Private tour with huskies

Private dog sledding week in a true Taiga wilderness without forgetting the modern comforts. You will stay five nights at a small husky farm of 25 huskies. From there you head out for marvellous day tours with the dogs. The husky farm is located by a lakeshore with no close neighbours, so the peacefulness of the nature is only shared with you, the dogs and the guides. Accommodation is simple and rustic but cosy. The cabin has electricity, central heating, indoor toilet and tap water. There is no shower but a traditional wood-heated sauna on the lake shore will be heated each evening. In sauna you can wash yourself with hot water. Guests have their own double room with a fire place and a
beautiful view over the lake. There is a kitchen and a living room with maps and nature- and dog sledding books for common use. The cabin is also the permanent home of the owner of the company. Dogs are living right at the yard in their kennels. Most of them are Siberian and Alaskan huskies that are bred for pulling, but there are also some mix breed rescue dogs that are having a new life within the pack. Occasionally some of them also stay indoors.

Day 1
Arrive at Kajaani airport or railway station, transportation to the husky farm (approx. 1 ½
hours). Dinner and accommodation in a double room.

Day 2
After breakfast you will be provided with warm winter clothing which will make it pleasant to
be outdoors even in extreme cold temperatures. Then it is time to meet the dogs and learn some
theory of dog sledding. After the practical info we will head out to the forest for the first day tour,
approx 25 km. We will have two teams of dogs and you get to share the second team while
guide(s) driving in front, making sure that everything goes safely and comfortably. After arriving
back to the husky farm, it is time to take care of the dogs. You can take part by taking some of the
retired / non-working dogs for a walk. Then it's time for the evening sauna and dinner.

Day 3
Another day tour with huskies. Now as you are already accustomed to dog sledding, it is
easier to enjoy the views and pay attention to different things in the snowy nature. Along the trail we
can study tracks of wildlife, such as wolves, wolverines, lynxes, forest birds etc. Our trails follow
peat bogs and taiga forests so you will get a deeper touch to Finnish nature. In the evening we will
have the usual procedures, feeding the dogs, taking the retired ones for a walk etc. If any of the
dogs seem to have muscle stiffness from the work, we may take those inside for a massage. To
prevent muscle stiffness with us, sauna will be heated up as every evening.

Day 4
Today's tour will be made on slightly different trails. Instead of sharing a sledge, you will now
both have your own team to drive without a passenger. On earlier days, the trails have been public
ones where other people can sometimes be seen skiing or driving a snowmobile. Today the trail is
only prepared with skis and the dogs. It may not be as solid and fast as the ones before, but you
will get a chance to experience what dog sledding has traditionally been, before the time of
snowmobiles. The dogs enjoy this challenge too! This trail also lead us to even deeper in the
nature, into a protection area with old-growth forests and open peat bogs. There we might see
especially wolverine tracks, and forest birds typical to old taiga forests (Siberian Jay, Black
Woodpecker, Capercaillie).

Day 5
The last day with the dogs. At this point we can choose one of the trails where we have been
before, or we might discover some new trails, depending on the weather and snow conditions.

Day 6
After breakfast transportation to Kajaani airport or railway station.

Duration: 6 days
Group size: 2 persons
Season: 1st February to 31st March 2017
Place: Kuhmo, Finland
Includes: Accommodation with full board, sauna each night
Winter clothing
Guided 4-day husky safari, about 20 - 25 km per day
Transfers from / to Kajaani Airport or Railway station
Not included in the price: Flights, personal travel insurance, alcohol beverages
Optional: Airport transfer from / to Kuopio