February in Lapland offers a truly unique experience and proper winter conditions. The days are getting longer and longer, and you can feel the pleasant atmosphere from the shivering cold and the Sun’s rays hitting the snow-covered landscapes. In this authentic atmosphere, we woke up to a beautiful but cold day. The thermometer in Rovaniemi showed a temperature of around -25 degrees Celsius, but our destination today was Riisitunturi National Park.
We departed from Rovaniemi in the morning, with an approximately two-hour drive through the endless and snowy Taiga forest ahead of us. The road, following the landscape, took us through the frozen Arctic wilderness. Despite the sunny weather, the temperature kept dropping to -30 degrees Celsius. It may seem like extreme cold, but the sights of the surrounding scenery kept us constantly warmed with pleasant feelings.
Welcome to the Land of Snowy Giants!
When we finally arrived at Riisitunturi, we were immediately stunned by the magnificence of winter nature. We had yet to hike through the forest to get to the best spots and viewpoints, but our first impression immediately evoked positive emotions. We immediately felt like we were in a scene from a surreal movie.
Not a single cloud, the sky of blue, warming rays of sunshine contrasting with the cold air and massive amounts of snow covering the entire national park – oh my God, it’s a true winter wonderland! And now, our next task was to explore what this magical place has to offer!
When we entered the forest, we were overwhelmed by all the visual inputs from our surroundings. As we dived a little deeper into the forest, we decided to listen to the sounds of the forest. We stayed quiet for a few dozen seconds. And the stunning silence multiplied the peacefulness of this place. The path through the forest was lined with snowy giants known as tykky (the snow load of a full-grown spruce tree can be up to four tonnes) that are typical for Riisitunturi National Park.
The pleasant hike through this magical forest took us longer than expected, as we stopped every 3 minutes on average to take hundreds of photos and enjoy this magical place as much as we could. We were accompanied by a few other tourists and locals on our small expedition through the forest, whose reactions were equally enthusiastic about these unbelievable surroundings. These lovely encounters in the wilderness are special, as it’s little moments like a smile, small talk, falling in deep snow or random laughter that can take the whole experience to a different level.
On the Top of the World or Riisitunturi National Park
When we arrived at the top of Riisitunturi, we enjoyed the breathtaking views of the slowly setting Sun, which fantastically completed the atmosphere and stunning snow-covered landscapes of Finnish Lapland. This was the moment when we suddenly realised that we were living the moment captured in most promotional photos encouraging tourists to visit Lapland.
We ended our expedition in the traditional Finnish way – with a small barbecue around the fire. Once again, we were accompanied by a few random hikers, and it was truly heartwarming to hear enthusiastic discussions about the beauty of this place in a variety of languages – Finnish, English, French and others.
Check this short gallery with the highlights of our adventure!
Our Hobbies? To Explore Lapland at its Finest!
The magical forest of Riisitunturi slowly dipped into shades of blue and grey offering us entirely new perspectives. On the way to the car, we still had fun in the fresh snow, explored the tracks of various wild animals and learned more about local nature. At the end of this unforgettable and experience-filled day, we still had a drive to Rovaniemi through the sleepy Arctic wilderness. A few more weeks of winter are waiting for us, but we already started planning our next adventures in Northern Lapland, which we can add to our offer in the future! Stay tuned!
If you want to join this small expedition to Riisitunturi National Park with Wild About Lapland, feel free to check the tour details HERE, and it will be a pleasure for us to welcome you on board! Our tours are always in small groups with a maximum of 8 people, because as our motto says – the smaller the group, the bigger the experience!
Be a part of our Arctic adventures and check the offer of winter tours HERE.
…and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram to see the most beautiful Arctic gallery!