Finland Family Winter Adventure

Traveler Reviews

• A

  Tracey Joyce

  March 20th, 2011
  4
  Lots of snow, lots of ice, lots of trees, lots of fun! What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The...
  Lots of snow, lots of ice, lots of trees, lots of fun! What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The Husky trip was our agreed favourite, sledding through the snow covered forest .The afternoon when the leader took the children to play games in the snow was the next favourite with my daughter , and for me as I got the chance for a beautiful walk in the forestThe food (freshly prepared each day) was the best I have ever had on an exodus holiday. What did you think of your group leader? Our leader Hanna was, in the words of my daughter "amazing" She ( and the rest of the team) were so friendly and accommodating. We travelled independantly and arrived late due to a flight delay and the team could not have been more helpful rearranging activities so that we would not miss out. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? The temperatures can be difficult for children to deal with ( we experienced -32c) take lots of disposable hand and feet warmers to help keep feet and hands cosy. All the gear they gave us was excellent, and I hardly used my own clothes at all. Is there anything else you would like to add? If you want to experience the snowy wilderness, but appreciate a warm fire and a cold beer at the end of the day this is the place to go. Show more
  Traveled in February 2011
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  Anthony Leung

  October 28th, 2010
  4
  A chance for the family to live in a totally different way (temperature went down to -36 degrees) for a week. What...
  A chance for the family to live in a totally different way (temperature went down to -36 degrees) for a week. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Seeing the Northern Lights!!!!  Also the dog sledding was fantastic. What did you think of your group leader? An absolute star!  Friendly, helpful, anything is possible attitude.  The children named a sledge run after our group leader!  Enough said. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Take your own mittens and wolly hats just in case the ones supplied get wet by too many sledge runs. Is there anything else you would like to add? Great holiday. Show more
  Traveled in September 2010
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  Samantha Randall

  June 21st, 2009
  5
  We loved the beautiful, remote setting-pristine wilderness. We loved trying new things together as a family-falling...
  We loved the beautiful, remote setting-pristine wilderness. We loved trying new things together as a family-falling over and trying again, hugging together to watch the northern lights from the frozen lake. There is a great balance between organised activity and the freedom to explore as a family. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The amazing setting, moonlit skiing, northern lights. This trip really did exceed our expectations What did you think of your group leader? Tuomas was fantastic. He was always eager to help, very encouraging and good fun with all ages.  Our children loved him as much as we did.  Tuomas has a huge passion for the natural environment-he loves his job and clearly takes delight in sharing the treasures of Oulanka with visitors. Tuomas had an unending supply of extra layers and as the temperature hit  minus 27 said,.  'You do not need to be cold, it is all about the equipments'.  It's true that you really only need very little of your own clothes- the clothing supplied is excellent quality and extremely effective. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Book immediately and get a second or third job to pay for it! Be prepared for some extra expenses if you want to make the most of the holiday. Mr Wolf the dog sled man charges a lot for the long dog sled trip, but it is worth it- our children thought they were James Bond in Narnia.We took lots of chocolate and cereal bar snacks and we are glad we did-you are in a remote place and all you can buy is a mars bar type thing! The food is great, but lunches add up to quite an additional expense, that's where the cereal bars help!Get help from your guide about how best to spend the day in Ruka.  We probably tried to do too much; snow mobile in the morning and skiing in the afternoon, making a pretty rushed day and tricky to find time  for lunch- another cereal bar moment.  On the other hand, some people in our party snow mobiled in the morning and then felt they had too much time to wander the tiny Ruka. Is there anything else you would like to add?  We usually go to Cornwall and this was our first adventure holiday with our children aged 6 and 9 and it couldn't be improved upon.  Accomodation is excellent- small, but very warm and cosy and the under floor heating means that you are actively encouraged to throw your wet clothes to dry on the floor every night! The setting means the children have the freedom to sledge every spare minute if they want to-it's very safe.  We loved the opportunity to try new things, fall over and try again as a family. If there is something you would love to do, ask.  My husband slept the night in a quincee. Don't worry that you might sleep through the northern lights.  Tuomas woke us up.Go in the sauna and hot tub and then stumble barefoot back through the snow to your lodge.Show more
  Traveled in May 2009
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  Anthony Cross

  January 14th, 2009
  5
  Basecamp Oulanka was a wonderful choice for my family to experience everything a winter holiday has on offer. A very...
  Basecamp Oulanka was a wonderful choice for my family to experience everything a winter holiday has on offer. A very Eco friendly establishment on the edge of the National Park - a supurb location, completely away from everyone. A small group of expert staff were on hand to offer fantastic advise, cook great wholesome food and supply us with some top class equipment and clothes. It was more than we hoped. What did you think of your group leader? Eki ensured that our itinery was met in every way.  He guided us expertly through how to put on a snow shoe to how to climb down the side of a hill covered in deep snow safely.  We went on some wonderful walks and Eki ensured we learnt all about the surrounding countryside.  He was also excellent with the children of the group - their ages ranged from 6yr to 15yrs.  During the 'adults free time' Eki took all the kids off to build an igloo.  He ensured they were instructed carefully on all aspects including any dangers.  The children then took great pride over the next couple of days completing their igloo in the hope that we (the parents) would let them spend the night inside!  Eki was espescially helpful to my 11 year old who has ADHD.  Whilst Eki was not made aware of my son's condition, on a couple of occasions Eki was able to assess the situation wonderfully and allowed my son to help him setting up different activities.  My son was most impressed that he was allowed to help with the building of the Finnish Sauna What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Beautiful surroundings and very friendly people.  A real feeling of freedom and safety for the kids who were allowed free use of the sledges and kick sleighs all around Basecamp.  Also, what a great relief that when talking about our safetly, we just discussed it sensibly and didn't have to go through risk assessments!! Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Don't take loads of clothes.  We read lots of other travellers coments who said the same thing but we still chose to ignore their advice.  Basecamp really do provide everything you need.  My advice would be to take 3 or 4 ski tops (roll necks) and enough socks for the week.  Don't take boots as they have fantastic ones!  They provide you with two base layers - one a close fitting fleece top and bottom, the other a larger fleece top and trousers.  You then get a complete set of top and bottom jackets.  It got to minus 20 when we were there and these three layers were fine although I also wore my own roll neck.  You get two pairs of gloves - socks if you need them, a back pack, a beanie hat, a balaclava and a thermos flask.  You could always get more from the store room if you needed it.  No-one dresses for diner and most people stay in their outerwear as they intend to go play in the snow after diner so dont bother taking anything 'smart'.  One other small piece of advice would be to take snacks and sachets of hot chocolate - there are no shops anywhere so if you have 'snacky' kids, you may need to be a little more prepared.  We took loads of biscuits which ended up being eaten by the adults with our cups of tea!  Hot water for tea and coffee is always freely available but the hot chocolate was sold for 1.5 euros.  Take your own!  Also, you will have been made aware in the brochure that breakfast and diner are included but lunch is in addition.  99% of the time you will be at Basecamp for lunch so you will need to pay for the lunch they provide.  The lunch cost us 9 euros a day each and consisted of a homemade soup or homemade pasta dish.  They provide a 'tick' chart for you to use if you decide you dont want to eat the lunch and this ensures you are not charged at the end of the week.  Is there anything else you would like to add? I was worried that the freezing cold and the dark was going to be a problem.  I have three kids, the youngest being 6 and I was dreading them complaining.  To start with, it gets light at 9am and stays light until 3.30pm so not much different to the uk really!  Constantly wrapping up was a problem or rather a bit of a chore - but hey!  it was all part of the experience.  Oulanka Basecamp is beautiful - dont expect loads of mod cons - there's no telly or radio - the rooms are very basic but you will not be in there much.  There will not be loads of other people there either as the establishment only has 16 rooms (8 of which only had one double bed in).  The result is you get a real friendly atmosphere and you get to know everyone staying there with you.  They have their own chef there who made some fantastic dishes for us.  If you have fussy kids - beware - you get what you are given at Basecamp, there are no buffets or choices.  A different home cooked meal was prepared for us each night and there was plenty to go around.  There's plenty of salad and bread and coffee and tea were available all day, but if you have a child that likes to snack or will only eat chips then this will be a problem.  The staff are so lovely there that if you did find yourself in this situation, I am sure they would try to help you out but beware, there are no shops around and Basecamp only sell a few chocolate snacks.  The nearest shop was 25km away and we were told if we needed to get a taxi it would cost about 80 euros!!  We did manage to get to a shop on the day we went to the Reindeer farm.  We asked our driver to take a detour and for 20 euros he obliged - but then it was New Years eve and we were in need of snacks!!   If you are still wondering whether to book this holiday for your family, all I can say is it was well worth the money - we experienced everything and more - snowshoeing, cross country skiing, ice climbing, finnish sauna, hot tubs, hiking, igloo building, sleeping in an igloo,  husky safari (oh, my god! how fantastic was that), the reindeer farm, skiing, snowmobiling (it's not as expensive as the brochure makes out as there are different time options available) AND The Northern Lights!!!Show more
  Traveled in December 2008
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  Tracey Ashton

  March 5th, 2008
  5
  Amazing scenery, new activities, wonderful guides, great food and the Northern Lights - what more could anyone ask...
  Amazing scenery, new activities, wonderful guides, great food and the Northern Lights - what more could anyone ask for! What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Walking on snowshoes to view the rapids.  We stood in perfect surroundings and the only noise was the water. What did you think of your group leader? Amazing!  We couldn't fault him.  In fact we thought so highly of him that we named the pet rabbit we acquired when we returned, Eki after him! Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Take a decent base layer and travel in boots or shoes with a good grip and a warm coat - and leave other winter clothes behind - everything is supplied - and it is all really comfortable and good quality.  Also make sure you are reasonably fit before you go as you will do activities every day and you don't want to be too exhausted to do anything. Is there anything else you would like to add? If you like lots of nightlife and dressing up for dinner - this holiday is not for you.  If you love beautiful scenery and the chance to totally get away from it all with no noise or light pollution - this is perfect.Show more
  Traveled in February 2008
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  Melanie Budnyj

  January 21st, 2008
  4
  An excellent alternative to being at home at Christmas. All our family group was kept fully occupied for the whole...
  An excellent alternative to being at home at Christmas. All our family group was kept fully occupied for the whole week. No tele, playstations, newspapers required. Pure wilderness. The kids loved it. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Husky riding on Christmas day. Turned up at Husky Farm expecting to be taken for a ride but ended up, after a quick demo, having to steer and control 5 very enthusiastic dogs over 10k of wooded terrain. Awesome experience. 2 days later we went on a 30k jaunt. That tells you everything.  What did you think of your group leader? Marti was superb, very patience and supportive with all of us. His pancake making could improve but then he doesn't profess to being a cook. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Pack nothing other than toiletries, a few caasual clothes for the evening and undergarments. Everythingelse is provided. Don't pack your cases full of winter gear. Also don't expect to see the sun. You won't just a winter wonderland instead. Is there anything else you would like to add? Clearly Exodus use 1st rate local operators. Our flight was delayed overnight by fog but the local operator rearranged the activities so we didn't miss out on anything.Show more
  Traveled in December 2007
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  Alex Jones

  February 19th, 2013
  5
  Fantastic What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The dog sledding day. What did you think of your...
  Fantastic What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The dog sledding day. What did you think of your group leader? Great Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Do the all day dog safariShow more
  Traveled in January 2013
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  Andrew Whittamore

  January 27th, 2013
  5
  We went to Finland to experience a white Christmas and try winter sports and activities as a family. We found...
  We went to Finland to experience a white Christmas and try winter sports and activities as a family. We found ourselves in an amazing Winter Wonderland and came away with some amazing experiences. Every day brought a new challenge and superb memories for us all. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Every day was packed full of great activities which we will never forget. Our first daylight experience of Finland was the Husky Sled experience. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, the dogs amazing and friendly and capped off with hot drinks in a Teepee. This activity blew us away right at the beginning of our holiday. What did you think of your group leader? All the leaders at Basecamp Oulanka were superb, accommodating, helpful and friendly. The family group leader Tessa was brilliant with all the children. She managed to support the whole group through new activities while educating us in Finnish traditions. Tessa was always smiling! Our boys loved making an Igloo with her.   Do you have any advice for potential travellers? This trip was an excellent introduction to winter activities. This holiday was varied, fun-packed and energetic. Our boys (aged 6 and 8) really enjoyed trying new activities and are keen to have another winter holiday!The food was good, and although there were times when we were not keen on the main option - there was plenty of bread and salad, and the kitchen was keen to accommodate and no-one ever went hungry.Basecamp Oulanka was well stocked with equipment and clothing which was accessible throughout. With temperatures reaching minus 29C we were grateful of the quality clothing available. Take swimming costumes to make use of the sauna and the hot tub - a great way to relax before supper! Is there anything else you would like to add? We absolutely loved our time at Oulanka. The wonderful people, scenery, food and activities made for a superb collection of memories. Tessa showed us how to showshoe and cross country ski. Later in the holiday we used our free time to do both again as the equipment was freely available. We spent many hours sledging down the slopes around the camp! The huskies and reindeer were truely amazing experiences.Show more
  Traveled in December 2012
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  Samantha Gunn

  January 4th, 2013
  5
  A wonderful family and ability friendly activity holiday. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Snow...
  A wonderful family and ability friendly activity holiday. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Snow shoe walking to the old mill with my sons. the power of the water and the weather made it a magical experience What did you think of your group leader? Tessa was lovely, nothing was a problem, she was great with the kids and she had the patience of a saint! Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Take snacks and hot chocolate as we did, the odd cuppa soup wouldnt go a miss too especially if you have picky kids as the availability of food is minimal after meal times(all food was beautiful) except for finnish mars bars at 1.50 e a pop. plenty cards and cluedo scrabble and jenga available for after dinner, my 2 found their ds very useful as there is obviously no tv computer access. and evenings are long, but you will find the kids are shattered!you really dont need clothes. every imaginable layer is provided, gloves, hats, shoes, just take your own thermals and plenty of big socks, and disposable hand warmers were useful too. no one dresses for dinner, the clothes you arrived in are enough.Ruka is very expensive is hire the equipment and have a lesson for the day, at least 400e for a family of 4 before your lunch, if you love downhill skiing great but be warned, Is there anything else you would like to add? Amazing Amazing Amazing. didnt want to come home!take full advantage of the cross country ski and snowshoe use while there, the scenery is beyond belief.worth every penny, but beware of expensive extrasShow more
  Traveled in December 2012
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  Tracey Joyce

  March 20th, 2011
  4
  Lots of snow, lots of ice, lots of trees, lots of fun! What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The...
  Lots of snow, lots of ice, lots of trees, lots of fun! What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The Husky trip was our agreed favourite, sledding through the snow covered forest .The afternoon when the leader took the children to play games in the snow was the next favourite with my daughter , and for me as I got the chance for a beautiful walk in the forestThe food (freshly prepared each day) was the best I have ever had on an exodus holiday. What did you think of your group leader? Our leader Hanna was, in the words of my daughter "amazing" She ( and the rest of the team) were so friendly and accommodating. We travelled independantly and arrived late due to a flight delay and the team could not have been more helpful rearranging activities so that we would not miss out. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? The temperatures can be difficult for children to deal with ( we experienced -32c) take lots of disposable hand and feet warmers to help keep feet and hands cosy. All the gear they gave us was excellent, and I hardly used my own clothes at all. Is there anything else you would like to add? If you want to experience the snowy wilderness, but appreciate a warm fire and a cold beer at the end of the day this is the place to go. Show more
  Traveled in February 2011