Day 5 - 7: Husky Safari, Husky Guesthouse, IVALO
Headed up north to Ivalo next for...
Huskies!
I researched quite a fair bit on which Husky Safaris to go for when I chanced upon Guesthouse Husky that had numerous good reviews online. Thank goodness that was still an available room for the dates we wanted! x)
Our cosy, beautiful guesthouse! The guesthouse is tucked in a cosy location at about 5km away from the Ivalo village and it was not a problem getting a taxi from the village to the guesthouse. The guesthouse hosts are also able to book a taxi for you on your preferred pickup time. :) There's a common kitchen that's available for all guests to use and cook their meals if they wish. However, a dinner cooked by Outi, the guesthouse host is a MUST TRY for good and authentic Finnish food. I've read many reviews raving about their dinner and we were certainly not disappointed!
We stayed 2 nights there and booked 2 nights of dinner (Breakfast is complimentary). Each dinner comes with a main and a dessert at about 21 euros per pax per day.
Outi even came out to describe each dish's preparation. This meat loaf was so yummy, I was really amazed by how tender and moist it was. So much so I wanted to try making one when I'm back in Singapore.
Life's good.
Sautéed Reindeer Meat Soup for the second night. The soup was really excellent, fiancé went for seconds.
I wanted seconds for this because I have a sweet tooth.
Okay, enough raving about the food.
We went for their in-house Husky sleigh ride and it was FRIGGIN' AWESOME. Their overalls, gloves, socks and boots were available for rent for free and we were all ready to go once we were suited up!
The dogs were all raring to go! We can hear their barks from quite a distance away and it really got me excited. xD
Our guide taught us the basics of handling a sleigh and we were paired up for the ride!
And off we go! We took turns being the passenger and the driver and it was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fun! We drove quite a distance away from the guesthouse, admiring the beautiful landscape and feeling the cold wind and snow on our faces.
Took a break in between for the huskies to rest up while we took refuge in a teepee. Our guide was roasting hot coffee for us and even made a quick, simple sandwich. It was intriguing to hear him talk about his experience as a hunter and how he came to be a senior guide.
Grabbed the chance to take photos while we can! They seemed to love company and whined when we moved away from them.
With Chip!
I was really upset when our safari (or what they call mushing) ended. I told my fiancé that we will go back again during our anniversary trips someday because this experience was so precious. Not forgetting to mention that both of us loves dogs alot. :')
Oh and before I end off, did I mention that a Finnish sauna is a MUST TRY when in Finland? The guesthouse's sauna is available for guests to use so as long as we follow their house rules and timings. :) Finnish people are big on sauna but I don't have to guts to go jump in an icy pool or roll in the snow after a sauna. Maybe next time. Or maybe not.
I will definitely be back the next time I come back to Finland and highly recommend this Guesthouse Husky to anyone looking for a great time!
Headed up north to Ivalo next for...
Huskies!
I researched quite a fair bit on which Husky Safaris to go for when I chanced upon Guesthouse Husky that had numerous good reviews online. Thank goodness that was still an available room for the dates we wanted! x)
Our cosy, beautiful guesthouse! The guesthouse is tucked in a cosy location at about 5km away from the Ivalo village and it was not a problem getting a taxi from the village to the guesthouse. The guesthouse hosts are also able to book a taxi for you on your preferred pickup time. :) There's a common kitchen that's available for all guests to use and cook their meals if they wish. However, a dinner cooked by Outi, the guesthouse host is a MUST TRY for good and authentic Finnish food. I've read many reviews raving about their dinner and we were certainly not disappointed!
We stayed 2 nights there and booked 2 nights of dinner (Breakfast is complimentary). Each dinner comes with a main and a dessert at about 21 euros per pax per day.
Outi even came out to describe each dish's preparation. This meat loaf was so yummy, I was really amazed by how tender and moist it was. So much so I wanted to try making one when I'm back in Singapore.
Life's good.
Sautéed Reindeer Meat Soup for the second night. The soup was really excellent, fiancé went for seconds.
I wanted seconds for this because I have a sweet tooth.
Okay, enough raving about the food.
We went for their in-house Husky sleigh ride and it was FRIGGIN' AWESOME. Their overalls, gloves, socks and boots were available for rent for free and we were all ready to go once we were suited up!
The dogs were all raring to go! We can hear their barks from quite a distance away and it really got me excited. xD
Our guide taught us the basics of handling a sleigh and we were paired up for the ride!
And off we go! We took turns being the passenger and the driver and it was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fun! We drove quite a distance away from the guesthouse, admiring the beautiful landscape and feeling the cold wind and snow on our faces.
Took a break in between for the huskies to rest up while we took refuge in a teepee. Our guide was roasting hot coffee for us and even made a quick, simple sandwich. It was intriguing to hear him talk about his experience as a hunter and how he came to be a senior guide.
Grabbed the chance to take photos while we can! They seemed to love company and whined when we moved away from them.
With Chip!
I was really upset when our safari (or what they call mushing) ended. I told my fiancé that we will go back again during our anniversary trips someday because this experience was so precious. Not forgetting to mention that both of us loves dogs alot. :')
Oh and before I end off, did I mention that a Finnish sauna is a MUST TRY when in Finland? The guesthouse's sauna is available for guests to use so as long as we follow their house rules and timings. :) Finnish people are big on sauna but I don't have to guts to go jump in an icy pool or roll in the snow after a sauna. Maybe next time. Or maybe not.
I will definitely be back the next time I come back to Finland and highly recommend this Guesthouse Husky to anyone looking for a great time!
