Ivalo backcountry day with local: Snowmobile, fishing, fire

A day doing what locals do: fishing on a frozen lake, fire-cooked food on an island.

A six-hour backcountry activity in Lapland where you spend the day with a local guide fishing on a remote lake, traveling by snowmobile and sleigh, and learning to build a fire and cook on an island. You're picked up near Ivalo, dressed in winter gear at the guide's house, and returned the same evening. English-speaking guide, all winter clothes and boots provided, lunch included.

The experience

How do locals actually spend their time in Lapland's winter? This activity answers that by taking you out the way they do. You meet your guide at his house near Ivalo, about 8 kilometers from town. Before heading out, you'll put on thermal boots and heavy winter layers. The guide checks that you're genuinely warm enough, because the cold here is real and you need to be ready for it. Then you drive to a more distant location and switch to a snowmobile with a sleigh attached, riding out onto a frozen lake surrounded by hills and fells.

Once on the lake, you fish the way locals do, using rods and nets from the ice. The guide moves you around the lake so you see different spots and the scenery changes as you go. The fishing is the core of the day, but the ride itself (gliding across the ice in the sleigh behind the snowmobile) is part of what makes it feel like you're actually living this, not visiting it. You're not watching someone else's routine. You're doing it.

On an island in the lake, the guide teaches you how to build a fire and prepare food over it. You'll eat lunch cooked this way, sitting near the warmth with hot drinks. This is how locals gather in winter: around the fire, on the ice, in the quiet. The whole day is built around that rhythm: moving across the landscape, stopping to fish, gathering around heat. You return to Ivalo by evening.

What’s included

• Private transportation from near Ivalo.
• all winter clothes and thermal boots.
• lunch prepared over a campfire.
• hot drinks.
• instruction in fire-building and cooking.
• snowmobile and sleigh transport on the lake.
• fishing equipment and access to the frozen lake.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 10:30

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (18 to 80 years) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 4 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by White Creek Wilderness Cabin & Activities

Is this one for you?This activity is built for travelers who want to do what locals actually do in Lapland's winter, not watch it from a distance. The six-hour day means you spend real time fishing, riding, and gathering around fire (enough to feel the rhythm of it), and return to Ivalo by evening.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What do I actually do for six hours on this activity?

You fish on a frozen lake using rods and nets, ride in a sleigh behind a snowmobile across the ice, and learn to build a fire and cook food on an island. The guide moves you to different spots on the lake so you see the landscape change, and you eat lunch cooked over the fire.

Do I need my own winter clothes, or are they provided?

Winter clothes and thermal boots are provided and included in the activity. The guide checks your gear at his house before you leave to make sure you're warm enough for the cold.

How do I get to the guide's house, and where does the day start?

Private transport is included. You're picked up and taken to the guide's house near Ivalo, about 8 kilometers from town, where you gear up before heading into the backcountry.

Is this activity suitable if I'm not very fit or have never fished before?

The activity is suitable for all physical fitness levels. You don't need fishing experience: the guide teaches you how to fish on the lake using rods and nets. The minimum age is 18.

What's included in the price?

Private transportation, all winter clothes and boots, lunch cooked over the fire, and all fees and taxes are included. Hot drinks are provided at the fire.