Ice fishing on a Lapland lake from Levi
One tour on this site swaps the forest loop for a frozen lake, where you fish with a rod and eat a lunch cooked over a fire. It is the longest and the dearest ride we compare. This guide walks through the day, the cold part nobody warns you about, and the extras that raise the price.
A five-hour day on the snowmobile and the ice
Safartica's ice-fishing safari from ~$233 is the longest ride on this site, five hours in all. You drive out of Levi, cross frozen water to a spot in the wilderness, fish through a hole in the ice and eat a hot lunch outdoors.
The listing scores 4.9 from 210+ reviews on GetYourGuide, among the highest of the tours we compare. It is on GetYourGuide only, so there is no Viator twin to check against, and at ~$233 it is also the dearest seat here.
The day suits people who want more than a loop through the trees. If you only want the feel of the throttle for an hour, our guide to tour lengths points to shorter rides that cost less and leave the afternoon free.
Meeting at the Safartica office
You meet at the Safartica office in the village centre 20 minutes before the start. The ticket includes winter clothing, so you change there into the thermal overall and boots and pick up gloves and a balaclava to wear under the helmet.
Staying a little out of the centre? Safartica offers free pickup within 10 km (6 miles) if you ask at least 48 hours ahead. Ask soon after booking, because a request made later than that falls outside the offer.
The guiding is in English. After the kit comes a briefing on the snowmobile, which matters here because the drive is longer than on the short tours and part of it crosses open ice rather than a forest track.
Across frozen water to the fishing spot
Two people share each snowmobile, and the route takes you over frozen water to a fishing spot chosen by the guide. Open ice is wide and flat with little to judge distance by, which feels different from a trail between spruces.
Who drives is up to the pair, as long as the driver is 18 or older and carries a valid physical driver's license. Our page on license rules for drivers covers what the operators accept, and what happens if the card stays in the hotel safe.
Groups can be large on this tour, up to 50 people on the listing. On a full day that means a long line of sleds behind the guide, and a fishing spot shared with everyone in it.
How the fishing works
At the spot the guide drills a hole through the ice and shows you how to set up the rod and bait. Ice fishing is a quiet business, a short rod held over a small dark hole while you wait for a tug on the line.
Fish are not promised, and the listing makes no claim about what lives under the ice. Some guests pull something up, plenty catch nothing. Treat the fishing as a reason to sit still in a silent landscape, and any fish as a bonus.
Take a photo of the hole itself while the guide is drilling. That picture explains the day to friends at home far better than a blurred shot taken from a moving sled.
Soup over an open fire
Lunch is a Lappish soup cooked on an open fire, served outdoors with hot drinks. After a long spell on the ice, a bowl of hot soup and a warm mug in your hands do more for morale than another layer of clothing.
The listing does not say which soup, so do not count on a particular recipe. If you have a food allergy or eat no meat, tell Safartica when you book and ask what they can offer, since the lunch is cooked out in the field.
A whole day out with fishing and lunch included
Safartica's five-hour safari scores 4.9 from 210+ reviews on GetYourGuide. The ticket covers the ride and the drilled hole with its rod, plus a soup lunch by the fire, and you can reserve now and pay later.
Sitting still on ice is the cold part
Driving keeps you busy, but fishing means long stretches of sitting or standing still. A mid-winter day in Levi hovers between −10 and −20 °C (14 and −4 °F). A body that is not moving loses heat fast on open ice.
Wear a wool base layer and a fleece under the overall, plus thick socks inside the boots. Our page on what to wear under the thermal suit lists the layers in order, and explains why jeans are a poor idea out here.
Stand up and walk around the hole every so often, and swap the rod with your partner so both of you get a turn at warming your hands. A thin liner glove helps when you bait the hook without the thick outer gloves.
Who can come, and what it adds up to
The tour is not for anyone under 12. Families with younger children do better on a shorter ride, where small ones sit in a sleigh behind the guide, and our guide to snowmobiling with children sorts the age limits by listing.
Two people per sled is standard here. A solo traveler who wants a snowmobile alone pays a single driving supplement of €90 per person, bookable ahead, which pushes an already high price higher still.
The driver is liable for damage up to €990 per accident. Optional insurance for €20, bought on the spot, lowers that to €150, and our guide on who pays if the sled gets damaged compares the figures across operators.
Add those extras to the ticket and the day costs far more than the shorter rides. The full price comparison lines up all six tours side by side, with what each one includes.
Ice fishing or a shorter safari?
For scenery and movement rather than a long sit on the ice, Wild Nordic's 2–3 hour forest safari from ~$140 is our pick, with hot berry juice at a stop and groups of 12 at most. Tokka's loop round Levi Fell from ~$150 adds a café stop with a bun.
If you can choose your dates, five hours outside are easier when the days are long. Our month-by-month guide explains why late winter suits long rides better than the dark weeks around Christmas.
The catch, said plainly, is a high price for a day when the fish may never bite, shared with up to 50 other people. If that sounds fine, it is the fullest day out of Levi on this site.