Salla – Authentic Destination in Lapland

Salla is a small municipality in Eastern Lapland, with an approximate population of 3500. The ancient Sallatunturi fell is home to Salla Ski Resort, where the world’s oldest ski was found, and it was also the very first venue for downhill and slalom competitions in Finland in 1937. Located 2 hours (160 kilometers) from Rovaniemi and only 10 minutes from the town of Salla, this holiday ski resort is also easily reachable with a car or bus from Rovaniemi or Kuusamo Airports. If you’re looking for a peaceful, ecological, and authentic destination that still has it all, Salla might be just the place for you.

What Salla Has to Offer

Salla is particularly known as an authentic, responsible and uncommercialized destination that still has everything you need to experience a proper holiday in Lapland. Salla, The Finnish Ski Resort of 2021 aims to develop its services sustainably and without expanding the resort too much. The unique and untouched nature that surrounds the ski resort is what makes Salla so special. The slogan of the resort, ‘’Salla in the middle of nowhere’’ pretty much sums it up. Moreover, Salla has lots of activities, restaurants, and accommodations to offer for travelers with diverse preferences.

For those who are into skis and boards, Salla has 15 downhill skiing slopes, 160 kilometers of cross-country skiing tracks, which you can expect to be in prime condition throughout the season. If you’re interested in trying snowmobiling, biking, aurora hunting, snowshoeing, husky or reindeer rides, (ice)fishing or swimming, you definitely can do it all here depending on the season. Coziness of the whole resort is easy to sense from the moment you arrive, as the amenities and customer service are very down to earth. Salla is all about the nature. You can find more detailed information about the municipality and travel of Salla at Visit Salla, as well as the Ski Resort’s current news and  conditions here.

Explore Salla National Park

Nearby Salla National Park there are other national parks and hiking areas that visitors can enjoy. It’s a great opportunity to experience more of Finland’s outstanding natural features. Besides its unspoiled nature, Salla also offers spectacular sky gazing. Thanks to its isolation and lack of light pollution, visitors can gaze upon the Milky Way in all its splendour and be amazed at the dazzling Northern Lights from autumn to spring. In summer they can experience the equally amazing midnight sun when it doesn’t get dark at all for several weeks.

Thanks to excellent infrastructure and services, it’s generally very safe to move around Finland and Lapland. It’s possible to make day trips from Salla by car to three other nearby national parks. 

How To Get There

If you’re flying to Lapland, Rovaniemi and Kuusamo airports are the nearest ones to Salla. From these places you can either take a bus or rent a car. If you prefer to travel with train, Kemijärvi is the closest railway to Salla, from where you can continue with bus. You can find more detailed information about the travel connections to Salla here. Some accommodations might have transportation services, so you can ponder what’s the most convenient and comfortable type of transportation for you. Enjoy the beloved wilderness of Salla and have fun!

⇐  By Erika Katainen / Visit Lapland ⇒