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Adventure by Design

Adventure by Design specialises in providing custom tours, activity and adventure packages throughout arctic regions in Finland and northern Norway.

Whether you are in search of outdoor adventure, a taste of Lapland winter magic or a road trip for your family, we can create a unique and memorable holiday tailored specifically for you.

All our tours encourage human-powered movement and foster reconnection with the natural environment and your own mind and wellbeing. We work with a network or locally owned companies where possible and believe in providing a high level of service and professionalism.

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Recent Trip Reviews for Adventure by Design

Family of Four on an adventure to witness the Northern Lights
Norway | Nov 5 - Nov 9, 2019

Rituparna
Rituparna B.
Tucson, AZ | Reviewed on Nov 15, 2019

Our trip to Northern Norway and the Finnish town of Kilpisjarvi was a dream come true. Our tour guides, Gareth and Amanda from Adventure by Design were awesome. I loved that We were treated like family and they were so patient with my kids. Traveling with a young family is always s challenge and Gareth and Amanda definitely made it easier. We got to see some amazing Northern Lights, reindeers, beautiful frozen lakes. It was a wonderful trip which was very well planned in a short time.

Local specialist: Sonja Ikonen

Trip to Norway
Norway | Aug 12 - Aug 12, 2019

J
Jane M.
Canada | Reviewed on Aug 26, 2019

It was sublime. Well organized, varied and very personalized. We loved all of it.

Local specialist: G H

Finland - in the wild
Finland | Jul 17 - Jul 25, 2019

Carolyn
Carolyn D.
Australia | Reviewed on Aug 10, 2019
We've just spent a wonderful week travelling with Adventure By Design from Rovaniemi (Lapland) to Tromso (Norway). Our trip was all about immersing ourselves in the environment and taking beautiful day hikes. Elina & Sonja organised a great itinerary which gave us a taste of the different types of environment in the Arctic Circle. It wasn't till the end that we reflected how different each day was and how that made the trip so great! The hikes were well marked and really suitable for us in... Read more

We've just spent a wonderful week travelling with Adventure By Design from Rovaniemi (Lapland) to Tromso (Norway). Our trip was all about immersing ourselves in the environment and taking beautiful day hikes. Elina & Sonja organised a great itinerary which gave us a taste of the different types of environment in the Arctic Circle. It wasn't till the end that we reflected how different each day was and how that made the trip so great! The hikes were well marked and really suitable for us in terms of difficulty and duration. The night in the wilderness cabin was a highlight- a great way to meet other Finnish hikers and have an authentic Finnish summer hiking experience. The accommodation varied: self-catering cabins (with sauna's) and hotels which were clean and comfortable and in great locations. It was easy to pick up food supplies (snacks, breakfast food) along the way. My partner's need for gluten-free food was NO problem at all in Finland and Norway. Everything is labelled. How refreshing! Gareth and Amanda were fantastic guides and we really enjoyed our time with them. Everything went smoothly, as planned, and we enjoyed every single minute of our fabulous trip. Highly recommended, and we look forward to coming back one day soon.

Local specialist: Elina Hutton
Elina
Elina Hutton
Local specialist in Kilpisjärvi, Finland | Replied on Aug 24, 2019

Thank you Carolyn. It was nice to meet you both, and we're looking forward to seeing you back in Finland! Elina, Amanda and Gareth :)

Lapland / Arctic Circle
Finland | May 4 - May 11, 2019

Kevin
Kevin D.
Canada | Reviewed on May 14, 2019

I cannot rave enough about Gareth & Elina. They were so knowledgeable, responsive, and gracious. The agenda they organized for us was exactly what we wanted - they took our travel goals and interests and turned them into an outstanding programme. Both are true experts, customer-oriented, and kind people. We wanted an active, hiking-centric trip through Swedish & Finnish Lapland and far norther Norway. This is what Elina & Gareth delivered, and we could not be happier.

Local specialist: Elina Hutton
Elina
Elina Hutton
Local specialist in Kilpisjärvi, Finland | Replied on May 31, 2019

Thank you so much Kevin :)

Lapland northern lights
Finland | Mar 5 - Mar 12, 2019

S
Susan M.
New York, NY | Reviewed on Mar 13, 2019

Rikka was a great guide - very knowledgeable and helpful and so full of energy! She made our two snowshoeing trips very easy and enjoyable!
Elina and Sonja tailored an itinerary exactly according to my interests and gave me very clear instructions so that I had a very smooth trip and was able to do a lot in a short period of time. When she heard that my camera was not functioning, Elina even helped to adjust it to enable me to successfully photograph the Northern Lights.

Local specialist: Elina Hutton
Elina
Elina Hutton
Local specialist in Kilpisjärvi, Finland | Replied on Mar 21, 2019

Thank you Susan. I'm glad I was able to help with the camera, and happy to know you had a great holiday. It was lovely meeting you. Greetings also from Riikka!
Elina

finland snow experience
Finland | Feb 1 - Feb 7, 2019

T
tracey m.
Australia | Reviewed on Feb 10, 2019
Right from the start Elina was excellent at helping to plan our trip . Elina and Gareth always responded quickly to our questions and were very helpful in providing us with information from what clothing to wear to what camera to buy.
Our trip was amazing from start to finish . Gareth picked us up in Kittila and drove us to Ylläs and Kilpisjärvi , then on to Tromso. Our accommodation were beautiful cabins in the woods (exactly what I had asked for ). Our activities, snowmobiling, dog...
Read more

Right from the start Elina was excellent at helping to plan our trip . Elina and Gareth always responded quickly to our questions and were very helpful in providing us with information from what clothing to wear to what camera to buy.
Our trip was amazing from start to finish . Gareth picked us up in Kittila and drove us to Ylläs and Kilpisjärvi , then on to Tromso. Our accommodation were beautiful cabins in the woods (exactly what I had asked for ). Our activities, snowmobiling, dog sledding, reindeer farm , snow shoe walks and Northern Lights hunting were all fabulous. Gareth personally took us on 3 fantastic snow shoe walks which were unexpected highlights . His enthusiasm for Lapland is infectious and he is great company . Gareth guided us on 4 Northern Lights chases. He helped our daughter with her camera and taking the Northern Lights pictures , which we saw 4 nights out of 6 and every night we went looking . Gareth looked after us , took us to the supermarket, lent us bigger boots and ‘grandma’s ‘ knitted socks to help keep us warm. He was totally focused on making our experience as wonderful as it could be .
Thank you Gareth and Elina for an unforgettable stay in Beautiful Finnish Lapland .

Local specialist: Elina Hutton
Elina
Elina Hutton
Local specialist in Kilpisjärvi, Finland | Replied on Feb 11, 2019

Hi Tracy, thanks for the awesome feedback. It's always great to hear that our guests have loved the trip we have designed for them. We're especially happy to hear you loved the snowshoeing! We hope you enjoy the rest of your time in the north. Elina & Gareth

Active Winter Family Fun in Lapland
Finland | Jan 4 - Jan 8, 2019

W
Wendy J.
Australia | Reviewed on Jan 26, 2019
Elina and Gareth from Adventure by Design put together an amazing Finnish Lapland experience for our family. After sharing with them the general structure of our holiday they sourced terrific providers and developed an itinerary that would ensure we made the best of the limited daylight. The traditional sauna and ice swimming at Wild Blueberry was a magical experience. As it was a small family business the service was personal and of a very high standard. We had so much fun on a snowmobiling... Read more

Elina and Gareth from Adventure by Design put together an amazing Finnish Lapland experience for our family. After sharing with them the general structure of our holiday they sourced terrific providers and developed an itinerary that would ensure we made the best of the limited daylight. The traditional sauna and ice swimming at Wild Blueberry was a magical experience. As it was a small family business the service was personal and of a very high standard. We had so much fun on a snowmobiling tour run by another smaller company, Kinos Safaris. Our nights in a glass igloo and the ice hotel were memorable. The jewel in the crown for our whole visit was our guide Tuija. She was so friendly, welcoming and accommodating from the minute we met her. It soon became apparent that she was a highly experienced and knowledgeable guide, who went above and beyond to ensure our Finnish experience was perfect. She played joyfully in the snow, teaching our children to toboggan, ice fish and snow shoe, and through her local knowledge of weather and location, guided us to see the northern lights. Spectacular! Thank you Elina & Gareth for doing all the background work to prepare for our holiday. And thank you Tuija for making our visit to Lapland even more wonderful than we hoped it would be.

Local specialist: Elina Hutton
Elina
Elina Hutton
Local specialist in Kilpisjärvi, Finland | Replied on Feb 07, 2019

Hi Wendy, thank you, these words give me a big smile - this is why we do these long days at the office, to be able to read feedback like this. Thank you so much. I will pass on your review to our providers who did the hard work, and send an special thanks for Tuija. She is an awesome guide indeed, and we're happy to have her with us!

Lapland visit
Finland | Dec 30 - Jan 3, 2019

Victoria
Victoria M.
Louisville, KY | Reviewed on Jan 11, 2019
Elina and Gareth did a great job of putting together a nice itinerary for us. We really loved the snowmobile excursion and the boys loved riding the mini snowmobiles. Rovaniemi is just a magical place and I'm so glad we got to see it. There is really so much more to do than I expected so if I ever get the chance to go back I'll know! (Like the amethyst mine!) The Scandic hotel was just OK. Our friends ended up in the Arctic Light hotel and that is a really lovely place! I loved our night in... Read more

Elina and Gareth did a great job of putting together a nice itinerary for us. We really loved the snowmobile excursion and the boys loved riding the mini snowmobiles. Rovaniemi is just a magical place and I'm so glad we got to see it. There is really so much more to do than I expected so if I ever get the chance to go back I'll know! (Like the amethyst mine!)

The Scandic hotel was just OK. Our friends ended up in the Arctic Light hotel and that is a really lovely place! I loved our night in the glass igloos.

Generally the trip went very smoothly. There was one minor miscommunication but I think that was in part due to our friends that joined us on the trip joined the planning late so getting both itineraries synced up was a little challenging.

Local specialist: Elina Hutton
Elina
Elina Hutton
Local specialist in Kilpisjärvi, Finland | Replied on Jan 18, 2019

Thank you Victoria. I loved seeing all these photos, thank you for sharing them! Those happy faces make me smile too. Any time you are looking into repeating the arctic adventure, we'll be happy to help you. All the best to your family, Elina & Gareth

Northern Lights in Norway: What To Know & Where To Go
Norway | Sep 16 - Sep 19, 2018

A
Audrey L.
Yonkers, NY | Reviewed on Sep 01, 2018
My husband and I went on a trip to Norway organized by Elina in March this year. Start to finish it was a truly perfect trip. Our first three days were spent at Malangen, an absolutely lovely, modern hotel with breathtaking views of a fjord. The staff at Malangen was extremely helpful and friendly and there were wonderful activities to choose from. We snowshoed, went to a campsite owned by the hotel to see the Northern Lights and had a fascinating session with someone who taught us about... Read more

My husband and I went on a trip to Norway organized by Elina in March this year. Start to finish it was a truly perfect trip. Our first three days were spent at Malangen, an absolutely lovely, modern hotel with breathtaking views of a fjord. The staff at Malangen was extremely helpful and friendly and there were wonderful activities to choose from. We snowshoed, went to a campsite owned by the hotel to see the Northern Lights and had a fascinating session with someone who taught us about Sami culture.

After Malangen, we went to Tromso. A charming small city where we went to museums and restaurants. We also had a driver pick us up and give us a tour of the fjords.

Every aspect of the trip went incredibly smoothly. Their was one glitch when checking into our hotel in Tromso, but Elina was reachable immediately and resolved the issue. Moreover, she was prepared to spend 6 hours driving if she needed to address the issue in person! Thank you Elina!

Local specialist: Elina Hutton
Elina
Elina Hutton
Local specialist in Kilpisjärvi, Finland | Replied on Sep 28, 2018

Thank you Audrey. We're so happy to know that you enjoyed the holiday with us. Hopefully we'll see you return one day. Best regards, Elina & Gareth.

Lapland
Finland | Jun 9 - Jun 11, 2018

Daria
Daria P.
College Station, TX | Reviewed on Jun 16, 2018

We had the most amazing trip and a great time with Elina and Gareth. Visits to nature center, raindeer farm and husky farm were interesting and educational. The day-long hike was incredibly enjoyable! Overall our whole group was very happy with the experience, especially living in the cabins, going to sauna and making pancakes on the open fire!

Local specialist: Elina Hutton
Elina
Elina Hutton
Local specialist in Kilpisjärvi, Finland | Replied on Jul 13, 2018

Thank you, Daria. We had so much fun with your group! I can't remember the last time I've made so many pancakes, on open fore or elsewhere. All the best to all of you, Elina & Gareth