Moonika was incredibly responsive throughout the process, always quick to answer our questions and accommodate our needs. Her professionalism and meticulous planning... Read more

We had an absolutely fantastic experience with Moonika from Kimkim! The trip exceeded all our expectations—every detail was thoughtfully planned and perfectly organized. A highlight of our journey was witnessing the breathtaking Northern Lights on New Year's Eve, an unforgettable moment that made the trip truly magical.

Moonika was incredibly responsive throughout the process, always quick to answer our questions and accommodate our needs. Her professionalism and meticulous planning ensured a smooth and stress-free vacation for us.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Moonika and Kimkim to friends and family. This was a trip we’ll cherish forever, thanks to her expert guidance and care.

Local specialist: Moonika Apart
Moonika
Moonika Apart
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Jan 10, 2025

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! I’m so happy to hear the trip exceeded your expectations and that seeing the Northern Lights on New Year’s Eve was such a magical experience. It was a pleasure planning this journey for you, and I’m glad it brought you such great memories.

I hope to have you as our guests again in the future.

Best,
Moonika

Wow so much to say......Excursions in Rovaniemi
Finland | Jan 1 - Jan 6, 2025

J
JAMES Z.
Dallas, TX | Reviewed on Jan 07, 2025
Wow so much to say...........
I travel to Jerusalem, my tour guide is in Jerusalem. I will be traveling to Istanbul, my guide is in Istanbul. I vacation to Lapland and my guide is in Detroit/Estonia?? Emerson was too far away to be very helpful.
The hotel, Arctic Light Hotel, was very nice. The breakfast buffet wonderful. The front desk people very professional and nice. But was this hotel **** hell no! The room size was the size of my walk in closet in Texas. Amazing to say, there were no...
Read more

Wow so much to say...........
I travel to Jerusalem, my tour guide is in Jerusalem. I will be traveling to Istanbul, my guide is in Istanbul. I vacation to Lapland and my guide is in Detroit/Estonia?? Emerson was too far away to be very helpful.
The hotel, Arctic Light Hotel, was very nice. The breakfast buffet wonderful. The front desk people very professional and nice. But was this hotel **** hell no! The room size was the size of my walk in closet in Texas. Amazing to say, there were no dresser draws or night stand tables with draws. So there was no where to unpack your suite cases. So we had one suite case on the coffee table, one on the chair and two on the floor. I went to the front desk and stated you have no dressers!! The attendant said I "went on line and saw the photo of the room, yes you do!" Went on line........ ?? Later I complained to the 'manager', we have no dressers. He walked up to the room and explained that the shelves on top of the closet were the draws for the cloths. If we were from Finland, six foot six, that explanation would still be laughable. But being Italian/Hispanic at 5 feet and five feet six, we needed a chair to put anything on those shelves.

I learned with the tremendous influx of tourists, that these tourist locations needed to hire workers from other countries. So as stated, the front desk people were all class, but some of the workers had little knowledge of their location. So for an excursion to say meet at the 'wild about Lapland' office location, and the hotel front desk is Googling where the office is, and our guide chilling in Estonia has no clue either, it added to the stress. To be honest, my old age did not help. Siri and hard to pronounce street names did not help 'maps'. Plus the I-phone was under six layers of cloths. With the 8 year old and the -25 C weather conditions, the fear of wondering around the city was petrifying. As you know, all the tours stated best be on time or will happily leave without you. Since 99.9% of the travelers are taking excursions, the hotel staff needs to know blindly where ALL these meeting locations are. Don't give me an address. Tell me walk out of the hotel, first left, walk up the street with the Christmas trees, pass Burger King .........

More fun things.........the driver from the airport. was nice until he got to the hotel. Then he happily put all the suite cases in the snow outside the hotel and asked if we needed help. Nah, just leave the f-ing suite cases in the snow. So he brings a couple into the hotel ten feet from the van, and starts to 'sing and dance' for a tip. Not tip given and stormed back into the street. On the way home, the driver, without asking, brought the suite case into the airport and was tipped. He was thrilled!

The 'Snow Hotel' and dinner probably the best of the trip. Unfortunately, mental blunder by the tour guide in Estonia. We were all finished with dinner at 21:30, and the bus to bring us back to the hotel was not to come until 23:00. So while Emerson was keeping warm, we were trying to avoid frost bite waiting for one and half hours in the ice cold lounge with the -25C temp.

The snow mobile excursion was great. But please don't mention a class to teach you how to drive one. Press the button to start, press here to go is not a class to manage the vehicle. I'll mention this here. We dressed and had cold winter cloths. We did not have to wear those unsightly winter jump suites over all our cloths. I imagine it's a legal issue. "We recommend that you wear our cloths and boots over your cloths so that you look like meat balls" The last two trips I refused. I was dressed plenty warm. This was the worst part of the trip for the wife. She being short, these outfits made her look so bad. Dressing the eight year old was difficult, and then putting the jump suites on ourselves was not fun. Plus on all the tours, they were yelling HURRY UP the tour was getting ready to leave!! We should have gotten to all the tours 1/2 hour earlier. But your excursions companies wish to jam as many tours into the day to generate as much cash as possible.

Emerson from Estonia, you can't book tours on the weekends at 8 am when the dinning facilities at the hotel don't open until 8. Or tell me where to get something to eat for the grand-daughter in the snow? Or how to eat with two pairs of mittens on?

But I saved the best for last. Where did you get this clown from? JOHKA 358-40-544-53854
The first 'Northern Lights' tour was cancelled. I was the one who e-mailed you when at 12:30 two days later I had heard nothing about a new tour. I got an email from you and notification from the front dest to be ready in the hotel lobby at 19:00. This Johka arrives 15 minutes late and then yells at me because the lights were better hours ago and he was unable contact me. Then he states he is driving to Sweden! So I said yeah, but the 8 year old and I are going to pee again before leaving.
By the way the wife was vomiting; food poisoning, the last two days of the trip and did not go on any excursions. Yes I know no refunds, since your company is so cheap, but not one of your people even said "I'm sorry she is not well" or "I hope she feels better". Not one! Very sad. Back to this clown.......We get into the van with a 7 and 10 year old girl and a wealthy mother. We drive into a snow bank, and this guy says to you want to take a portrait? I am thinking a portrait? With the grand-daughter totally covered up and only her eyes showing, and me looking like a balloon? No. I am thinking he will take a picture, go on line, google images Northern Lights Finland and photo shop. The only thing we had seen was mist'. He never explained what he was doing. Or his plan. This is when I would tell any of your clients get female tour guides. Females have brains, and men are dumb as dirt.

This Johka was a perfect example, dumb as dirt. The tour description stated Northern Lights 7 PM. Lasting 4-6 Hours
Ladies, imagine going on a eight (8) hour excursion and the driving never saying does anyone have to pee? Or are any of you children 7,8 and 10 year old girls hungry? WTF (For Emerson in Estonia this means What The F--k) It was only the children's mother who told me she requested that he found a bath room. So dumb as dirt says there is a 7 Eleven and gas station one hour away...........What??

We were given a box of cookies and juice. The children ate close to two hundred cookies. They were starving.
After driving around half the arctic, I asked him when we were heading home. He told me we were still in Sweden. It was 01:30. He told me we were another one and 1/2 hours from the hotel. Losing it, I told him he was getting 7, 8 and 10 year old children home at 3:00 in the morning? The girls didn't enjoy anything concerning the Northern Lights. The best part of the trip was eating ice cream at 7 Eleven. When we got back to hotel I told my baby let's get you into bed......it was 3 am. Your driver, I hope he wasn't expecting a tip, yelled out next time make sure you review the excursion details......I did later, tour time 4-6 hours. Not 8 hours. He wasn't the one to wake up the baby in four hours to the Zoo tour scheduled for the next day.
If I wasn't with my grand-daughter, I would have kicked his Finnish Ass right out side the hotel. The zoo tour guide the next day, a woman sweet like sugar, said I hope. it wasn't her company. They have an 'family friendly' tour a 7-11 tour and a longer Northern Lights tour. Emerson, just had a mental error booking us on the wrong tour. But none of the tours was listed as eight hours. If my wife, remember who was back at the hotel vomiting that no one cared about, would have choked his ass right in the snow bank.

Hotel Review
Arctic Light Hotel
Rovaniemi

I forgot.......when you travel to Europe the hotel rooms are the sizes of walk in closets. Our room had no dresser draws. It had no night stands/tables. There was no where to unpack or put your cloths. The front desk was highly professional and helpful. The hotel lobby very pretty and classy. The breakfast buffet just great. The breakfast buffet can't open at eight, if people have excursions that start at eight. The hotel is too expensive to have breakfast included in the price, and opens too late to capitalize on it. The location is perfect but some of the seasonal workers were unfamiliar with their surroundings

Authenticity & Character
just nice
Location
Right near main street with all the Christmas trees.
Staff
All class!!
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Snowmobile Safari to Santa Claus Village
Snowmobile Safari to Santa Claus Village
Finland

Nice Excursion Needed to spend more time teaching how to drive a snow mobile. No snow in south Texas. The above would have decreased some of the anxiety level.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
All people want to take photos of their trip. Bad enough the I-phone is hidden in 6 layers of clothing, don't yell at people for taking out their cell phones to take pictures.
Transport
Family Husky Safari
Family Husky Safari
Rovaniemi

very cool and lots of fun feeding the dogs great for kids with the price of the excursion, I think we had to pay for the food to feed the dogs. Kind of cheap

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
I got yelled at for taking out my cell phone to take pictures.........I. understand the reasoning but kind of sad
Transport
SnowHotel & Ice Dinner Experience
SnowHotel & Ice Dinner Experience
Rovaniemi

very cool (cold) place. Grand-daughter enjoyed the hotel the best

Quality of Experience
Food
Dessert in ice dish very cool. It is just impossible to enjoy a hot meal when the temperature is -25C
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
The experience and the dinner ended at 21:30. The return driver showed up at 23:00. What were we suppose to do for the other one and 1/2 hours??
Reindeer Safari in the Nature of Lapland
Reindeer Safari in the Nature of Lapland
Rovaniemi

Great for kids Should have been given two sleds Two adults and an eight year old too tight and squished in one sled.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The owner of the Reindeer farm really did not have command of the English language. Hard to understand
Transport
Ranua Wildlife Park Visit
Ranua Wildlife Park Visit
Finland

In Texas at the zoo the animals look half dead it is so hot. Here the animals were half hibernating or under ground due to the cold. The eight year old still had a blast

Quality of Experience
Food
Is the only food in Finland mashed potatoes and meat balls?
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our guide....sorry for forgetting her name (tall skinny white girl) was sweet like sugar and my grand-daughter just loved her,
Transport
Flexible Northern Lights Hunting
Flexible Northern Lights Hunting
Rovaniemi

I guess I should have known that with the naked eye you see nothing special in the Northern Lights. Only with a special camera and filters or computer enhancement do you appreciate the bright colors that you see on postcards or mugs. Oddly enough, taking photos of white haze and mist with my cell phone actually some color showed up. Our guide Johka avoid. He was an absolute jerk. He forgot he had three young girls on our tour. He never asked them if they had to pee or if they were hungry. He seemed to be more interested in their mother when she said that her husband was vacationing in Florida alone. They talked for hours while I was totally ignored. The trip should have lasted 4-6 hours. Our tour returned at 3 am, eight hours later, with all the children having non-refundable excursions in the morning. How pathetic. Then this ass outside the hotel when I tell my grand-daughter let's get you in bed, his response, "Next time read the excursion description". This clown had no common sense. He had no idea whom his passengers would be. He made no adjustments now knowing the ages of the children. I just hope this rich American womana from CA tipped him well.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Get a female tour guide who has some. motherly instincts and common sense.
Transport
Don't put young children in a van for eight hours
Local specialist: Emerson Siimer
Emerson
Emerson Siimer
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Jan 09, 2025
Hello James Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. I’m truly sorry to hear that certain parts of your trip didn’t meet your expectations, and I appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns. As your travel agent, my role is to design a detailed trip plan, coordinate all arrangements, and provide support remotely throughout your travels. While I am not physically present, I have traveled extensively in the region and am very familiar with these destinations. My... Read more

Hello James

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. I’m truly sorry to hear that certain parts of your trip didn’t meet your expectations, and I appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.

As your travel agent, my role is to design a detailed trip plan, coordinate all arrangements, and provide support remotely throughout your travels. While I am not physically present, I have traveled extensively in the region and am very familiar with these destinations. My expertise allows me to craft a well-thought-out itinerary and ensure you have all the information needed to enjoy your trip. Although I do not accompany clients, I provide clear instructions and guidance to help navigate the itinerary smoothly and address any potential concerns. Following the provided plan is key to making the most of the experience.

Regarding the Northern Lights tour, I explained in detail back in May how the tour operates, including its flexible nature and the potential for longer durations depending on conditions. I also mentioned that the tour may involve long drives, even crossing into Sweden, to maximize the chances of seeing the aurora. This flexibility is what sets the tour apart and helps travelers have the best possible experience. I wish you had shared your concerns with me at that time, as it would have allowed us to address any misunderstandings or make adjustments in advance.

For navigation, I recommended having a functional phone and a local SIM card to ensure smooth communication and navigation. Without a working phone, I understand that finding your way in unfamiliar locations, especially in challenging weather conditions, was stressful. While I provided detailed instructions for all meeting points, I regret that this became a source of frustration for you.

Regarding winter clothing, I understand that the overalls provided during activities were not ideal in terms of aesthetics or comfort. However, these garments are standard for Arctic tours, as they are essential for protecting travelers from the extreme cold. While I understand your concerns, the priority is always your safety and comfort in such harsh conditions.

For the Arctic Light Hotel, I understand that the room size and storage options did not meet your expectations. European boutique hotels, including this one, often have smaller rooms compared to accommodations in other parts of the world. While this is standard, I regret that it wasn’t what you were accustomed to.

I was unaware of your wife’s illness during the trip, as it was not communicated to me. Had I known, I would have done everything possible to assist and ensure her comfort.

I want to emphasize that I made every effort to support you during your trip. I was in contact with you almost every day or tried to be whenever possible. For example, when I received your message about the Northern Lights tour, I responded immediately, contacted the hotel, and ensured the information was passed on to you. While I deeply regret any miscommunication or challenges you faced, my goal was to ensure your trip went as smoothly as possible.

Thank you again for your feedback. I value it greatly and will use it to improve my services. While there were difficulties, I hope there were moments of joy and wonder during your journey. If you’d like to discuss this further or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Best regards,
Emerson

Fantastic Finland
Finland | Nov 18 - Nov 24, 2024

T
Tram D.
San Jose, CA | Reviewed on Jan 06, 2025
Moonika was very detailed and communicative. She reached out to us before the trip to confirm all the tour activities. She also reached out to us throughout the trip to ensure everything went as planned. I really enjoy the vendors where she booked for our husky and reindeer sled rides. I could tell they actually do care about the animals, and not just a business. Even when the train was delayed, she made sure we were updated and received any possible refunds. Overall, I had an amazing time in... Read more

Moonika was very detailed and communicative. She reached out to us before the trip to confirm all the tour activities. She also reached out to us throughout the trip to ensure everything went as planned. I really enjoy the vendors where she booked for our husky and reindeer sled rides. I could tell they actually do care about the animals, and not just a business. Even when the train was delayed, she made sure we were updated and received any possible refunds. Overall, I had an amazing time in Finland.

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Haven
Helsinki
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Overnight Train
Arctic City Hotel
Rovaniemi
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Helsinki City Walking Tour
Helsinki City Walking Tour
Helsinki

The tour guide is awesome with such great details and information. She really understands Helsinki and really she made me wished that I would have more time exploring the city with her.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Tallinn Day Trip
Tallinn Day Trip
Helsinki
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Flexible Northern Lights Hunting
Flexible Northern Lights Hunting
Rovaniemi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Korouoma Canyon & Frozen Waterfalls Adventure
Korouoma Canyon & Frozen Waterfalls Adventure
Finland
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Early Winter Husky Tour
Early Winter Husky Tour
Rovaniemi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Group Reindeer Safari and Farm Visit
Group Reindeer Safari and Farm Visit
Rovaniemi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Moonika Apart
Moonika
Moonika Apart
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Jan 07, 2025

Thank you for your kind words! I’m so glad you had an amazing time in Finland and enjoyed the activities. It was a pleasure helping you, and I’d love to assist with your next trip!

Best,
Moonika

EPIC FINLAND HOLIDAY
Finland | Dec 25 - Jan 2, 2025

Svetoslav
Svetoslav B.
Atlanta, GA | Reviewed on Jan 05, 2025
Finland was a lifetime dream of mine. I dreamed of seeing the aurora perform and for my 2 kids to experience the “real” Santa Claus and where he lives and everything that are associated with Christmas the Arctic way. This company fulfilled all our dreams and more. Everything was well organized, the drivers for our transport and transfers were ALWAYS on time, and the accomodations were cute and perfect which gave us a real intimate family time for 10 days. We went to different cities and had... Read more

Finland was a lifetime dream of mine. I dreamed of seeing the aurora perform and for my 2 kids to experience the “real” Santa Claus and where he lives and everything that are associated with Christmas the Arctic way. This company fulfilled all our dreams and more. Everything was well organized, the drivers for our transport and transfers were ALWAYS on time, and the accomodations were cute and perfect which gave us a real intimate family time for 10 days. We went to different cities and had an excursion every single day where each ran 3-4 hours which was just enough to not exhaust everyone for we love to ski and go out and explore the cities by ourselves as well. The companies who facilitated the excutions were very nice, polite and professional. I cried so many times just being overjoyed of the experience and seeing my kids having a great great great time without their devices and we did not even watch TV for everytime we got home we fondly talk about how our excursions went. I LOVED every bit of the experience. Because of this company Finland did not disappoint us! Everything was well thought.. I realized that on our last day where we had our accomodation in the glass igloo at Levi where it had the coldest weather where we had frost on our eyebrows, lashes and hair everytime we made that walk from our igloo to the Elves village— coming from Florida this was even so much fun and funny for us!!’. We had the aurora dancing around us all night from 9:30 pm to 4:30 am on our last night!!!!…

Monika personally greeted us at the hotel on our very first night and this was a huge relief, just having a face to the voice and the goody bag was really thoughtful. She gave us a gnome which is now sitting on our souvenir console at home.

If we had to change something, it would have been combining the reindeer and husky sledding in one day. Then we could have had one more day to ski that had good amount of light. By the time we got home from our excurions about 1:30-2pm the sun has already set and the resorts close by 6pm (not enough time) and skiing can be a challenge especially during those days that the sun does not even show up and worse the temps go down and the winds are get strong later the day to a point that lifts are closed down. Though we had a couple of night excursions and this really gave us a good amount of time to skiunder some natural light and great conditions!

Overall, we genuinelt had an EPIC experience. It was worth every penny; gave my hubby and I convenience; travelling with family of small kid and young adult can be a challenge. Having a company organize everything takes away so much stress.

Thank you for this unforgettable experience!

Hotel Reviews
Lapland Hotels Ounasvaara Chalets
Rovaniemi

accommodation was great… Breakfast was really good… The room was spacious enough for a family of 4 but there was no way to control the heating system… We understand that the weather outside was really cold, but the room was super heated to a point where we had to open a window because it got really hot and sweaty for us and unfortunately, no window can be opened on the first floor…I literally was on my undies and mu hubby shirtless the entire time we were in the chalet.. There was no help in carrying our luggage from reception to our chalets on very thick snow. Thiugh the sign sats 200 meters, I know its not just 200 meters… having a sauna was a good feature.. wall was sound proof

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Pyhä Igloos
Pyhä

Cute and did not disappoint our aurora experience

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
super friendly
Cleanliness & Comfort
Lapland Hotels Riekonlinna
Saariselkä
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Ylläsrinne
Ylläsjärvi
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Aurora Hunt by Car
Aurora Hunt by Car
Finland
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Authentic Siberian Husky Experience
Authentic Siberian Husky Experience
Saariselkä
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Reindeer Experience with Lunch
Reindeer Experience with Lunch
Saariselkä
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Aurora Snowshoeing Adventure
Aurora Snowshoeing Adventure
Finland
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Ice Fishing Experience
Ice Fishing Experience
Finland
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
SnowHotel & Ice Dinner Experience
SnowHotel & Ice Dinner Experience
Rovaniemi
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Moonika Apart
Moonika
Moonika Apart
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Jan 12, 2025

Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m so happy to hear the trip was everything you dreamed of and more. It’s wonderful that your family had such special moments together and that the details we planned helped make it all stress-free. Wishing you and your family many more amazing adventures!
Best,
Moonika

An Arctic Tale of Two Cities...
Finland | Dec 21 - Dec 28, 2024

D
Dirk K.
Atlanta, GA | Reviewed on Jan 01, 2025
The trip overall was one we will always remember and cherish. Our family of 4, with an 18 year old and 15 year old, made the trek to Lapland from the southern United States to see the Aurora Borealis and Santa Claus. Jennifer did a fantastic job with communication and always helpful with difficult tasks before and during our trip.
We were switched to a different trip planner (Jennifer) a couple months before the trip and think that she would have had a much better go of it had she been the...
Read more

The trip overall was one we will always remember and cherish. Our family of 4, with an 18 year old and 15 year old, made the trek to Lapland from the southern United States to see the Aurora Borealis and Santa Claus. Jennifer did a fantastic job with communication and always helpful with difficult tasks before and during our trip.
We were switched to a different trip planner (Jennifer) a couple months before the trip and think that she would have had a much better go of it had she been the planner from the beginning. She had to make up a lot of shortcomings in both planning and communication from the original planner. Jennifer did an excellent job in helping us while on the ground, as in country logistics and travel proved to be challenging. We think most, if not all, of the struggles with those logistics would have been avoided if Jennifer had been our planner from the start. She was placed in late and had to work within a somewhat flawed itinerary that she had no part in, initially. It should be noted that taxi transfers in this part of Finland are exorbitant and often difficult to obtain during the Christmas week. Would highly recommend renting a car. Otherwise, the cabs were always spacious and very friendly. Specific feedback on the resorts:
Apukka Resort:
Room was lovely. Small for the family of 4 that we were placing in it, but exceptionally nice. Nicely private in spite of there being other igloos around us. The very muted lighting of the resort made for exceptional Aurora viewing. Minimal light from the ground and rooms. We were able to have the sort of Aurora viewing, with the naked eye, that you usually only see on highly filtered social media posts. Did a nice job on their menus to appeal to a wide swathe of guests. Service was friendly and available. Had a minor problem with the room door freezing shut, but they came out and devised a solution quickly.
Overall excellent experience, would definitely recommend and would happily stay here again.
Kakslautanen Arctic Resort:
An entirely different experience from the prior resort. While the room was very spacious for our family of 4, it was exceptionally dated. No amenities whatsoever were supplied. We have visited 30 countries around the globe and have stayed in everything from hostels to the finest hotels in the world. The price point of this resort was on par with the finest hotels in the world. The amenities were not. No maid service was given unless we called, no soap, shampoo nor conditioner was provided. The in room sauna to difficult to work. In a room costing around 2000 euro a night, this complete lack of anything is entirely unacceptable. As has been noted on multiple travel sites, Kakslautanen charges extra for EVERYTHING! They even charge you for firewood for the fireplace in the room.
For a resort that prides itself on the Aurora viewing (to the point that there is a screeching Aurora alarm in the cabin that pierces the silent nights whenever they determine that the lights can be seen -- we thought there was a fire when it first went off. Seriously, there should have been a warning and the capacity to shut this off), the ground light pollution was overwhelming. In complete contrast to Apukka, the neighboring igloos could see directly into ours, and the extremely bright porch lights from other igloos made any Aurora viewing from our glass igloo impossible.
As mentioned above, taxis were difficult to get this time of year. The resort is in the middle of nowhere, so that lead to the feeling of being trapped. This was particularly noted given the at culinary options were atrocious. The 25 euro daily lunch bullet consisted of a single 15 foot table with soup, salad and unimpressive cold cuts on it. The daily offerings were over 50% Indian food with no local cuisine at all the 3 .5 days we were there.
The resort must be targeted to a different traveler demographic than our family represents. The common areas were always overrun with Asian tourists. Their giant tour busses made it nearly impossible to find our taxis, and the concept of waiting in a line for ones turn, be it at the buffet, the bar or the restroom, was completely absent. It made for a very stressful, overcrowded and frustrating experience. The staff, with the notable exception of the front desk manager who worked very hard to find us a taxi one afternoon, was aggressively unhelpful. No assistance was ever offered, even on approaching the reception desk. Whenever we asked a question, or even placed an order at the bar, we were treated as though we were a nuisance.
The excursions, however, were all fantastic as well as the guides! The husky sledding, snowmobiling, ice karting and reindeer rides were well run, engaging, informative, exciting and tremendous!
Outside of the excursions, however, the service was at best mediocre. The waitstaff was stretched very thin, drinks were uninspired and difficult to get. Water glasses sat empty. Food arrived in no particular order. This distasteful experience was made particularly stark after we made an afternoon trip (that the aforementioned very helpful desk manager arranged transport for) to Saariselka. This was the next tiny little town up the highway, 15 minutes away. The town was quaint, the service was excellent and the food was both local and delicious. We have no idea why the resort could not achieve this level of excellence when the most expensive accommodation in Saariselka was 20% the cost of our room.
We will never return to Kakslautanen. We would advise in the strongest possible terms that no one else does either.
In the end, this was a tale of two cities, of sorts. Apukka was tremendous, Kakslautanen was very disappointing.

Local specialist: Jennifer Hasslund

Winter Finland Trip
Finland | Dec 6 - Dec 12, 2024

Charlotte
Charlotte E.
Chicago, IL | Reviewed on Dec 22, 2024
Moonika was super helpful and responsive the entire trip and would definitely use her services again in the future. The trip to Provoo was a great day trip from Helsinki and our guide was great. Taking the train up to Lapland was a great experience. Loved the reindeer and husky tours, especially driving the sled myself for the husky tour. I booked with Moonika and kimkim so that I didn't have to worry about coordinating anything and know that I was getting a quality experience and I... Read more

Moonika was super helpful and responsive the entire trip and would definitely use her services again in the future.

The trip to Provoo was a great day trip from Helsinki and our guide was great. Taking the train up to Lapland was a great experience. Loved the reindeer and husky tours, especially driving the sled myself for the husky tour.

I booked with Moonika and kimkim so that I didn't have to worry about coordinating anything and know that I was getting a quality experience and I was definitely not disappointed.

Hotel Reviews
Overnight Train

Had a room with bunk beds and bathroom. Small quarters so you have to take turns getting ready and work around you luggage but a great experience. I would definitely do this trip again

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Everyone was nice and helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Small but very clean
Hotel Fabian
Helsinki

Great location and within walking distance to a lot points of interest

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Arctic Light Hotel
Rovaniemi

Lovely hotel and in a good location

Authenticity & Character
The sauna onsite is a great amenity
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Porvoo Private Day Tour
Porvoo Private Day Tour
Helsinki

The tour was customizable and the tour guide was super knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend this trip.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Having the tour guide meet us at our hotel and get us to the bus station was super helpful. Enjoyed taking the bus fun experience
Premium Husky & Reindeer Safari
Premium Husky & Reindeer Safari
Rovaniemi

Learning about the reindeer was fun and enjoyed the lunch that was provided. I didn't expect to drive the sled for the husky tour but it was definitely a highlight

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Everyone was super friendly
Transport
Korouoma Canyon & Frozen Waterfalls Adventure
Korouoma Canyon & Frozen Waterfalls Adventure
Finland

Fun hike that is accessible for all levels

Quality of Experience
Food
Fun experience cooking our food within the park
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Tour guide was knowledgeable
Transport
Local specialist: Moonika Apart
Moonika
Moonika Apart
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Dec 23, 2024

Thank you for your kind words Charlotte! I’m so glad you enjoyed your trip, especially the husky and reindeer tours, and that everything was smooth and stress-free. It was a pleasure helping you, and I’d be happy to assist with your future adventures!
All the best and Happy Holidays!
Moonika

All of Our Wishes Came True!
Finland | Nov 30 - Dec 6, 2024

Christina
Christina R.
Atlanta, GA | Reviewed on Dec 16, 2024
Wow, Emerson did a great job and nailed our trip for us! We got to do everything we wanted to do and Emerson was essentially in my back pocket the whole time! He stayed in touch with us throughout the trip and gave us ideas on places to eat as well. He did a magnificent job and we will use him again in the future! Read more

Wow, Emerson did a great job and nailed our trip for us! We got to do everything we wanted to do and Emerson was essentially in my back pocket the whole time! He stayed in touch with us throughout the trip and gave us ideas on places to eat as well. He did a magnificent job and we will use him again in the future!

Hotel Reviews
Glass resort
Rovaniemi

This place is amazing, I actually wish we could have stayed here longer than one night. They have a hot tub and provide you with robes and head scarfs so when you are in the hot tub your head is warm too! Really a great place and you can just walk right over to Santa's Village. The food was really good too. We had a great dinner!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Overnight Train

Wow what a great way to travel when you need to move about a country....you don't lose any time seeing the sights. We hopped on the train in Helsinki at 11:00 pm and arrived in Rovaniemi at 11:00 am the next day with a good rest, shower and a decent breakfast. The sleeper bunks were comfortable, the rattle of the train helped you sleep and the bathroom was quite a unique item. I have never seen a door that opens into the toilet and provides you with a shower! Very talented person who invented that for tight spaces.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
GLO Hotel Art
Helsinki

This hotel is in a good location and had an amazing breakfast and such wonderful character with the building. We stayed here for a couple of nights and could easily walk to any restaurant, site or whatever we wanted to do. The only bummer was the elevator was broken while we were there and my poor husband had to carry both LARGE suitcases up the winding staircase for two flights! What a champ!

Authenticity & Character
Great character here!
Location
Staff
We left all our cash and passport in the safe AFTER we checked out for over 11 hours and the nicely held onto all of it until we could return late that night.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Villa Happy Fox
Rovaniemi

This B&B type place was way off the beaten path, but the folks who own it are very nice. We had in our 2 night stay and it included a sauna and Finnish dinner. We didn't see much of the property because we were touring day and night, but on the last night for the sauna and dinner, well it was amazing! The sauna is high end with his and her bathrooms and the sauna is situated at the end so you can both walk in from your bathroom. Very nicely built and then we sat down for a great dinner consisting of salmon and roasted vegetables. It was really very, very good. The B&B part of the place was very nice with each room having it's own kitchenette, bathroom and bed area. They provided breakfast in your suite and you just had to whip it up!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Helsinki City Walking Tour
Helsinki City Walking Tour
Helsinki

We had a great walking tour of the city with lots of information. We enjoyed dinner at Seahorse that night, really, really good food!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Tallinn Day Trip
Tallinn Day Trip
Helsinki

We took the ferry (this is a cruise ship) over to Tallinn for the day and had a tour guide who enthusiastically took us all around the city. It was absolutely freezing this day! Anyway, we visited the Christmas market and then had a great dinner at Rataskaevu 16. Then headed back to the ferry to Helsinki. The ferry is easy, and they have duty free on board. It takes about 2 hours to get over there and then 2 hours back, but the seats are comfortable. They provide food to buy, but we didn't do that.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Group Reindeer Safari and Farm Visit
Group Reindeer Safari and Farm Visit
Rovaniemi

Andrei was our guide here. Unfortunately there was no snow (December 3) and they made a small track for the reindeer to take us around at least for photo ops. They also provided us with hot juice and cookies in the small fireside house and talked a lot about the reindeer and traditions so that was nice. There are 180,000 reindeer and 200,000 people! The reindeer are free to leave but always come back because they have food. Another interesting fact is every reindeer is owned by someone and it's rude to ask how many reindeer they have or what they cost....it's like asking how much money do you make.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Korouoma Canyon & Frozen Waterfalls Adventure
Korouoma Canyon & Frozen Waterfalls Adventure
Finland

We had the best guide here. Rosana is from Italy and goes all over the world being a tour guide for different countries at different times of the year and she knew so much about Finland. We went hiking to the frozen waterfalls and saw folks literally scaling up the ice! We stopped and she provided lunch she had carried in her backpack for us which was really good too. We had fun seeing nature and experiencing nature's amusement park by sliding down your back on certain parts of the trail. Beautiful!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Adults Only Husky Adventure
Adults Only Husky Adventure
Rovaniemi

Again no snow here either for our trip (December 4). They were really nice in getting us all geared out in warm jumpsuits and we did a short trail with a sleigh on wheels instead so they were very accommodating. They served us gogli juice and cookies too. Seems to be a tradition in Finland.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Luxury Log Sauna and Finnish Dinner Experience
Luxury Log Sauna and Finnish Dinner Experience
Rovaniemi

The sauna is really, really nice. You have a his and her bathrooms where you can change and then walk into the sauna at the end of the bathrooms. The quality of build here is amazing. We really enjoyed it and then showered up for an amazing meal prepared by the owners. They made us salmon and roasted potatoes. We actually brought our own wine from the US and they allowed us to enjoy it with our dinner. A really nice experience.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Northern Lights Tour
Northern Lights Tour
Rovaniemi

Oh my gosh! What a small world we live in. Our guide was from Australia and so were our friends and they actually went to the same school together, but were about 3 years apart so they didn't know each other. Alexi was our guide and he just kept chasing the Northern Lights until we found an amazing spot and got to actually watch them materialize before our very eyes! We were situated near a lake and he made a campfire and took pictures. The pictures attached are just from my iPhone which are great too.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Emerson Siimer
Emerson
Emerson Siimer
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Dec 17, 2024

Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! It’s always a pleasure working with great people like you—it makes my job so rewarding. I’m thrilled that you had the trip you dreamed of, and considering the snow conditions, you truly made the most of it. I can’t wait to help you plan your next adventure! Here’s to more unforgettable memories! 😊

Thank you Emerson!
Finland | Nov 28 - Dec 6, 2024

Nikki
Nikki S.
Australia | Reviewed on Dec 11, 2024
We planned our dream trip to the Nordic countries, mainly to see the Northern Lights, which was a huge deal for us. We knew it was all up to nature, but we wanted to give ourselves the best chance of witnessing them.
We can’t thank Emerson enough for all his help from the start—he suggested the best places to go and connected us with top-notch tour providers. And we were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights on almost every tour we booked.
On our second day in Norway, our husky sledding...
Read more

We planned our dream trip to the Nordic countries, mainly to see the Northern Lights, which was a huge deal for us. We knew it was all up to nature, but we wanted to give ourselves the best chance of witnessing them.
We can’t thank Emerson enough for all his help from the start—he suggested the best places to go and connected us with top-notch tour providers. And we were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights on almost every tour we booked.
On our second day in Norway, our husky sledding ride was cancelled due to wild weather but Emerson sorted it out by rescheduling it. If it wasn’t for Emerson, we wouldn’t have been able to reschedule it, and the next day we were back on track for the ride. It was peak season, so we saw plenty of disappointed travellers whose tours were cancelled due to weather, but Emerson stayed in constant contact with all the providers, and everything went smoothly for us. Some of the places we initially wanted to visit didn’t live up to the hype, but the alternatives Emerson suggested were way better.

It was our first wedding anniversary during the trip, and since we were travelling, we didn’t think we’d be able to do anything special. But Emerson went above and beyond to make sure our anniversary day was one to remember.

The accommodation and transport he organised were perfect—everything ran like clockwork. There’s no way our trip would have been anywhere near as amazing without his help.

We honestly can’t thank Emerson enough for everything he did for us. Out trip was perfect only because of Emerson.

Hotel Reviews
Thon Hotel Tromsø
Tromsø
Authenticity & Character
O
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Cahkal Hotel
Kilpisjärvi
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Levin Iglut Glass Igloos
Kitilä
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Arctic Light Hotel
Rovaniemi
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Husky Safari
Husky Safari
Tromsø
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Northern Lights Hunting Tour
Northern Lights Hunting Tour
Tromsø
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Sámi Culture and Reindeer Herding Tour
Sámi Culture and Reindeer Herding Tour
Kilpisjärvi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Chasing the Northern Lights
Chasing the Northern Lights
Kilpisjärvi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Finnish Sauna Experience
Finnish Sauna Experience
Rovaniemi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Aurora Ice Floating
Aurora Ice Floating
Finland
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Emerson Siimer
Emerson
Emerson Siimer
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Dec 14, 2024

Thank you so much for your kind words! It was such a joy to work with you both and help plan a trip as meaningful as this one. You were wonderful travelers—flexible, enthusiastic, and a dream to collaborate with. I’m thrilled that you got to witness the Northern Lights so often and that your anniversary turned into a truly memorable day. Wishing you many more adventures together!

Wow, what can I say about our magical trip
Finland | Nov 27 - Dec 3, 2024

KRISTIN
KRISTIN T.
Dallas, TX | Reviewed on Dec 07, 2024
Wow, what can I say about our magical trip in Finland?!? Moonika did an absolutely stellar job of planning the most epic trip around Rovaniemi and Levi. Throughout the planning process, she was quick to respond and catered the itinerary to meet every "wish list" activity. Our hotels were 5 stars and all the excursions were perfect. I truly feel that Moonika booked us with the "best of the best" tour guides. On our arrival to Rovaniemi, Moonika met us at our hotel with a welcome bag full of... Read more

Wow, what can I say about our magical trip in Finland?!? Moonika did an absolutely stellar job of planning the most epic trip around Rovaniemi and Levi. Throughout the planning process, she was quick to respond and catered the itinerary to meet every "wish list" activity. Our hotels were 5 stars and all the excursions were perfect. I truly feel that Moonika booked us with the "best of the best" tour guides. On our arrival to Rovaniemi, Moonika met us at our hotel with a welcome bag full of local goodies to start our trip off right. 

The Arctic Lights Hotel is beautiful, the staff are warm and friendly, and I can not rave more about the restaurant. It was on par with a Michelin rated restaurant with the best food we've had! 

Our aurora hunting tour guide, Antti-Emil was possibly the best in the business! He searched out the perfect spots to view the northern lights and an absolute professional at capturing the best photographs. He knew how to light us perfectly against the beautiful aurora backdrop and his editing skills are exceptional, a true master! 

Our reindeer adventure with Eanan was amazing! It's an indigenous, reindeer herder female owner business and her story of building and running it was fascinating. The reindeer ride and feeding the smaller reindeer will be something I'll always remember. While telling us stories inside the hut, Janita shared her delicious homemade cake with fresh picked berries that she had made that day and hot cocoa. What a dream! 

We stayed in a glass cabin at the Northern Lights Ranch and on our last night, the northern lights danced above us for one last show and a perfect end to an amazing adventure! 

Hotel Review
Arctic Light Hotel
Rovaniemi

The Arctic Lights Hotel is beautiful, the staff are warm and friendly, and I can not rave more about the restaurant. It was on par with a Michelin rated restaurant with the best food we've had! The sauna is free to use as a guest, just book a time spot with the front desk. Perfect location to walk around Rovaniemi.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
So friendly and welcoming!
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Flexible Northern Lights Hunting
Flexible Northern Lights Hunting
Rovaniemi

Our aurora hunting tour guide, Antti-Emil was possibly the best in the business! He searched out the perfect spots to view the northern lights and an absolute professional at capturing the best photographs. He knew how to light us perfectly against the beautiful aurora backdrop and his editing skills are exceptional, a true master! 

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Antti-Emil was absoultely amazing!
Transport
Reindeer Adventure
Reindeer Adventure
Levi

Our reindeer adventure with Eanan was amazing! It's an indigenous, reindeer herder female owner business and her story of building and running it was fascinating. The reindeer ride and feeding the smaller reindeer will be something I'll always remember. While telling us stories inside the hut, Janita shared her delicious homemade cake with fresh picked berries that she had made that day and hot cocoa. What a dream!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Husky Sledding Safari
Husky Sledding Safari
Rovaniemi

Such a fun experience! After the ride, we warmed up in the hut with sausage and cider!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Levi Fell Snowmobile Adventure
Levi Fell Snowmobile Adventure
Levi

So much fun! The warm donuts and hot coca hit the spot after a cold ride through the wilderness!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Aurora Tour by Van
Aurora Tour by Van
Levi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Moonika Apart
Moonika
Moonika Apart
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Dec 09, 2024

Hello Kristin,

Thank you for your kind and detailed review! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed your trip and that our partners made a positive impression. Your feedback means the world to us, and we’ll be sure to share it with everyone involved.

We look forward to helping you plan your next adventure!

All the best,
Moonika

Life Changing Trip!
Finland | Aug 31 - Sep 8, 2024

Emily
Emily J.
Flagami, FL | Reviewed on Dec 01, 2024
My trip to Finland was nothing short of extraordinary, and I can confidently say it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. From the moment I arrived, I was captivated by the breathtaking wilderness that seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction. The untouched beauty of the Finnish landscapes, with their dense forests, crystal-clear lakes, and serene hills, created the perfect backdrop for my adventure. One of the highlights of the trip was the incredible biking tours. Pedaling through... Read more

My trip to Finland was nothing short of extraordinary, and I can confidently say it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. From the moment I arrived, I was captivated by the breathtaking wilderness that seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction. The untouched beauty of the Finnish landscapes, with their dense forests, crystal-clear lakes, and serene hills, created the perfect backdrop for my adventure.

One of the highlights of the trip was the incredible biking tours. Pedaling through winding trails, I got to witness the raw beauty of Finland's nature in an adventurous awe-inspiring way. The air was fresh and crisp, and the feeling of being completely immersed in such untouched surroundings was exhilarating.

Hiking through Finland’s pristine forests and up into the rolling hills was equally unforgettable. Each hike brought new surprises, whether it was stumbling upon a quiet lakeside or reaching a peak that offered a panoramic view of the wilderness. Every step felt like a connection to nature itself, peaceful and restorative.

The food was another standout. From hearty Finnish stews to delicious fresh fish and berries, every meal felt like a celebration of the country's natural bounty. Each dish was simple but full of flavor, and the local delicacies were a real treat.

What made this trip truly life-changing, though, was the adventure of witnessing the Northern Lights. I had always dreamed of seeing them, and the moment those brilliant, green lights appeared in the night sky, I was absolutely awestruck. It was as if the universe had given me a gift, a moment of pure magic.

This trip exceeded every expectation I had and more. The adventures, the peaceful solitude of the wilderness, the new experiences, and the memories made were all beyond what I could have ever dreamed of. Tommy, thank you for helping create a truly life-changing experience that I’ll carry with me forever. It was everything I hoped for and so much more.

Hotel Review
Arctic Light Hotel
Rovaniemi
Authenticity & Character
Truly encompasses Finnish culture.
Location
Close to everything. easy to walk wherever needed.
Staff
Extremely polite and helpful. Had great recommendations. Always friendly.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Guided tour to Korouma National Park
Guided tour to Korouma National Park
Rovaniemi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Northern Lights Floating
Northern Lights Floating
Rovaniemi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Arctic Survival
Arctic Survival
Rovaniemi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Northern lights hunting with professional photographer
Northern lights hunting with professional photographer
Finland
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Guided eFatbike tour
Guided eFatbike tour
Rovaniemi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Transport from Rovaniemi Airport to Hotel in Rovaniemi
Transport from Rovaniemi Airport to Hotel in Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
A day with Santa, reindeer and huskies
A day with Santa, reindeer and huskies
Rovaniemi
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Tommy Laukkanen

Flawless and exhilarating Finland experience!
Finland | Oct 29 - Nov 5, 2024

Sar
Sar G.
Flagami, FL | Reviewed on Nov 09, 2024
The primary reason for visiting Finland was to attend the 2024 NHL Global Series games in Tampere. Naturally, we wanted to make the most out of traveling such a long distance from Miami and pack as much fun into the trip as possible. It was such a relief to know that the hassle of setting up transportation and convenient lodging would be taken care of, as it was one of our biggest concerns when considering a trip in an unknown region. Our vacation would’ve been drastically different and... Read more

The primary reason for visiting Finland was to attend the 2024 NHL Global Series games in Tampere. Naturally, we wanted to make the most out of traveling such a long distance from Miami and pack as much fun into the trip as possible. It was such a relief to know that the hassle of setting up transportation and convenient lodging would be taken care of, as it was one of our biggest concerns when considering a trip in an unknown region. Our vacation would’ve been drastically different and wouldn’t have gone so smoothly if it weren’t for the expertise provided by Moonika and the kimkim team.

Moonika was extremely accommodating to our travel needs and was able to provide frequent and timely communication with us both before and throughout our trip. She also exceeded our expectations by keeping an eye out for a better-suited hotel in Tampere months after we had booked our trip.

Our itinerary was not only well-thought out, leaving a perfect balance of leisure time without seeming like time was being wasted, but the amount of detail provided to us left us very little room for questions and concerns. All of our drivers were on time, personable, and professional.

In Helsinki, Nadia from Green Cap Tours was a fantastic guide and provided us with so much information about both the city and Finland in general. It was the perfect way to officially begin our trip and left us feeling more confident when we were left to explore the city on our own once the tour had concluded.

Visiting Tallinn in Estonia wasn’t something we wouldn’t have considered without Moonika’s suggestion and we were so grateful that she had! The massive size of the ferry was a pleasant surprise to us as we were expecting a significantly smaller boat. Tallinn was such a beautiful city and we enjoyed our walking tour with Jorge. We appreciated that he didn’t let the rainfall that occurred throughout the afternoon and evening put a damper on our travels to many key destinations within Old Town Tallinn.

Immediately after our return to Helsinki the next morning we were driven to Tampere. Now, we’d been warned that snow was an unlikely possibility at that time of year, but we held out hope regardless…To our complete surprise we were welcomed with the first snow of the winter! Prior to both hockey games we spent most of the day exploring the city in awe of how gorgeous everything looked covered in fresh sheets of snow. Thanks to a suggestion by another traveler we made the trek to the Pyynikki Observation Tower and it was absolutely worth the walk! We could’ve spent so much more time exploring all that Tampere had to offer, but next on our itinerary was our overnight train to Rovaniemi. That too was an exciting experience as we had never traveled in a sleeper cabin like that before.

Upon our early arrival to Rovaniemi we met Joona. He happened to be both our driver and our guide for the Northern Lights Hunting excursion. He was extremely friendly and so passionate about his craft. The pictures he was able to capture of us on that phenomenal night are almost unbelievable!

We also had an exhilarating time on our Quad Bike tour with Pure Lapland. Our time was filled with laughter from start to finish and we even had a bonus drive-by look at many of the huskies they had on site! However, getting to make a face-first snow angel in the middle of nowhere was my personal favorite part of that adventure.

One of our final destinations of our trip was the Korouoma Canyon. It was one of the most scenic and breathtaking experiences we’d had! The hike was a bit more strenuous than anticipated given the icy surface, but we managed to make it through and got to enjoy a nice snack around the fire.

Without getting into any more detail than I already have I also wanted to mention just how fantastic each of the accommodations were! We really wish we had more time in the Glass Resort to fully appreciate all the amenities and gorgeous views, but we made sure to make the most of it by using the outdoor hot tub before rushing to the indoor sauna!

This trip wouldn’t have been nearly as incredible and unforgettable without all of Moonika’s hard work! We were genuinely surprised by just how smoothly everything had gone and we could not have asked for a better experience. Our expectations were very much exceeded and look forward to planning our next trip in the near future.

Local specialist: Moonika Apart
Moonika
Moonika Apart
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Nov 11, 2024

Hello Sar,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed feedback! It truly made my day to read about how much you enjoyed your trip. Knowing that we were able to make your experience special means the world to us.

I will make sure to share your feedback with our providers as well. I’m so glad we could be a part of your adventure, and I hope it won’t be the last!

Thanks again for your feedback and I hope to have you as our guests again in the future.

All the bets,
Moonika

Outstanding Arctic Aurora Adventure
Finland | Sep 18 - Sep 26, 2024

Ishita
Ishita B.
Singapore | Reviewed on Oct 20, 2024

We recently took a tour with Emerson and had an exceptional experience! The itinerary was thoughtfully planned, allowing us to explore both popular sights and hidden gems.

The accommodations were comfortable and well-located, making our stay enjoyable. I also appreciated the seamless transportation arrangements, which made getting around stress-free.

I highly recommend Emerson to anyone looking for a memorable travel experience!

Local specialist: Emerson Siimer
Emerson
Emerson Siimer
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Oct 21, 2024

Thank you so much for your kind review! I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed the trip and the places we visited. It’s great to know the accommodations and transportation worked well for you too. I always try to make things easy and fun for my travelers. I hope to plan another adventure with you someday!

Moonika and the KimKim team made our trip an ...
Finland | Oct 4 - Oct 9, 2024

J
Jack G.
Flagami, FL | Reviewed on Oct 11, 2024

Moonika and the KimKim team made our trip an incredible experience. Moonika was fast and responsive creating a trip itinerary to Finland that was amazing and allowed us to see some incredible sights in such a condensed amount of time. We especially enjoyed the Northern Lights Ranch and the Northern Lights Tour that we were able to attend!

I would not hesitate to recommend Moonika and rebook with her in the future!

Local specialist: Moonika Apart
Moonika
Moonika Apart
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Oct 12, 2024

Thank you for your review Jack! I'm glad to hear you had a good time and were happy with our services. I hope to have you as our guests again in the future.
Best,
Moonika

Holiday was made special
Finland | Sep 11 - Sep 20, 2024

Chetan
Chetan T.
Singapore | Reviewed on Sep 24, 2024
Itinerary designed by Moonika was perfect, it covered most popular activities/ places of interest, the itinerary wasn’t hectic but at the same time it was quite engaging where each day was felt extremely satisfying and fruitful. There were no hiccups I.e. none of the activities were cancelled, rescheduled etc but all happened as per the plan. We appreciate throughly your professionalism in planning, execution and more importantly being there always to answer our questions. All the activities... Read more

Itinerary designed by Moonika was perfect, it covered most popular activities/ places of interest, the itinerary wasn’t hectic but at the same time it was quite engaging where each day was felt extremely satisfying and fruitful. There were no hiccups I.e. none of the activities were cancelled, rescheduled etc but all happened as per the plan. We appreciate throughly your professionalism in planning, execution and more importantly being there always to answer our questions. All the activities were great. The guides Justin, oren, Anttie, Gaber, and Jyuka were best. They ensured our activities were filled with fun and
knowledge.

Hotel Reviews
GLO Hotel Art
Helsinki

Location is central, breakfast spread is quite large and comfort room size is decent.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Arctic Light Hotel
Rovaniemi

Beautiful rooms, large in size and central location, on one side there is a river and on other side there is market.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Kurula's Resort
Pyhätunturi

The property is new, facilities are excellent. Away from the city but can cycle or private hire.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Moonika Apart
Moonika
Moonika Apart
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Sep 25, 2024

Thank you Chetan for a lovely review. I'm glad to hear you had a good time on your trip with us and I hope to help you plan another trip in the future.
Best,
Moonika

“Active Autumn” Finland and Estonia trip
Finland | Sep 8 - Sep 16, 2024

Lois
Lois M.
San Jose, CA | Reviewed on Sep 23, 2024
Our “Active Autumn” Finland and Estonia trip was perfectly planned by Emerson. It was just the eight amount of “active “ for us ( active seniors) with guided - hikes , city explorations and a bogshoe hike ! The knowledgeable guides were the best part of our adventure - Kieto from Green Cap tours gave us several hours of detailed Finnish history and culture while exploring the city center and ferry to Suomenlinna Island. We also had a food tour with him later in the week and... Read more

Our “Active Autumn” Finland and Estonia trip was perfectly planned by Emerson. It was just the eight amount of “active “ for us ( active seniors) with guided - hikes , city explorations and a bogshoe hike ! The knowledgeable guides were the best part of our adventure - Kieto from Green Cap tours gave us several hours of detailed Finnish history and culture while exploring the city center and ferry to Suomenlinna Island. We also had a food tour with him later in the week and discovered my favorite delicious Salmon soup ( Lohikeitto) . Christopher from Est Adventures provided an amazing amount of fascinating history and current lives of Estonians pre and post Soviet Union occupation. Berit was our naturalist and guide on perhaps our favorite adventure hiking in a beautiful bog an hour outside of Tallinn. Another highlight was our small group Archipelago Excursion with Jeff from Taiga Times . We hiked in yet another gorgeous setting through woods and along the granite shoreline and enjoyed our tasty lunch prepared on site by Jeff.
The hotels chosen by Emerson were charming and well located and the arranged drivers were always exactly on time and also so helpful with local suggestions. One of which was to visit Helsinki’s new Odi library which was amazing - filled with people of all ages and they let out tools, guitars for use in their studios and trailers!
All in all a well planned, wonderful nine days in Finland and Estonia.

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Fabian
Helsinki

Hotel Fabian in Helsinki was our favorite stay during the trip. The hotel has a special designation on TripAdvisor, and it did not disappoint. The rooms were cozy and the service was excellent. Highly recommend!

Hotel Kakola
Turku

The Hotel Kakola, located in Turku, wasn't to my taste. It's an old prison converted into a hotel, so it had a rather gloomy atmosphere with dark gray walls and barbed wire patterns on the curtains. The whole theme was quite unsettling. On a positive note, the service was good, and the staff at the desk were friendly and helpful. The breakfast had a variety of options, but it wasn't as good in quality as the other places we stayed.

Activity Reviews
Taste of Helsinki & Tour of Suomenlinna
Taste of Helsinki & Tour of Suomenlinna
Helsinki

The Taste of Helsinki & Tour of Suomenlinna was just okay for us. The ferry ride was enjoyable and our guide did their best to make the tour interesting, but the historical aspects of the old fort on Suomenlinna didn't quite capture our interest. It might be more appealing to history buffs, but it wasn't entirely to our taste.

Bogshoe Hiking Tour
Bogshoe Hiking Tour
Tallinn

The Bogshoe Hiking Tour in Estonia was an absolute highlight! The nature and scenery were stunning, and it was a unique and enjoyable experience. We would definitely recommend this to other nature lovers.

Local specialist: Emerson Siimer
Emerson
Emerson Siimer
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Sep 24, 2024

Thank you so much for your thoughtful review!

I'm thrilled to hear that your "Active Autumn" trip to Finland and Estonia was such a memorable experience. It was my pleasure to help plan the perfect balance of activity and relaxation for you both. I'm especially glad to hear that the knowledgeable guides and unique experiences, like the bogshoe hike and food tour, stood out for you. Your feedback means a lot, and I'm delighted that everything from the excursions to the hotel choices contributed to your wonderful adventure!

Fabulous Finland and Life time memories!!!
Finland | Sep 11 - Sep 20, 2024

V
Vijay M.
India | Reviewed on Sep 23, 2024
The most memorable trip that we had of all trips till date. We would like to sincerely thank Moonika (KimKim) for the fabulous experience, meticulous planning and seamless execution. Utmost patience and giving out details with so many queries before finalization of the itinerary. Transparency and unwavering commitment towards client servicing (over so many days) was the hallmark of the entire experience. Throughout our 10 days in Finland, there was not a single glitch. Choice of... Read more

The most memorable trip that we had of all trips till date. We would like to sincerely thank Moonika (KimKim) for the fabulous experience, meticulous planning and seamless execution. Utmost patience and giving out details with so many queries before finalization of the itinerary. Transparency and unwavering commitment towards client servicing (over so many days) was the hallmark of the entire experience.

Throughout our 10 days in Finland, there was not a single glitch. Choice of activities and more importantly choice of service providers for each of the distinct activities was fabulous (the reason I say this is because all activities were not given to a single service provider, and we did one northern light activity on our own which was a disappointment compared to the norther light hunting organized by Kim Kim).

Special mention of the service providers for each of the activities:
1) Helsinki City tour walk: Lesley was very good in taking us through Helsinki city to the important landmark. Clear in her explanation and had a lovely time

2) Antti for northern light hunting: This was the one of the best experiences and i would say blindly go for Antti if one gets a chance to go for northern light hunting. Here is the guy who has true passion for northern light hunting. He puts in slightly more than 6 hours for the hunt and just wanted to ensure that we get very good sighting as much as possible. He kept driving and outpacing the clouds and tried to see multiple places to get a good sighting. In our 3rd citing place, we got a good glimpse. While we were returning, all of us were asleep since it was well past midnight. He makes a stop (which he could have well avoided) and wakes us up since he has seen something good. Will never forget that moment.

3) Ranau Zoo visit: Another very good experience. Oren is such a lively person with very good sense of humour. During our drive to Ranau Zoo, he explained us the reason the norther lights phenomena with so much clarity and details. It was fun experience with his explanation about the animals and his capturing of the pics for the different animals. Another individual who loves his job thoroughly.

4) Korouoma Canyon Wilderness Hike: Very different and another fabulous experience of a nice trek. Gabor initially came us a kind of a reserved guy and then as the trek went by he was all fun. His one liner timings were hilarious. Very good activity and here too Gabor was very patient with us given that we were halting almost everywhere to click our own pics with nature apart from plucking and eating berries all along the way. Loved the wood chopping and fire making activity with nice plant-based hotdogs. Will definitely recommend Gabor too as a tour guide.

5) Sauna by the lake: Wow what a location just by the serene lake. Nice, pleasant weather. Justin was our tour guide and again a very good experience. She made us very comfortable and arranged everything for us seamlessly. We had nice sauna experience along with a dip in the lake and repeating this sequence more than once. Justin provided us with nice berry juice and berry tarts

6) Amethyst mine and canoeing in Pyha: So far all activities were very good experience fun and hence the bar was automatically set high. In Pyha, we meet the man Jukka who was with us for almost 3 days. He is simply superb. Always smiling, accommodating and absolutely fun loving. He kept with our changing needs with no fuss and made our stay and experience absolutely fabulous. Amethyst mine small trek and the mine experience was very unique and fun. Canoeing experience with Jukka at helm was outstanding and will remain etched forever in memories.

All our stay at Hotel Glo Art, Artic Light Hotel and Kurula's Resort were very good and comfortable. We also loved the overnight train journey both ways.

All the above experiences were made possible thanks to the fabulous itinerary prepared by Moonika without which it would have been just not possible.

Strongly recommend KimKim

Hotel Reviews
GLO Hotel Art
Helsinki
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Overnight Train
Authenticity & Character
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Arctic Light Hotel
Rovaniemi
Authenticity & Character
Sauna experience and the rooms
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Kurula's Resort
Pyhätunturi

Fabulous location, ambience

Authenticity & Character
Sauna with Jacuzzi by the lake
Location
next to the lake, simply wow
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Helsinki City Walking Tour
Helsinki City Walking Tour
Helsinki
Tallinn Day Trip
Tallinn Day Trip
Helsinki
Flexible Northern Lights Hunting
Flexible Northern Lights Hunting
Rovaniemi

Wow

Ranua Wildlife Park Visit
Ranua Wildlife Park Visit
Finland
Finnish Sauna Experience
Finnish Sauna Experience
Rovaniemi
Korouoma Canyon Wilderness Hike
Korouoma Canyon Wilderness Hike
Rovaniemi
Reindeer Farm Visit (No Safari)
Reindeer Farm Visit (No Safari)
Rovaniemi
Sauna Experience by the Lake
Sauna Experience by the Lake
Pyhä

Another wow experience

Canoeing Experience on Pyhäjoki River
Canoeing Experience on Pyhäjoki River
Pyhä

Another wow experience

Amethyst Mine Photographing Tour
Amethyst Mine Photographing Tour
Pyhä
Local specialist: Moonika Apart
Moonika
Moonika Apart
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Sep 25, 2024

Hello Vijay,

Thank you for such a glowing review and detailed feedback about the tours and services. I will make sure to share this feedback with the providers as well. Glad to hear you had an amazing time and thank you again for booking your holiday with us. I hope to have you as our guests again in the future:)

Best,
Moonika

Taste of Finland
Finland | Aug 10 - Aug 18, 2024

J
Jennifer M.
Chicago, IL | Reviewed on Aug 24, 2024
Emerson was easy to work with while planning vacation. We had flexibility to do things on our own and meet with friends, yet also have tours and activities. Everything was perfectly planned. Hotels were beautiful and in perfect locations in he cities we visited. Pick up and drop offs were seamless. Tours were fun and informational with local tour guides. Read more

Emerson was easy to work with while planning vacation. We had flexibility to do things on our own and meet with friends, yet also have tours and activities. Everything was perfectly planned. Hotels were beautiful and in perfect locations in he cities we visited. Pick up and drop offs were seamless. Tours were fun and informational with local tour guides.

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Lilla Roberts
Helsinki

Wonderful breakfast, great location, clean with great character.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Short walk to many attractions.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Very clean and comfortable.
Solo Sokos Hotel Torni Tampere
Tampere

Cool hotel, clean, nice staff. Close to train station. Amazing bar on top floor to see sunset.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Arctic Light Hotel
Rovaniemi

Great location. Clean hotel with character. Wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Taste of Helsinki & Tour of Suomenlinna
Taste of Helsinki & Tour of Suomenlinna
Helsinki

Great guides. Learned a lot about Finland.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Guided Hike in the Archipelago Sea
Guided Hike in the Archipelago Sea
Helsinki

Great guide. Porkkalanniemi was beautiful area to hike. Traditional food was very good.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Sauna Tour
Sauna Tour
Tampere

Guides were so knowledgeable about saunas. Interesting to try the different saunas. The Yurt was our favorite.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Short Arctic Wilderness Hike (Summer/Autumn)
Short Arctic Wilderness Hike (Summer/Autumn)
Rovaniemi

Great guide. Beautiful hiking area. Learned a lot about the plants and trees in Finland.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Luxury Log Sauna and Finnish Dinner Experience
Luxury Log Sauna and Finnish Dinner Experience
Rovaniemi

Beautiful sauna and dining area. Food was amazing. Best salmon we had in Finland.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Cultural e-fatbike Tour
Cultural e-fatbike Tour
Rovaniemi

Great guide. Bikes were easy to ride and a great way to see Rovaniemi. Ride up to Santa Claus Village was smooth and easy to get to with stops along the way to learn about Rovaniemi and Finland.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
River Cruise on an Eco Rubber Boat
River Cruise on an Eco Rubber Boat
Rovaniemi

Tour guide was so nice and kind. Nice relaxing ride along the river to a sand bar swimming area. Great traditional Finnish snack.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Northern Lights Tour
Northern Lights Tour
Rovaniemi

Great guide. It was like storm chasing to find the northern lights. We were so excited that we found them! Pictures taken and sent to us very quickly are amazing.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Emerson Siimer
Emerson
Emerson Siimer
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Sep 26, 2024

Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your vacation and that everything went smoothly. It was a pleasure working with you to plan the perfect balance of relaxation, activities, and time with friends. I’m glad the hotels and tours met your expectations. I hope to assist you again in the future! Safe travels!

Incredible Trip 🤩
Finland | Aug 13 - Aug 20, 2024

Mohammed
Mohammed A.
Singapore | Reviewed on Aug 22, 2024

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to your amazing and trustworthy company, especially to the specialist who arranged our wonderful trip to Finland (Emerson). He was very kind, cooperative and patient with us, and made a great effort to arrange the most wonderful trip. We were there in great luxury and comfort, and lived beautiful moments that will not be forgotten. We will definitely organize all our upcoming trips in cooperation with you. 😍♥️

Local specialist: Emerson Siimer
Emerson
Emerson Siimer
Local specialist in Estonia | Replied on Aug 23, 2024

Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! I'm really glad to hear that your trip to Finland was such a special experience. It was a pleasure working with you to make sure everything was just right. Looking forward to helping you plan more amazing journeys in the future!

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