Lapland & the Arctic
The land of deep winter and never-ending nights that truly captivated me on my first visit -- even though it ended in me breaking my leg! I keep going back, and every time I discover something entire unique and equally astounding.
The Huskies of Hetta
Somewhere in the darkness in front of me, six huskies ran. They seemed to dance across the snow, hardly sinking into it at all as they pushed ever forward. Snow crunched under my sled, weighed down with two people and a heaping pile of reindeer skins. The dogs panted and the wind whistled...
The Best Ways to Explore Utsjoki & Finland’s Remote North
If you’re looking for remote — and if you’re visiting Lapland, chances are you like remote places — it doesn’t get much moreso than Utsjoki. Finland’s northernmost municipality is also once of its most sparsely populated; most sources list the number of people living there as .25 people/km2. That’s
Spectacular Strupen: A Day Hike to Remember in the Lyngen Alps
Throughout my trips to Norway in the last few years, one thing has always been in the back of my mind. As much as I have loved exploring the country in winter and seeing it in all its snow-frosted majesty, I’ve wanted to go hiking. I’ve wanted to sweat it out climbing high up above […]
Menesjärvi: Blissful Lapland at its Best
Time and again on this blog, I’ve talked about the adventures that are possible north of the Arctic Circle. Whether it’s dogsledding across a frozen landscape in the dead of winter or white water rafting on midsummer, there are so many options that it would be impossible to cover them all. Even thou
Inari in Summer: Exploring the Lands of the Thunder God
In many parts of Lapland, the history of the region isn’t immediately obvious. You won’t find any cathedrals erected in 1000AD or even many buildings built prior to 1945, when the retreating Nazis razed nearly all the towns in the region to the ground. While this means you have to dig a little furth
Swimming Away from my Comfort Zone in Saariselkä
One of the best things about travelling around Finnish Lapland in summer was the sheer number of unique experiences that were available. Even though much of the region shares a very similar geography — rolling fells covered in dense birch and pine forest broken up by hundreds of lakes, which in turn
Hitting the Trails in Ylläs
Two years ago, my visit to Lapland in winter was magical. Everything about it was completely foreign to me, which made the trip that much more special. However, it could occasionally be limiting as well. My complete lack of experience with winter conditions meant that I didn’t trust myself to wander
Becoming an Amethyst Miner in Pyhä-Luosto
No matter where I am in the world, my visits to national parks usually include activities like hiking or kayaking. I love going out in nature when I visit a new place; it’s only then that I really feel like I start to understand the place I’m in. It’s no surprise, then, that some of my favourite pla
Things You Might Not Know About the Midnight Sun
Lapland and Northern Norway are not places that you travel to expecting to sleep at traditional hours. No matter what the season, the natural phenomena of the Arctic Circle are often at their strongest in the middle of the night; the northern lights dance overhead in the darkness of winter and the m
Celebrating Midsummer in Rovaniemi
In the Nordic countries, midsummer is a big deal. It’s similar to a national day, like the Fourth of July or Australia Day, but without the nationalistic overtones; simply put, it’s a huge party that celebrates the never-ending light of summer and the fact that there is no snow anywhere to be seen.