The Hidden Place of Santa

Best Santa Ever

This was a wonderful experience from finish to end, warm friendly elf greetings, entertainment on the bus out there, stunning setting on arrival, lovely reindeer ride, fun sledding, snow mobile, gingerbread decorating, wish lists, toasting marshmallows and of course the epic Santa visit. We decided not to visit any other Santa's on the holiday and made the right decision, it was the icing on the cake. The elves stayed in character the whole time and were there to answer any questions, and the snow queen was wonderful too. We loved this experience and recommend it to any family wanting some Christmas magic.

via Viator

Magical

We visited the Hidden Place of Santa today. In my little boys words “this was the best day of my life.” It really was magical, the elves were fantastic, they never broke character and worked so hard the entire time. The whole experience didn’t feel rushed and we had plenty of time to do everything. The highlight was visiting Santa, my little boys face lit up. We loved every second. Thank you :)

via Tripadvisor

We met the REAL Santa!

After lots of research the pure lack of reviews for this experience (and the amount of negative ones!) began to cause panic that I had booked the wrong Santa experience for my family, 2 adults 3 young children 8, 6 & 2. This is by no means a cheap experience, it cost us hundreds of pounds, I was very tempted to cancel as the time grew nearer, but overall I am really glad that I didn’t! Yes it is expensive for what you get in all honesty, but everything is expensive in Lapland. We started at the Safartica main office in Rovaniemi, there is parking just around the corner, pay by app. We were kitted out with warm clothing if needed/wanted (you can also just wear your own if you wish) we got on a minibus with our designated elf and drove 25 minutes into the woods. This part was unorganised, we had to ask twice what was happening and where we needed to be. Once we figured out which bus we were on all was fine. Our elf interacted with the children on the bus ride and tried to get them all excited and in the Christmas spirit which was nice. When we arrived we were greeted by more elf’s and the forest queen who explained what would happen on our visit. Several ‘areas’ with things to do in each of them, some things to do outside and some things to do inside. These were all ‘free play’ we could go to which ever area as and when we wanted spending as little or as much time as we liked in each area (wishing tree crafts/gingerbread decorating, marshmallow roasting with an open fire where we got our trainee elf certificates!, inside a hut for glogi and pastry, sledging hill with sledges to borrow, and lots of snow to play in) The reindeer ride was once around a small track lasted a matter of minutes but it was good enough as a taster session and to get a few photos, a few reindeer they were all attached to each other in a line (one behind the other), once around the track then off, you had to Que for this but we were lucky and straight on. The snowmobile again only a few minutes round in a circle attached to a string on a pole - no track or free play on the snowmobile (like they have at Santa Claus village for the kids) but again it was good enough for a little taster session, the elf was lovely and even gave our 2 year old a little go by getting on it with him and driving him around a few times, which was nice and unexpected - he loved it. The elf’s interaction with the children is what made this experience, they played with them listed to them and told them all about what it was like been an elf, how long they’ve been in elf school etc etc really sweet, they played on the sledging hill with them, snow ball fights, they were really good. The visit into Santa himself was also quick, but our children aren’t big talkers so that was fine, he sat with each of them individually and read through their Santa letters (which they wanted to hand deliver to him) we could take as many photos and videos as we liked and the elf even took photos for us so we could all be in the picture together. He was definitely authentic in the way he looked and acted, Santa even came out to say good bye to us all at the end of the evening, and waved us off on our busses which again was really nice. If you are more interested in the reindeer ride and snowmobile ride this isn’t for you, you would get more for your money at SCV, if you are looking for a lovely way to spend a few hours meeting Santa and playing in a magical winter wonderland with a little taster session on those things, then this is perfect. Overall I am very glad I did not cancel.

Response from the operator: Hi there, Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a detailed and insightful review. Your feedback is incredibly valuable not only for helping us further develop the experience but also for future guests considering this tour. We’re delighted to hear that we could bring some joy to your Christmas and create magical moments for your family!

via Tripadvisor

Absolutely perfect from start to finish!

A very unique character twist with no Mrs clause but an enchanted forest with enthusiastic elves and Aurora the Forrest Queen. The Santa was brilliantly convincing, took his time so you never felt rushed in and out. Answered questions and had quickly rehearsed the information about the kids to wow them with their names, ages and chosen presents from their letter. Loads of activities you just do as and when you want within the 3 hours, gingerbread making, Christmas cards, snowmobile, Reindeer ride, marshmallows and Santa. Really relaxed, not too crowded and a 25 minute bus ride to the location with your elf and the other lucky children specially chosen by Santa! Would highly and genuinely recommend based on our experience.

via Viator

Safartica Hidden Place of Santa excursion

I struggled with what to rate this excursion. There are many positives to it although there are areas which could have been better and made more special for the kids. We were greeted at the Safartica office by a couple of “Elves” my family has stayed outside as it looked busy but they asked us to take a seat I went outside to grab the family and came back in to sit where requested. We were then not approached again by anyone but guessed from other people that we could get additional layers or borrow their gloves etc if we wanted to. This was a nice touch and their gloves were incredible. However it all felt very hectic and not quite the special beginning I had hoped for. We then had to enquirer again where we needed to go as others had started to leave but again had not been approached. We had an elf on our bus and don’t think we were very lucky with the one we got but she tried her best to do a little singing etc. the journey was fairly short 15-20mins from Rov centre. There were two huge coaches of families that were taken out to the magical forest and this was the part they could do better. There was a lovely welcome by the forest queen but they then sent us all down to queue for reindeer rides. I think if they had done this in smaller groups it would have felt nicer and less queuing. Luckily my husband took our kids off to play in the snow on the frozen lake while I waited so they weren’t affected. The rest of the experience was much nicer, you choose where you go and what you do out of all the options and if something was busy then we just went and did something else. The Father Christmas part you get approached by the forest queen to see if you’re ready to meet him. My husband had a quiet word with her and managed to pass on their letters to Santa which we send via our fire at home so this is what really made my 9yr old believe. He was amazed by this! Santa was chatty and asked lots of questions but annoyingly both my kids went mute and answered with one word answers so it may have lasted longer had they been more chatty but certainly didn’t feel rushed and he greeted them both by name which again was great. Maybe it’s even more special when it’s not quite so busy as I would say I’d have preferred less people around but I’m pleased overall with how it went.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to write such a balanced and detailed review. We truly appreciate your insights, as they help us review and develop our programs to create even better experiences in the future. December is indeed one of the busiest months in Lapland, particularly in Rovaniemi, known as one of the capitals of Christmas. While the bustling atmosphere adds to the festive charm, we understand how it might have impacted the sense of intimacy and special moments during your excursion. We are glad to hear that, despite some slight hiccups at the beginning on our side, we were able to deliver a memorable experience for you. ...And it’s not uncommon for kids—and even adults—to go quiet in awe when meeting Santa! 🎅🌲✨ We hope to see you in Lapland once again!

via Tripadvisor