When Do Reindeer Sleigh Rides Run in Rovaniemi?

Reindeer sleigh rides near Rovaniemi run when there is snow: mid-November to mid-April on the one outing that gives dates. For the best chance of the ride as well as the farm, plan for December to March and book Arctic Photo Experience’s farm visit with a photographer, from US$130 on promotion, usually US$139 a person (checked November 2026): its 400 m ride runs when there is enough snow, and the rest of the visit runs outside the snow months too.

When we read its calendar, 27 November and 10 December 2026 had nothing on sale, while 30 November and 15 December 2026 and 20 January, 3 February and 17 February 2027 each had a 9:00 AM start. Free cancellation runs until 24 hours before.

The season, outing by outing

AMG Travel's farm visit is the one that gives dates: its sleigh ride “is available since middle november to middle april”. The others tie the ride to the snow rather than the calendar. Arctic Photo Experience runs its 400 m ride “when there is enough snow” and says the programme changes with the season. Wonderlapland does not guarantee its sled ride and does not refund one the snow rules out. Beyond Arctic has a separate early-winter option with a 400 m ride, run in November “when we have still limited snow conditions”, next to its usual 2-km ride.

November: the snow decides

November is when the rides start, if the snow has come. Two reviews of Arctic Photo Experience’s farm visit show both sides: on 2 November 2023 a guest had the sleigh ride because snow had already fallen, and on 10 November 2025 another had none because there was not enough snow. The farm visit went ahead both times.

If the ride is the reason you are going, a November date is a gamble on these listings. If the reindeer and the herders are the reason, it is not.

December to March: the main season

The reviews pile up in these months. Of the 315 reviews of Arctic Photo Experience’s farm visit, 253 were written from November to March, and 322 of the 345 reviews of Beyond Arctic’s 2-km ride date from December to March.

Check January to March dates for the farm visit

The days are short in the middle of winter. Computed for Rovaniemi, the sun rises at 11:07 and sets at 13:22 on 21 December 2026, at 10:58 and 13:42 on 1 January 2027, and at 09:19 and 15:42 on 1 February. A 9:00 AM start in January leaves in twilight and has you at the farm as the light comes up. By 1 March the sun is up from 07:32 to 17:27.

It can be very cold. Guests on Arctic Photo Experience’s farm visit wrote of -27 °C and -35 °C on January 2026 mornings; the one at -35 found the short ride long enough. Beyond Arctic’s 2-km ride, Apukka Resort Oy’s sleigh rides and Santa Claus Holiday Village Safaris’ rides include winter clothing; Arctic Photo Experience does not list clothing among what it includes.

Evening rides

Two listings run their sleigh rides after dark: Apukka Resort Oy's evening ride, where “if the sky is clear, the Aurora Borealis may appear”, and Santa Claus Holiday Village Safaris' 2 km aurora ride, which promises the northern lights only “if you get lucky”. Neither guarantees them.

Spring and summer

The herding year begins on 1 June, according to the Reindeer Herders’ Association: calves are earmarked in June and July, and calving is mostly in May. In summer the reindeer roam and graze freely, and there is no snow for a sleigh. Arctic Photo Experience’s farm visit still runs: it has reviews from July, August, September and October.

In autumn the rutting season begins. The Association’s leaflet says it is “best to avoid going close to reindeer at this time of year”, when the males are “ready for battle”; the round-ups run from the end of September into midwinter. How reindeer herding works has the whole year.

Pick by when you go

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.