Finland · WILDLIFE
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 15 wildlife trips worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Spend a full day at Ranua Wildlife Park, where about 150 animals from 50 arctic and northern species live in spacious forest enclosures. Walk the 3-kilometer route in about 1.5 to 2 hours, collect your wristband at the ticket office, and visit in any season.
“The zoo was incredible! We got there at such a good time. They were feeding all the animals. We even saw the polar bear”
Ride from Rovaniemi to Ranua Wildlife Park in a small minibus, with hotel pickup, return transport, and admission included. You get about three hours to follow snowy forest paths and see polar bears, wolves, lynx, elk, Arctic foxes, and owls. Drivers speak English, Ukrainian, and Russian.
“Ranua wildlife park is an amazing spot to visit when in Lapland! The drive was smooth and our driver was really sweet! Thank you!”
Travel from Rovaniemi to Ranua Wildlife Park with an English-speaking guide, then spend three hours walking a 2.5 km snowy forest route among polar bears, Arctic foxes, wolverines, lynx, wolves, and more. Guide Aarni has earned praise for his animal stories and easygoing pace, but sightings vary.
“We had a fantastic trip to Ranua Wildlife Park with our guide Aarni. We were the only ones on the tour (low season) and therefore was able to enjoy the park at a slower pace with our toddler. Aarni spoke a lot about the animals, Finland and was fun company to have for the day. We highly recommend!”
Travel from Rovaniemi to Ranua Wildlife Park by comfortable minibus, with hotel pickup, entry included, and an English or Russian-speaking guide. Walk through the snowy forest, see Arctic animals, and allow time for snacks and souvenirs. Guides such as Alex and Olga have earned praise for punctual, friendly service.
“Thanks Olga for this lovely trip to the Ranua Park. Everything was perfect”
Travel from Rovaniemi to Ranua Wildlife Park for Arctic animals, a Lappish buffet, and short sleigh rides with huskies and reindeer. Guides such as Simona and David have led the day, with time for questions and animal encounters. Snow is required for both rides.
“The husky and reindeer farms are beautiful. Really kind and helpful breeders who answered all our questions. Very bad zoo and buffet (especially if you are Italian, it's an option that I don't recommend: pizza made with ketchup instead of tomato sauce, little choice and poor quality. the worst buffet I have ever tasted in the world.) The zoo has few animals, most of them not visible, especially in this season. It's honestly not much worth the cost. In general the helpful guidance and activities done outside the zoo raised the bar that would otherwise have been very low.”
Travel from Rovaniemi to Ranua Wildlife Park with a small group, guide, entrance ticket, and buffet lunch included. See Finland’s only polar bears, plus wolves, lynxes, foxes, owls, and brown bears. Guides such as Alex and Tania add local insight, though the amount of guided walking can vary.
“We went to the Ranua Wildlife Park with Tania, and this was honestly an amazing experience. She took the time to walk us through each exhibit and gave us so much insight about every animal, their habitats, where they can be found, and how they relate to Finland and the Arctic Circle. I’ve never had such an insightful and dedicated tour guide. Tania was clearly passionate about what she does and genuinely cared about sharing not just facts, but also the culture and history of the land with us. This isn’t your typical zoo visit. It felt meaningful, thoughtful, and personal. If you’re planning to visit Ranua, I highly recommend…”
Travel from Rovaniemi to Ranua Wildlife Park with an English-speaking guide such as Alex. Walk about 2.5 kilometers through Arctic forest to see Finland’s only polar bears, brown bears, lynx, foxes, musk ox, and 45 other northern species, then stop for coffee and Fazer sweets.
“From pickup to drop off everything went smoothly, the driver was very friendly and helpful and we all had a fantastic day.. highly recommend”
Travel about an hour from Rovaniemi to Ranua Wildlife Park, where roughly 200 Arctic animals live among Finnish forest. Your English-speaking guide handles transport, winter clothing, entry, and buffet lunch. A Fazer sweets factory stop may be added if time allows.
Travel from Rovaniemi to Ranua Wildlife Park in a small group of up to eight. An English-speaking guide, private transport, winter clothing, entrance, and buffet lunch are included. Walk 2.5 kilometres through forest boardwalks to see polar bears, Arctic foxes, reindeer, owls, otters, and more.
“It was a spectacular experience. The entire Ranua zoo walk and sighting the arctic animals was simply amazing. Our tour guide, Daniel went out of his way to make my 10 year old son and me feel welcome and safe. He patiently handled all my son’s questions and made sure my son spots each and every animal mentioned in the list. Thank you for your hospitality Daniel.”
Travel from Rovaniemi to Ranua Wildlife Park for a guided four-hour walk among more than 200 animals and 50 Arctic species. You’ll see spacious forest enclosures, Arctic foxes, brown bears, wild forest reindeer, and Finland’s only polar bears. Transport and admission are included.
“Terrible experience, most areas closed off for Winter! Animals look depressed; the few that are there!!!!! Food is appalling!”
Travel from Rovaniemi to Ranua Wildlife Park in a small group of up to eight. Your English-speaking guide leads you past polar bears, lynx, wolves, reindeer, and Arctic birds, then serves a buffet lunch at the park restaurant. Guide Micheal has earned praise for his park knowledge and friendly style.
“Our driver/ guide during the visit of Ranua was very friendly and funny , he was as exciting than us to visit the zoo 😉😉 it was a very good moment with a freezing temperature -25 dégrees but the place and Park are so beautiful under all that snow 😜😜 laurent and Marion”
Join an English-speaking nature guide for a five-hour wildlife trip from central Helsinki to Porkkala Peninsula. Search for moose, roe deer, foxes, and white-tailed eagles, then enjoy Finnish campfire snacks and homemade berry juice by the sea. Binoculars and city pickup are included.
“The magic of those few hours spent in the magnificent, wild countryside, accompanied by our very friendly and knowledgeable guide who took great care of us from start to finish! We ate delicious Finnish specialities cooked over a fire by the sea, then after a short walk through the forest we set off in a van to see moose, and we saw more than a dozen! Thank you for this experience and for organizing everything so perfectly!”
Travel from Rovaniemi to Ranua Wildlife Park by comfortable minibus, then walk snowy forest paths among polar bears, Arctic foxes, wolverines, lynx, and other northern species. An English or Russian-speaking guide, such as Reut, accompanies you, with free time for snacks and souvenirs.
Travel from Rovaniemi to Ranua Wildlife Park in a small group of up to eight. An English-speaking guide handles transport and entry, then gives you time to walk the 2.5-kilometer trail, see polar bears and other Arctic species, and browse the shops before returning to your hotel.
“le parc en général et des souvenirs respectueux de la nature prise en charge et retour à l'hébergement guide anglophone et francophone”
Spend 4.5 hours at Ranua Wildlife Park with hotel pickup, transport, a guided visit, and buffet lunch. You’ll see up to 200 Arctic animal specimens, including owls, snowy birds, and polar bears when conditions allow. Small groups of up to 15 are led in English, French, or Spanish.
“Le service de prêt de vêtements d’hiver est très bien organisé et bienveillant. Une poussette et des couvertures ont facilité le transport de ma fille de 2 ans et demi en plus de la combinaison, des chaussettes en double et des bottes. Ce fut gratuit pour ma fille. En dépit des -32 degrés, elle a été émerveillée de voir les chouettes, hiboux, ours polaires. Le buffet était varié et délicieux.”
Pick a town, a machine, or a fire to sit beside.
