I participated on Kievarin kierros overnight tour and had an absolute blast. The horses were great, so kind and calm and trustworthy carrying us through the mountains, forests and rivers. Our host Maria was delightful and very helpful - she took great care of us on horseback and in camp. We dined and stayed the night in Laanilan Kievari. Food was delicious and accomodation in a small hut very cozy - not to forget the sauna after a long day on horseback. We rode mostly off-trail and the tour was for experienced riders, challenging as mentioned on the website. Definitely not for beginners, but I'm sure Maria like the pro that she is can whip up great tours for any kind of visitors. The scenery in the beginning of August was breathtaking and it was truly amazing to experience it on a Finnhorse.

We spent a week over New Year in Ivalo, and we did a lot of activities throughout our stay, but our time with Maria and her impressive, beautiful, calm and strong finhorses were the absolute highlight! First, we brought our daughter to a ride. We arrived early, and we saw Maria taking care of the horses who had done the previous ride. we were welcomed immediately, and our daughter was invited to give the horses a brush, what she happily did. When you see Maria caring about her horses, you realize it's not just a business, it's her vocation. The horses as well as the whole site are in excellent condition, and they seem to love going on a ride. Our daughter loved it, too. They started off through the deep snow for 1.5 hours, and it must have been an awesome experience. Maria offers rides for different levels, this one was for advanced riders. After the ride, the horses were brushed again and rewarded with some bread, while Maria told us a lot about her horses and the life in Lapland. We really have fallen in love with her horses, and so we were really happy that we already had booked a sleigh ride for two days later, so it was only a short farewell. Again we came early for the sleigh ride, and Maria was already in preparations. She explained everything she did, and she seems to value traditions, since she is using a harness that was already used by her grandfather. When everything was ready, we took place on the sleigh, and we started into the forest. Before, she had already said that Mahti, her horse, loves pulling the sleigh, and this really became obvious. It's so fascinating, experiencing Mahti's strength in front of the sleigh, while hearing the jingle bells and seeing the deep snowy forest. It was like a dream. When we came back, of course we first cared about Mahti, and then Maria invited us for a tea and a nice and interesting chat. However, for us it's clear that we have to come back to Finland, if only to spend time with Maria's horses again! We are very grateful for this amazing experience.

A must do activity if you are visiting Saariselkä. Maria was so lovely and informative on our sleigh ride. And Visa was the most beautiful Finnhorse. We were the only family on the sleigh and Maria gave us lots of information about the area and living in Finland. We were taken through the magical snow covered trees to a secluded area for our picnic. We warmed sausages on the fire, drank tea and ate cake surrounded by snow. We were not rushed and the whole trip was relaxing. Once back to the lodge Maria called a taxi for us and was happy to chat and show us the other horse in the yard while we waited. We will take these memories of the snow covered woods with us forever. Highly recommend this trip.