Santa Claus Secret Forest - Joulukka
Santa Claus Secret Forest - Joulukka
4.5
About
Hop on a journey and discover the secrets of the Elves, have an unforgettable meeting with Santa Claus, and take part in fun holiday activities! Santa Claus Secret Forest is an exclusive destination where you can experience the magic of Christmas either privately or in small groups. The unique surroundings and our enchanting programs, conducted with uncompromising expertise and world-renowned Christmas know-how, are guaranteed to delight even guests with the highest standards - kids and adults alike. Kindly note that Santa Claus Secret Forest is a private destination located on private grounds, and is therefore only accessible if you have made a booking in advance.
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4.5
158 reviews
Excellent
109
Very good
21
Average
14
Poor
9
Terrible
5
Sylwia W
3 contributions
Jan 2023
Done the experience as part of the Group option in Jan. Paid almost 600 Euro for 2 Adults and 1 child which is not cheap even for someone coming from Ireland (expensive enough place).
The whole experience with the transfer was under 3 hours. We visited Elf's school where we decorated gingerbreads (15min max) and rushed to Command Centre which was another probably 15min. Then we got to see Santa (each family had a slot) which was very brief- 3min max! Santa knew nothing about the child, wasn't very chatty, gave cuddly toy and suggested pictures and...that's it! Then we had an opportunity to roast marshmallows and drink hot juice while other 6 families had their time with Santa.
The best part of the whole experience was the lovely surroundings and the Elves other than that nothing magical tbh. For that price you would expect something better than that. We had better Santa experience last December here in Ireland for a fraction of the price- and it wasn't private experience. It's pity, as the place has such an amazing potential to become something super special. Not a big deal to ask couple of questions when booking the event re the children, their names, what they got for Xmas and have the Santa to use the info during the conversation.
The whole experience with the transfer was under 3 hours. We visited Elf's school where we decorated gingerbreads (15min max) and rushed to Command Centre which was another probably 15min. Then we got to see Santa (each family had a slot) which was very brief- 3min max! Santa knew nothing about the child, wasn't very chatty, gave cuddly toy and suggested pictures and...that's it! Then we had an opportunity to roast marshmallows and drink hot juice while other 6 families had their time with Santa.
The best part of the whole experience was the lovely surroundings and the Elves other than that nothing magical tbh. For that price you would expect something better than that. We had better Santa experience last December here in Ireland for a fraction of the price- and it wasn't private experience. It's pity, as the place has such an amazing potential to become something super special. Not a big deal to ask couple of questions when booking the event re the children, their names, what they got for Xmas and have the Santa to use the info during the conversation.
Written 13 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simon B
5 contributions
Dec 2022
We were a family of 11 (children aged 19 months, 5, 9,9 and 14) so had a private tour and all I can say is WOW. We were worried about the cost before hand, but it was well worth it. We spent about 80 minutes at the forest and about 25 mins with Santa. He was very believable and interacted with the kids wonderfully. It didn’t feel staged or that he was reading from a script. The elves were also great and the kids loved them as much as Santa.
Only negative was that the walk from the coach to the factory is really really short so didn’t feel like we’d just stumbled across it BUT if that’s my only complaint (and I normally find loads to complain about) it was well worth it.
Only negative was that the walk from the coach to the factory is really really short so didn’t feel like we’d just stumbled across it BUT if that’s my only complaint (and I normally find loads to complain about) it was well worth it.
Written 4 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jamie P
2 contributions
Dec 2022 • Family
Spent Christmas Eve with the Elves in the Secret Forest dining, singing and dancing to festive songs with thanks to Elf Mi-Mi on the ukulele. To witness the shear joy in my daughter's face eyes was simply priceless. The Elves were the perfect hosts and spent so much time in conversation with us as a family with each Elf coming to the table for a chat. With Santa making a visit and joining us for an hou, talking and having lots of photos to each child separately, what more could you ask for before his busy night time schedule! With this and Santa Park the top picks of our 5 day visit over Christmas I can't recommend both enough. We were VEP visitors at Santa Park for the extra bit of magic. 5 stars are not enough!The only thing that needs to be more thought out is the picking of the tree to decorate. You can not have 20 very excited kids trying to hold the same tree as there was obvious disappointment for some. Really recommend splitting these groups up at the start.
Thank you
Jamie
Thank you
Jamie
Written 2 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cesar del Olmo
Madrid, Spain10 contributions
Dec 2021
I highly recommend the Santa and Elf experience, we have two kids, 7 years old, and a kid of 9 years with questions about Santa, and with this experence he change his mind and keep believe in magic
Written 25 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dreamer83445
4 contributions
Dec 2021 • Family
We took our children ages 4 & 8 here , we booked on for the Toy Factory experience and had the most magical time, we booked a private experience and so were collected from our hotel by an elf Peppi who was delightful over a 40 minute + journey to Joulukka she knew lots of details about our kids and they just fell in love with her -she had us all playing games and singing, then we arrived at the forest to meet another elf Sweetie who was so cheerful and sweet, i won’t spoil the surprise but the toy factory experience housed in one of the beautifully designed cabins in the forest was wonderful- the 2 elves were with us the whole
time and they ask the children to take part in about 8 different little magical activities as part of the toy factory and they were blown away by it all. it was so fun and special, with a keepsake coin to take home then we came upon a room with a door that magically opened and there was santa himself he was delightful,
and they were mesmerised - he told them a story about his ‘ childhood ‘ and knew details from home about our children and spoke about their christmas wishes and the importance of kindness and gave them a cute christmas gift. When it was time to leave he asked if we would like photo outside and we walked down to the frozen lake 1 min walk and got the most stunning pictures with him and the gorgeous elves. The lake itself was just mesmerising too. Time to say goodbye to the forest and Sweetie came in the private taxi minibus to entertain us and we were drop us off at our chosen drop off point which was Santa park and we went straight in there and really enjoyed all the experiences there, no need to queue for santa as we had just seen him but it was all wonderful the best day of our trip!
time and they ask the children to take part in about 8 different little magical activities as part of the toy factory and they were blown away by it all. it was so fun and special, with a keepsake coin to take home then we came upon a room with a door that magically opened and there was santa himself he was delightful,
and they were mesmerised - he told them a story about his ‘ childhood ‘ and knew details from home about our children and spoke about their christmas wishes and the importance of kindness and gave them a cute christmas gift. When it was time to leave he asked if we would like photo outside and we walked down to the frozen lake 1 min walk and got the most stunning pictures with him and the gorgeous elves. The lake itself was just mesmerising too. Time to say goodbye to the forest and Sweetie came in the private taxi minibus to entertain us and we were drop us off at our chosen drop off point which was Santa park and we went straight in there and really enjoyed all the experiences there, no need to queue for santa as we had just seen him but it was all wonderful the best day of our trip!
Written 20 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer L
County Wexford, Ireland14 contributions
Dec 2021 • Family
We visited as a group of six - two kids age 5 and 9, parents and grand parents. We were picked up by Twinky at our hotel. His costume was amazing and the kids were thrilled. We then drove some distance through a forest and arrived outside the command centre. We were split into groups and waited our turn to go in. Elves entertained the kids with games and sleds and toasting marshmallows in a wigwam with an open fire. We all participated in the fun. The command center was really well done with a reindeer radar, kindometer and a magic post office. We then visited the big man himself who was excellent. The kids were mesmerised. Then off to elf school and gingerbread decorating in another beautiful warm cabin. All in all a wonderful trip that was worth the €1k cost for our party. We would highly recommend to anyone considering it.
Written 18 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amarinda K
2 contributions
Nov 2021
Considering I booked this tour for my sister and I over two months before going, and paid 300 euros, disappointed is a complete understatement.
Firstly, the coach was over 45 mins late, and despite the elves reassuring us that we would make up the time at end, we were still back at the coach for the same time as planned (majority of the planned time was spent on the coach - maximum time spent in the forest was an hour).
Our gingerbread decorating was in the dark for some reason, and thoroughly rushed - we had to decorate and eat them within 5 mins as our elf was pushing us out of the door.
Our visit to Santa was pretty mundane and cringy - he read out our wishes in front of us, and didn't interact as much as Santa in Santa's Village. I am seriously questioning what I paid for - a very, very overpriced coach trip, decorating a gingerbread in less than 5 mins, and a super quick trip to Santa
Overall, very disappointed in this experience.
We were then dropped off at Arctic Treehouse, deflated where we walked into Santa Park (Cavern) and thoroughly surprised - this was an incredible experience that I would definitely recommend to everyone - it is much cheaper, and is very magical for all the family, and it is also indoors which is perfect for the cold weather. Everything at the Santa Park Cavern was thoroughly enjoyable - we rode a magical train, decorated and ate gingerbread (again- but this time, the experience was so festive and enjoyable, and not rushed). We also made some crafts, watched an elf show, visited Santa's Post Office, visited the Ice Kingdom and bought some really unique gifts for our family (All within the same ticket price of 35 euros purchased upon arrival, minus the gifts, of course).
I was expecting a premium service from Joulukka, and it definitely did not deliver its promise of a magical time.
Firstly, the coach was over 45 mins late, and despite the elves reassuring us that we would make up the time at end, we were still back at the coach for the same time as planned (majority of the planned time was spent on the coach - maximum time spent in the forest was an hour).
Our gingerbread decorating was in the dark for some reason, and thoroughly rushed - we had to decorate and eat them within 5 mins as our elf was pushing us out of the door.
Our visit to Santa was pretty mundane and cringy - he read out our wishes in front of us, and didn't interact as much as Santa in Santa's Village. I am seriously questioning what I paid for - a very, very overpriced coach trip, decorating a gingerbread in less than 5 mins, and a super quick trip to Santa
Overall, very disappointed in this experience.
We were then dropped off at Arctic Treehouse, deflated where we walked into Santa Park (Cavern) and thoroughly surprised - this was an incredible experience that I would definitely recommend to everyone - it is much cheaper, and is very magical for all the family, and it is also indoors which is perfect for the cold weather. Everything at the Santa Park Cavern was thoroughly enjoyable - we rode a magical train, decorated and ate gingerbread (again- but this time, the experience was so festive and enjoyable, and not rushed). We also made some crafts, watched an elf show, visited Santa's Post Office, visited the Ice Kingdom and bought some really unique gifts for our family (All within the same ticket price of 35 euros purchased upon arrival, minus the gifts, of course).
I was expecting a premium service from Joulukka, and it definitely did not deliver its promise of a magical time.
Written 1 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
goonerdspa66
Wendover, UK120 contributions
Dec 2019
This an incredible experience for a young child. Farmer the Elf collected us from our hotel and took us to the forest and was charming, funny, wholly authentic and superb with our 6 year old son. He 'knew' all the details about our son's life and was totally convincing. The walk through the forest with another elf was entertaining and built real anticipation before we entered the command centre. The various details in there just kept building towards meeting Santa and when our little one turned a corner and saw Santa sitting there and just ran to him and hugged him it really brought a lump to to our throats. Santa was amazing and there was one element that demonstrates just how passionate everyone in this team are about ensuring the whole experience is the best it can be and utterly memorable and authentic for children. The day before, whilst walking to our car at a reindeer farm we chanced upon Santa and an elf going into the farm to see a group of children, they stooped for a chat. This was just as the guide was telling us Santa chose his reindeer from that farm. It was a completely unplanned, chance meeting and blew our son away. The next day we were due to visit Santa in the forest so I when we got back to the Arctic Treehouse Hotel I checked with the hotel staff that the Santa we would be meeting would comparable with Santa we had just met. They went out of their way to identify who we had met and ensure that Santa the next day was of a close enough comparable appearance and then made sure he would 'remember' meeting our son the day before at the reindeer farm. As you can imagine the merest mention of that previous 'meeting' made our son feel so special.
Written 10 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear goonerdspa66,
Greetings from Santa's Secret Forest - Joulukka,
It was so wonderful to have you with us in the Secret Forest,
Elf Farmer and his elf friends were so excited to read your wonderful review and they asked to pass their greetings from the Secret Command Center. Forest elves are very wise fairytale creatures, they make sure to travel around the world and peek through every single window in order not to miss anything - it is important for them to know if the big children (adults) and little children (children) were kind this year and if they met any other elves or Santa himself before.
Our fairytale team is always happy to collect and investigate as many details as we can before your visit to guarantee a purely unforgettable and tailor made experience for you and your nearest & dearest!
Hope to see you again soon - there are so many elf secrets waiting to be discovered at Santa Claus Secret Forest - Joulukka,
With the best Christmassy wishes,
Elf Deni
Written 4 February 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sergio C
Poznan, Poland6 contributions
Dec 2019
The elves are the best forever! Being in the forest was a incredible experience, we were learning about the history and manners of Finland from the elves, and playing with them! They are so funny, I want to come back now!
Written 14 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Sergio C,
Greetings from Santa Claus Secret Forest of Joulukka!
Thank you so much for you wonderful feedback - elves are very happy to hear that you've enjoyed your forest fun!
We wish you could join us again - more fun, more adventures are ahead!
Hope you are having fantastic time and see you soon!
With the best Christmas wishes,
Elf Deni
Written 2 July 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
scottydz
Canberra, Australia34 contributions
Dec 2019
We attended the dream of joulukka, and although it was expensive it was totally worth it. We didn't do the private experience and only had about 12 others in our group which didn't take away from the experience at all. The kids loved the elves that looked amazing and were very playful. the meeting with Santa at the end felt very private the way the elves organised it and we had plenty of time to chat and ask questions.
The forest itself is stunning with squirrels and dear running through the trees.
Highly recommend.
The forest itself is stunning with squirrels and dear running through the trees.
Highly recommend.
Written 10 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear scottydz,
Greetings from Santa Claus Secret Forest - Joulukka,
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback. It was our absolute pleasure to welcome you and your nearest and dearest to our secret forest!
Elves had a lot of fun revealing some of the real forest secrets and playing with your family. Our fairytale creatures love creating extraordinary magical moments for all guests of the forest - during large group programs and private programs.
We are hoping that you could visit us in Lapland again to discover more Gingerbread and Toy Factory secrets of Joulukka and have more adventures with elves and Santa!
With the best Christmas wishes,
Elf Deni
Written 2 July 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Helen_Nurse1978
Manchester, UK3 contributions
We are visiting in the first week of January and I can’t decided which programme to book- the dream programme, the toy factory tour or the new year special which includes the 3 course meal. We have 3 children aged 5, 12 and 14- so really it’s more for the 5 year old (although we will all love it!) but I want to make sure we choose the best one for him. Has anyone got any advise please or done any of them? Thank you.
Hi there, we have booked the "DREAM OF JOULUKKA - GROUP PROGRAM" (for my 9 year old) for an evening in December. I was considering changing it to the "Santas Toy Factory Adventure - group program" after reading about how magical the toy factory is. But this is a morning tour. Would anyone have any advice on this? Is it more magical to visit the forest at night? If thats the case it might be worth keeping my original "dream of joulukka" booking. Or is the Toy factory tour much more impressive for kids? Any advice would be much appreciated :) x
Yolanda
Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Hola! Vamos con una niña de 9 años y nos encantarÃa visitar el bosque secreto de Joulukka. Somos 3 (2 adultos y la niña) y estaremos en Rovaniemi del 28/2 al 1/3. SerÃa posible en esas fechas añadirnos a un grupo? Como podrÃamos hacerlo?? Muchas gracias.
belenmon
Logrono, Spain165 contributions
Hola, esto se puede hacer todo el año o solo en navidad? Gracias
Santa P
1 contribution
Hola belenmon,
El bosque secreto de Santa Claus esta abierto todo el año bajo petición. Puede mandarnos un mail para ver que le podemos ofrecer en las fechas que quiere venir
Para más información consulta nuestra web
Elfo Juju
BackPacker163260
Madrid, Spain7 contributions
Hola!!
Realmente merece la pena pagar esta excursión frente a la de Santa Park? Hablan en castellano? Hay tanta diferencia de dinero que dudo sobre si merece realmente la pena.
Muchas gracias!
Looking to do the Santa Claus private tour between 12 January to 17 January. Package is for 10 pax. We are a group of 6 and looking for 4 more to join the group. Please contact me if you are interested
Amy B
Baldivis, Australia
Hello,
I’m looking at booking this activity Joulukka Christmas Special but was wondering if the meeting Santa part is rushed, do kids have to line up for long?
Thanks
Karen J
Laguna Woods, CA85 contributions
I didn't wait long, but it depends on the day and time that you are there. The photos with Santa are pricy, however.
Claudia Mavel B
Tacna, Peru1 contribution
Tengo dos niños de 8 años que hablan español , podremos disfrutar del paseo en español?
Kate _geelongaus
2 contributions
Hi looking to do a Jolukka trip in January 2020 on 10th? (we are a group of 6) so if another family of four would like to share costs that would be great. Kate
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
SANTA CLAUS SECRET FOREST - JOULUKKA (Rovaniemi) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Claus Secret Forest - Joulukka
- Hotels near Santa Claus Secret Forest - Joulukka:
- (0.21 km) Arctic TreeHouse Hotel
- (2.33 km) Glass Resort
- (2.14 km) Santa Claus Holiday Village
- (0.79 km) Arctic Circle Holiday Homes
- (5.04 km) Arctic Light Hotel
- Restaurants near Santa Claus Secret Forest - Joulukka:
- (0.21 km) Rakas Restaurant & Bar
- (2.54 km) Santa's Salmon Place
- (2.24 km) Lapland Restaurant Kotahovi
- (5.25 km) Ravintola Roka -Street Bistro
- (5.23 km) Cafe & Bar 21