The Northern Lights of Finland From $3,999 $3,499*pp

Thank you for the prep package telling us what to pack. That was very helpful.

Our guide (Craig Waith) was excellent: very knowledgeable, pleasant, kept us well informed, kept things running on schedule, etc. The places we stayed in were great, and the experiences (reindeer safari, city tour, dog sled ride, Santa visit) were perfect.

Great tour director

Great tour director made it enjoyable

My experience was frustrating both in pre-booking and in actual trip management. We were a small group, and speaking to others I found that many had similar circumstances. I'm an extensive traveler, and the idea of this trip was great but Collette missed the boat in execution.

The main purpose of taking this tour is for the lights. Advance reading indicated that within the Artic Circle there is a good chance of seeing the lights 2 out of 3 nights. Our experience found that true, but the lights were missed by many (particularly by all in the upgraded kelo cabin) due to poor communication and information. In fact, others who did not upgrade owe their vision to a fellow- traveler who notified them. With only 11 of us and the tour manager having everyone's cell phone numbers, there is no excuse for not setting up better communication. There are no phones between cabins or from cabin to desk in Lapland (were were NOT told about this in advance) and so group members who were more remote couldn't communicate with the rest without a group text/phone being set up.

Collette tour have never disappointed. Always great destinations, interesting inclusions or extra places to see.

Helsinki is a beautiful city with so much to see. Loved it Lapland and the Arctic Resort fun and incredible different. Only negatives was ice on all paths to cabins and kells. Unsafe conditions even in our New Hampshire tested hiking boots.

I will speak with your representative

The tour was terrible; it was definitely not as advertised.

This trip needs much better planning and research by Collette. The scheduled activities are light and there needs to be more of them to fill each day. Our first full day we had our five hour afternoon tour of Porvoo ca called because the company providing the tour required fifteen people and our tour was comprised of only ten travelers. We were left to figure out how to fill the afternoon in Helsinki. FortunatelyI was with a friend and we found some museums to visit otherwise I would have been left to my own devices in a strange city by myself. The trip to Lapland was extremely disappointing in that there was no snow only ice covered roads at the resort. The reindeer sleigh ride did not occur and neither did the dog sled ride and we were not provided with alternative activities so we were basically stranded with not much to do. We could barely walk over the treacherous icy roads to the lodge for our meals and 4 out of our 10 travelers fell on the ice. The day of the dog sled activity that was cancelled we were offered to be tethered to a dog bymour waist and basically pulled/dragged over the icy paths. I volunteered to do this yet relinquished the dog to the guide when I finally located him as I was afraid of falling and being dragged by the dog who was trying to pull us to the front of the pack. This activity was extremely dangerous. The reindeer/sleigh ride was changed to an old farm wagon and two horses. Climbing onto and into the farm wagon was cumbersome and difficult as it was high off the ground and it was dark outside. We did not see the Northern Lights as the sky was covered with clouds yet in the travel description by Collette there were asterisks starting that Northern Light sightings were not guaranteed. The glass igloos we were brought to on the last night in Lapland were situated directly across from the brightly lit sauna and outbuildings which greatly took away from the ambience considering there were plenty of empty igloos in more desirable (darker) areas. We requested transportation to the lodge for dinner and breakfast because of the extreme danger we encountered while walking over the icy roads and paths to the igloos. Fireplaces in the cabins required guests to pay 35 euros for wood! This was ridiculous in my mind as the area surrounding the lodge was fullof wood and kindling. There also was no phone or television in the cabins so we were unable to co tact anyone in case of an emergency or even to request something or ask a question. I have traveled with Collette on many occasions and been pleased however my latest adventure to Finland was extremely disappointing.

Please see my previous reply.

Tour guide very knowledgeable and caring. He took care of every detail.

Feeding reindeer, sleeping in an igloo, sauna in cabin