Always a piece of me staying here in Lapland: Arctic Life, reindeer farm & Jenna

Imagine waking up in the morning, taking a hot cup of coffee and looking outside of the window. You’d see the bright sun rising from the behind of a snowy, frosty forest (and no-one else around). There’s no hurry anywhere.

This was something I was just dreaming about last autumn. Then all the right things happened, and I ended up working the whole winter season in Lapland as a guide.

Since that very perfect decision, I have started my every morning like that (okay I’m glorifying a bit, I still had to hurry for work sometimes).

Lovely days in Luosto

Time is flying though and my journey here in Luosto is almost done and it’s time to go back to the Southern Finland. But who knows, maybe I’ll come back next year! During my stay here I have been living in a wooden cabin in the middle of nowhere, and this has felt like home from the very beginning. Many people has wondered how I’m not scared to live here all by myself, but I have just enjoyed to have some time on my own.

All in all, I definitely recommend to take a visit in Lapland. A couple days, a week or few months – doesn’t matter how long you’re staying, I’m sure it’s worth it.

Working in a Reindeer farm

The work itself includes lot of talking and being around people, and I’ve also made new friends (including my boss who has been really thoughtful and friendly – I’m going to miss those sauna-evenings with their whole family for sure)! 

So my work as a guide in Jaakkola reindeer farm includes loooots of things. Probably the best part is driving the reindeer sleigh rides though. Just take all the customers with you, jump on a sleigh and ride through the silent and peaceful nature. After the ride you might go and feed some reindeer, and then enjoy a soot pan coffee with a traditional Lappish pastry called Kampanisu.

Still my work isn’t just relaxing and hanging around because in fact, it takes lot of work to prepare everything and also take care of the reindeer. But I like it, and I definitely don’t have to go for a gym after work if I don’t want to!

Some days has been really cold in here (even -38 degrees), so it’s really important to have enough clothes. My suggestion is to have a set of underwear (like shirt and pants) made from merino wool. Also I can’t underline enough how important is to have proper hat or beanie here! About 70% of your body temperature fades away from you head.

Then if you’re still cold despite of having enough warm clothes, you can always warm up yourself next to a campfire. I’m hanging around campfire every single day, and I bet you could smell me from a long distance. Smoke is the deodorant for a wilderness guide!

Things to do in Pyhä-Luosto

Besides working, there are lots of things to do in Pyhä-Luosto area. I have been snowshoeing, down-hill skiing, ice-fishing, having an ice bath in frozen lake after sauna (that’s something I do every week at home in Southern Finland too, though – I love the mix of hot and cold!)… Or if you would rather test your driving skills on a snow, you can rent a snowmobile for example. That’s definitely not the easiest job to do when there’s huge amount of snow everywhere.

Then in Luosto there’s the Lampivaara Amethyst Mine and also small Amethyst spa. I haven’t visited those yet, because I have been just enjoying the outdoor activities and of course there’s some cleaning, cooking and other household activities to do when you have time. And I must tell you, it is quite interesting to do groceries here without own car.

The nearest big supermarket is about 30 kilometers from my place, so I always have to borrow a car from someone and buy at least one week groceries at the same time. Back home in south, there’s closest supermarket about 300 meters away from my home!

Pay a visit to Lapland

All in all, I definitely recommend to take a visit in Lapland. A couple days, a week or few months – doesn’t matter how long you’re staying, I’m sure it’s worth it. At least if you’re fan of nature and enjoy some silence far away from the loud big cities and the hasty atmosphere. I know there’s always a piece of me staying here in Lapland and I will absolutely come back many times more!

  “We are wondering how we will survive without each other with Sökö”.

• Article & pictures by Jenna Käppi