VISITING A REINDEER FARM IN FINLAND

If you ask me what my favourite kind of travel experience is, the answer would undoubtedly be anything I can throw into a dinner conversation with a casual “this one time when I was in……”. And that’s exactly how I feel about the day I went to visit a reindeer farm in Finland. I was feeding, patting, and photographing (okay selfie taking) reindeers like they had just been a new world discovery. For me, this was Christmas in October… and I couldn’t have been more excited if i tried.

If you’re been reading my blog for a while, I shouldn’t need to explain my fascination (which is to be fair verging on obsession) with anything unrealistic or close to a fairytale. You could say I’m a bit of a dreamer. Guilty as charged… and proud!

So just walking through the wilderness in and around Ruka, Finland, was like a dream come true. I was forever referencing fairytales, movies (likeFrozen, The Chronicles of Narnia), and a variety of children’s stories. Yup, I’m a kid who refuses to grow up.

This one time: A Reindeer Farm in Finland

The day started at the Ruka Safari office near Ruka village. We would travel via ATV to the Reindeer farm, around an hours drive from the safari office. Being that it was still autumn, I wasn’t expecting to see snow… so you could imagine my surprise and out of control excitement levels when I awoke to snowfall that morning.

After a one hour drive in the chilly air, we arrived at the reindeer farm somewhere in the Finnish wilderness. My guide and I were greeted by the owners of the reindeer farm who introduced us to their property and we began to make our way to the reindeer.

A short walk away in the snow, a baby reindeer and three adult reindeer awaited us.

We began to feed the reindeer and discuss the history of reindeer in Finnish history & culture.

Afterwards we made our way inside for an open fire and light lunch, followed by coffee and pastries. It was a great introduction to Finnish lifestyle over the ages, but more importantly a chance to meet Rudolph and his comrades in the flesh.

After the lunch we started out journey back to Ruka, but not without a little off-roading first. My guide and I ventured into the forrest and we attempted to navigate our way through the snow fall, trees, and slippery streets.