After Christmas in Lapland, the snow gets thicker - it’s at its deepest in early March and lasts until May - and the Northern Lights shine more brightly. They are most evident on clear, cold nights in February and March, so later in the Christmas break, or even February half-term, or Easter, is a good time for a long weekend wilderness adventure staying in Kakslauttanen village in Saariselka Fells.
Although it’s on the edge of the Urho Kekkonen national park, far up beyond the Arctic Circle on the way to the North Pole, the village is only half an hour from Ivalo airport. After trying a reindeer safari, a snowmobile ride, a Siberian husky trail or a spot of ice-fishing (from pound;50 extra), travellers who want to brave a night outside their log cabins can elect to sleep in an igloo, on a bed made of ice, cosy in a warm sleeping bag covered in reindeer skins. Prices range from pound;562 to pound;622 per person (based on two sharing) for departures until May 3, and include return scheduled flights from Heathrow to Ivalo via Helsinki, and three nights in log cabins, half-board. Details: 01737 214 214; www.arctic-experience.co.uk.
