Winter in Finland

Jan-Feb 2025

Visiting Finnish Lapland at the start of 2025 was one of the most magical and memorable trips I've taken. Many friends and family questioned why I wanted to visit the arctic circle in the middle of winter, and I hope the following photos provide some convincing answers.

A Lapland reindeer preparing for a sleigh ride through the snow

Our first few days were spent in a tiny home in the woods, surrounded by snow, more snow, and the occasional reindeer.

A perfect snowflake sitting on Emma's toque

With the sun setting around 3pm each day, we were looking for evening activities near Ylläs when we stumbled upon a snow exhibition. The theme for the sculptures was "underwater", which seemed impossibly perfect for a pair of marine biologists.

We filled our shortened days with skiing, husky sleds, ice fishing, snowmobiles, and reindeer.

Reindeer hooves clomping through the snow

After several nights of searching, we finally got a clear night in Inari. The northern lights were a brilliant green, extending across the entire sky. We watched them for hours, or at least what felt like hours in the 30 below weather.

Northern lights near Inari, Finland