Green northern lights over snow-laden trees on a winter night near Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland

Kosher Tour of Lapland and the Northern Lights

Rovaniemi, Finnish LaplandWhere

Dates to be announcedDates

$6,500 per personFrom

The tour

Eight days in the Arctic, based in Rovaniemi

Our kosher Lapland tour is eight days in the Arctic in late winter, based in Rovaniemi, Finland, the capital of Lapland, on the Arctic Circle. You drive a snowmobile across frozen lakes, ride a husky sled and a reindeer sled, sail through sea ice on an icebreaker, walk to the frozen waterfalls of Korouoma, and go out after dark to look for the Northern Lights. Every meal is Glatt Kosher Mehadrin, cooked fresh at the hotel by our own mashgiach, and Shabbat is kept together in Rovaniemi.

8 days, 7 nights: Wednesday to Wednesday. Arrive in Rovaniemi on the first day, fly home from Rovaniemi on the last. The dates are to be announced.
One hotel: All seven nights at Hotel Rovaniemi, so you unpack once and come back to the same room every evening.
Meals: Three Glatt Kosher Mehadrin meals a day, cooked at the hotel by our own mashgiach and cook, with packed lunches on touring days.
Arctic clothing: A thermal snow suit, boots, gloves and socks are issued when you arrive, and they are yours to use all week.

A green curtain of the Northern Lights over a lone tree on a snowy shore — The Northern Lights over Levi

A road running through snow-covered forest beside a frozen lake, seen from the air in pale light — Finnish Lapland from the air

Snow-covered trees on a Lapland fell under a low winter sun — A Lapland forest in February

Two skiers crossing a frozen lake in Lapland at sunset — Sunset over a frozen lake

A snowy frozen lake ringed by pine forest under a starry night sky with a faint green glow — A frozen lake at night

The Kosher Travelers group in blue snowsuits on the sea ice, holding the Kosher Travelers banner in front of the bow of a red icebreaker — Our group at the icebreaker on our Lapland tour

A bright green arc of the Northern Lights over a frozen lake, with guests standing on the snow below — The Northern Lights on our tour

Green Northern Lights over a camp of lit trees, with guests in silhouette on the snow — The Northern Lights over our camp

A snow sculpture with the year 2026 carved on top, under a clear blue sky — A snow sculpture on our 2026 tour

A large group of guests in blue snowsuits posing in front of the snow hotel — Our group at the snow hotel

The sun low over the frozen sea, with frosted trees along the shore — The frozen sea, from our tour

What the tour includes

Seven nights at Hotel Rovaniemi
Three kosher meals a day, including packed lunches for day tours, prepared by our own mashgiach and cook
The complete touring itinerary with a local English-speaking guide
Travel by coach
Kosher Travelers' own program and a complete Shabbat program
Entrance fees for every site on the itinerary
Arctic clothing: a snow suit, boots, gloves and socks
Self-drive snowmobiles, with helmets
A husky sled ride, and a reindeer farm with its sled-driving course
The icebreaker cruise, the frozen waterfalls, ice karting and the Ice Palace
The Arcticum museum and Santa Claus Village on the Arctic Circle
An evening out by coach to look for the Northern Lights

Flights to and from Rovaniemi and travel insurance are not included.

Kashrut

Kosher in the Arctic, cooked fresh every day

We bring our own kitchen to Lapland. Every meal on the tour is Glatt Kosher Mehadrin, prepared fresh at our hotel in Rovaniemi by our own mashgiach and cook, who travels with the group.

Breakfast and dinner are at the hotel. On touring days you take a packed lunch, and on the snowmobile day lunch is out on the ice, by the holes you have drilled for fishing. Friday night and the Shabbat meals are at the hotel with the group. Tell us about any allergy or dietary need when you reserve.

A snow-packed road running straight between walls of snow-laden pines under a pale sky — A forest road outside Rovaniemi

The hotel

Seven nights at Hotel Rovaniemi

The whole week is spent at one hotel in Rovaniemi. Every day trip starts and ends there, the kosher kitchen is there, and Shabbat is there.

Where: Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland, on the Arctic Circle. You fly in and out of Rovaniemi Airport.
Every night: Seven nights, Wednesday to Wednesday, with no packing up and moving on.

Frosted branches over a snowy riverbank in Rovaniemi at sunset, a bridge beyond — Rovaniemi on a winter evening

Snow-laden pines standing close together under a pale gray sky — The forest around Rovaniemi

Day by day

The Lapland itinerary, day by day

There is a minyan three times a day. Every night is in Rovaniemi.

Day 1 · WednesdayArrival in Rovaniemi, Lapland's capital, on the Arctic Circle. Your thermal snow suit, boots, socks and gloves are issued on arrival, then dinner at the hotel.Overnight: Rovaniemi
Day 2 · ThursdaySweden and the icebreaker. Cross into Sweden to sail on the Polar Explorer icebreaker and feel the hull break through the sea ice of the frozen bay. For those who want it, a float in the Arctic water in a survival suit. Back to Finland for dinner.Overnight: Rovaniemi

Broken plates of pack ice stretching to the horizon under a gray sky — Pack ice on the Gulf of Bothnia

The flat white expanse of the frozen Bothnian Bay under a blue sky — The frozen Bothnian Bay

Frosted birch trees along a snowy riverside path in Rovaniemi at sunset — Rovaniemi

A snowy road through a pine forest in soft light — Outside Rovaniemi

Day 3 · FridaySnowmobiles and ice fishing. Drive a snowmobile, two to a sled, across rivers, frozen lakes and forest. Lunch on the ice: drill a hole, drop a line and try ice fishing the local way. Back to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat, candle lighting and Friday-night dinner.Overnight: Rovaniemi
Day 4 · ShabbatTefillot, Kiddush and the Shabbat meals, with time to rest. A gentle walk and a visit to the Arcticum museum, on the world of the Sámi, Arctic wildlife and the story of Rovaniemi. After Havdalah and dinner, out under the stars to look for the Northern Lights.Overnight: Rovaniemi

Snow-heavy pines in a quiet forest under a gray sky — Snowmobile country

Cracked plates of ice on a frozen lake in pale winter light, a wooded island far off — A frozen lake

Green and violet bands of the Northern Lights rising above a line of pine trees — The Northern Lights over Levi fell

Day 5 · SundayReindeer and frozen waterfalls. At a reindeer farm, learn how the herders work, take a sled-driving lesson and earn your "reindeer driving license". Then on to the Korouoma canyon near Posio, for a walk in the snow to its frozen waterfalls, walls of ice in a quiet gorge. Back to Rovaniemi for dinner.Overnight: Rovaniemi
Day 6 · MondayHuskies, the Ice Palace and ice karting. Meet the huskies and hear how they are trained, then ride a dog sled through the Lapland forest. Visit the Ice Palace, rebuilt every winter, with its rooms and sculptures of ice. Then ice karting on a frozen track: a briefing, practice laps and a friendly race.Overnight: Rovaniemi

Blue and white frozen waterfalls down a canyon wall among frosted trees — The frozen falls of Korouoma

Three reindeer with wide antlers grazing in the snow — Reindeer near Rovaniemi

A team of huskies pulling a sled along a snowy trail between tall pines — A husky team in the forest

A snow-covered frozen lake under a starry sky, pine forest along the shore — A frozen lake at night

Day 7 · TuesdaySanta Claus Village, on the Arctic Circle itself, for photographs and a stamp in your passport if you would like one. Free time for last gifts: antler crafts, amethyst jewelry, Arctic clothing and keepsakes.Overnight: Rovaniemi
Day 8 · WednesdayTransfer to Rovaniemi Airport for your flight home.Departure

Santa Claus Village at Rovaniemi under snow, a Christmas tree outside — Santa Claus Village, on the Arctic Circle

Snowbound forest, a winding road and white fields seen from the air — Lapland from the air

Guide and Shabbat

An English-speaking guide, and Shabbat in Rovaniemi

A local English-speaking guide leads the touring every day, a veteran of our tours. On Shabbat the guide takes the group, at a gentle pace, to the Arcticum, the museum of the Sámi, the people of the far north, and of Arctic life.

Shabbat is spent at the hotel with the group: candle lighting and Friday-night dinner after the snowmobile day, then tefillot, Kiddush and the Shabbat meals, with time to rest. There is a minyan three times a day all week. After Havdalah and dinner the coach takes you out of town, away from the lights, to look for the aurora.

A snow-covered frozen lake under a clear starry sky, a faint green glow above the forest — After Havdalah: a frozen lake under the stars

The pace

Who the tour suits, and what the cold asks of you

This is an active week outdoors in the Arctic winter: snowmobiles, sleds, snow walks and evenings out in the cold. It suits travelers who are happy to be outside for much of the day, well wrapped, and to keep to a group timetable.

You drive the snowmobiles yourself, two to a sled
The husky and reindeer sleds are driven by guests too, after a lesson
The walk to the Korouoma waterfalls is on snow
The Arctic float on day 2 is optional
The Arctic clothing is issued on day 1, so you pack less
Shabbat is a rest day, with a gentle walk to the Arcticum
The Northern Lights come out when the sky allows: we go out to look, but no one can promise them
The reservation form asks for a short health declaration, because some tours are more active than others

Huskies running ahead on a snowy forest trail, seen from the sled — On the husky trail

A frozen lake in soft winter light, cracked ice in the foreground — A frozen lake in winter sun

Price

What the Lapland tour costs

The last Lapland tour we priced was $6,500 per person, sharing a double room, with a single supplement of $1,000. Children under 12 sharing with two adults pay 70% of the adult price.

The price covers the seven nights at the hotel, three kosher meals a day, the guide, the coach, the Arctic clothing, the snowmobiles, the husky and reindeer sleds, the icebreaker, the entrance fees on the itinerary and the Shabbat program. Flights to Rovaniemi and travel insurance are extra, as is anything you buy along the way.

Deposit and terms

What you pay, and when

Payment

On booking$1,000 per person
Balance120 days before departure

All prices and payments are in US dollars.

If you need to cancel

120 days or more before$500 per person
45 to 120 days before50% of the invoice
Within 45 daysNo refund

We strongly recommend travel insurance covering cancellation, medical care and luggage.

What happens after you inquire

You send a short inquiry
A few questions, with this tour already filled in.
We reply within one working day
The person for your region calls or emails you with the itinerary and the reservation form.
We answer every question
Kashrut, rooms, the cold, flights, deposit and balance. Ask as many as you like.
Places are confirmed in order of booking
The group has a fixed number of places. Your reservation form and deposit confirm yours.

Your hosts

Who is looking after you

David Walles
Tours
David runs our tours with Chana. They made Aliyah from Melbourne in 2008 and took over Eddie's Kosher Travel.
Chana Walles
Tours
Chana manages our tours with David.

Before you travel, send us your flight times, so the airport transfer can be timed to the group. For anything else, the simplest route is an email or a call to the line for your region; every missed call and message is returned.

What our guests have to say

What guests said

“All we needed to do was show up and we found ourselves climbing glaciers, riding snowmobiles, speeding through arctic glacial waters on zodiac boats, navigating through lava caves and hiking through the most spectacular scenery we have ever encountered.”

Elisheva and Anthony Leibler · Jerusalem · Iceland, with the children

“Our fantastic knowledgeable guide, Yossi Ben Ami, was so enamored of the history and geology of everyplace we visited, that his enthusiasm became contagious.”

Helen Weiss Pincus · New Jersey · Iceland, August 2022

Questions

Asked before booking the Lapland tour

When is the next kosher tour of Lapland?

The dates of the next Lapland tour are to be announced. Send us an inquiry and we will let you know as soon as a date is set. The tour runs eight days, arriving in Rovaniemi on a Wednesday and flying home from Rovaniemi the Wednesday after.

Where in Lapland does the tour go?

It is based in Rovaniemi, in Finnish Lapland, on the Arctic Circle, with all seven nights at one hotel. Day trips go to the frozen sea and an icebreaker across the border in Sweden, the Korouoma canyon near Posio, a reindeer farm, a husky farm and Santa Claus Village.

Will we see the Northern Lights?

We go out to look for them after Havdalah on Shabbat night, away from the town lights, and the winter months are the aurora season. Whether they appear depends on the sky that night, so no one can promise them.

Is every meal kosher?

Yes. Every meal is Glatt Kosher Mehadrin, prepared fresh at the hotel in Rovaniemi by our own mashgiach and cook, who travels with the group. On touring days you take a packed lunch.

How is Shabbat kept on the tour?

At the hotel, with the group: candle lighting and Friday-night dinner, tefillot, Kiddush and the Shabbat meals, with time to rest and a gentle walk to the Arcticum museum. There is a minyan three times a day all week.

Do I need to bring warm clothing?

The heavy layer is provided: a thermal snow suit, boots, gloves and socks are issued when you arrive. Bring warm layers to wear underneath, a hat and your everyday winter clothes.

Are flights included?

No. You book your own flights to and from Rovaniemi. The transfer to Rovaniemi Airport on the last day is included; send us your flight times.

I am traveling on my own. Is there a single supplement?

Yes: $1,000 for a room of your own, on top of the per-person price.

Do I need travel insurance?

We strongly recommend insurance covering cancellation, medical care and luggage, bought soon after you pay your deposit so the cover is complete.

Also on the tour calendar

Our other kosher tours

Every escorted tour we run, with its dates, is on the kosher tours page. A winter week on skis instead: kosher ski vacations.

Discover

The world beyond the ordinary.

Connect

Friendships that outlast the trip.

Enrich

Memories that touch the soul.

From$6,500 per person

Jerusalem at dusk, seen from the Inbal Hotel

Inquire

Speak to someone about your trip

Call the line for your region, or send an inquiry and we will come back to you.

info@koshertravelers.com

Speak to Shelley in reservations. Every missed call and message is returned.

Since 1991 · Glatt Mehadrin