Snowmobile Safari with Ice Fishing Experience

An amazing experience

I can not recommend this trip enough. We was picked up, taken to get suited and booted and then we got stuck straight in on the snowmobile. The experience was incredible, the views, the knowledge from the guide, the route we took, he adapted the route to what we wanted to see. Joel our tour guide was fantastic!!!! It’s a must if your in Levi. It’s the best day we’ve had here. Thank you so much Joel!

via Tripadvisor

Awful and extortionate

Awful day. We arrived and got ready for our tour, and the guide told us the track might be a bit bumpy. My husband and I had never driven snowmobiles before but the other 3 men on our tour had a lot of experience. The track started off ok but quickly became difficult to manage as it was extremely bumpy, and the snowmobile was continuously jerking up and down. There were also several instances when the track crossed a river and dipped down low and there were holes in the track over the water. It wasn't long before my hands were continuously slipping off the handles (as a passenger) and I was terrified of being thrown off and injured. We stopped and the guide suggested I try driving. That was also extremely difficult due to the conditions and we crashed at one of the aforementioned rivers. The guide was long gone and the other tourist behind us stopped to help. I went back to being a passenger and pretty much had a continuous panic attack until lunch time due to being terrified (and I'm an adrenaline junkie!) At lunch we asked if we could finish the tour early as it had become impossible to hold onto the handles (my arms were like jelly at this point from holding on and my husband was having a hard time too). After already paying 400 euro for the tour we were told it would cost a further 150 euro to be collected early. We were appalled at this and said we did not agree to the price but the van came to get us anyway. When we arrived back at the office we were told we had to pay the extra 150 euro. We refused as we had not agreed to this and asked to see their terms and conditions. The written conditions displayed in the shop made no mention of a fee for returning early. After much back and forth and contacting the owner of the business, the manager managed to "find" an identical digital copy with the only difference being the added clause about the cancellation fee (we suspect he added this as he was "searching" but obviously can't prove this). The manager also said they can't control the conditions (duh) but all we wanted was to not pay extra for such an awful experience. They ended up calling the police on us and were extremely condescending throughout the entire discussion. The police said it was none of their business but we should probably just pay. It ruined the Rovaniemi leg of our honeymoon and was a horrible experience to have two days before Christmas.

Response from the operator: Dear Sophie, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear your day with us did not live up to expectations. In December bumpy snowmobile tracks are something all of us need to deal with quite often, mainly due to the changing temperatures and high volume of snowmobilers on the tracks. Although at times these conditions can be more of a norm than an exception, the guide did well to give you a heads-up. The other three participants had purchased single-driving supplements – highly recommended for this tour in its description – making the ride smoother. Anyhow, we always adjust the speed of the tour to match the skills of the group and the conditions, making sure there's no need to drive faster than is safe. Our daily snowmobile programs are not that much about adrenaline but safe, accessible experiences led by professional guides. Even though keeping an eye on the group is naturally one of the main tasks of our guides, unfortunately there are short moments on each tour when having all the participants within line of sight is impossible. This is one of the reasons why instructions are given in the beginning about stopping safely and waiting for the guide. I am happy to hear the other tourists were showing proper snowmobiling spirit and stopped to help, and it did not take long for our guide to return and the tour to continue. All bridges we use on our tours are well maintained and safe to use. When discussing the situation during lunch the price of ending the tour prematurely was communicated clearly. The price also includes transporting the snowmobile back to the starting point, which requires a special vehicle. We also showed great flexibility by offering you the chance to take a taxi back to our office instead of using our transfer, which would have meant that we had had to cover transporting the snowmobile by ourselves. We also suggested joining the ice fishing part of the tour before returning. In the end our transfer was accepted and embarked by you. We apologise that it took a while to have the information about the fee available in writing – we will make sure our terms and conditions will be easily available in full. On the day of the activity there were hundreds of people driving through the same tracks, and we experience several days in a season with similar (and worse) conditions, but having to end a tour prematurely is exceptional. As there are costs involved, we unfortunately were not able to offer a free return service, although we flexed ourselves by offering the taxi solution much further than normally to keep you satisfied. We hope that in general you had an enjoyable holiday and are willing to visit Lapland again one day. Warm greetings from the whole Wild Nordic team!

via Tripadvisor