Husky sleigh rides were so fun that we went twice! First time we booked through one of the larger tour agencies and the second time with Bearhill Husky. Both times were exhilarating! What Bearhill Husky excelled at were:

- very customer service oriented and accommodating: 1) managed to find us a spot on very short notice; 2) we were timely picked up at a specific place as agreed; 3) each of us got our individual sleigh as requested (usually it's 2 per sleigh and taking turns mushing); 4) when we realized we accidentally left our mobiles in the rented overalls at the husky farm and called Valentijn in a panic (as we were about to board a plane), he took the time to retrieve the phones and later DHL them to Shanghai for us (again, thank you so much Valentijn)

- safety: our 2-hour ride consisted of 2 family/groups with a total of 5 sleighs. To ensure everyone is looked after properly, the farm had a guide riding in the front as well as one all the way in the back. This made us feel very safe.

- and of course the dogs: these are actual huskies! And this may be important to you because as we learned, not all husky sleigh ride tours employ pure huskies. There are some local pro racers who also provide these tours on the side (such as the provider of our first sleigh ride). But since their main business is racing, the type of husky dogs they use are mixed husky racers. They are short haired, very lean, fast and agile, but look nothing like a furry husky. I'm not complaining as I love dogs in general and we still had an amazing, FAST experience, but if you are after photo ops with a real husky, make sure you call Valentijn and have him take you to a farm where they raise pure huskies.

And last word of advice, BOOK EARLY because this is probably one of the most popular activities in Rovaniemi and tours get filled fast! Especially with the overnight rides, those take time to properly plan. So if you are interested, call Valentijn as early as possible to arrange.

We took the plunge and opted for an overnight husky tour out into the artic wilderness, and didn't regret it for a minute. Valentijn was a great guide and teacher, and is clearly crazy about the dogs, while the dogs themselves loved the work and were always eager for more. Taking the longer trip was brilliant - not only was our forest cabin (with log fired sauna!) great, having our own sled and a destination to aim at (with Valentijn never too far away ofc) really helped us understand what mushing was all about - by the end of the two days we felt like a proper team with our huskies and not just passengers. The crew at Bearhill were also great, friendly and helpful in getting us picked up, kitted out and dropped back at our hotel the next day. They even took us on a detour via the rail station to pick up our bags, which was a huge help. Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Finland, even if you weren't initially thinking of heading north - go on, get on the sleeper train to Rovaniemi and do something amazing!

Our initial goal when visiting Finland was seeing the northern lights, which in the end we never saw. But the musher for a day tour with Valentijn and the dogs was absolutely fantastic. It was the highlight of our trip and we still talk about it a lot. Valentijn is a terrific guide and instructor and the sledding with our own team of friendly, hard working dogs through beautiful scenery was simply amazing. If you really want to know what dog sledding is about, this is probably the best option there is around Rovaniemi. We would be happy to return just for the sake of experiencing this again.