Snowmobile in Levi, you take the handlebars

Out on the trail the group rides in a line along maintained snowmobile tracks, first through snow-loaded forest, then out across frozen water where the view suddenly opens. Two people share each snowmobile, so you take turns: one drives, one sits behind and looks around. The speed depends on the weather and on how confident the drivers in your group are.

Halfway there is a short stop for hot drinks and biscuits, a moment to stamp your feet and take photos. Then you ride back the way the guide chooses and hand in your kit. The whole outing takes 2 hours, so the slopes or the sauna can fill what is left of your day.

What makes Levi good for snowmobiles is the network. Visit Levi counts 886 km of snowmobile tracks around the resort, built and maintained by the Municipality of Kittilä and groomed by the ski resort company. An experienced rider can follow them all the way to Sweden and Norway.

For a first ride the distance hardly matters. What matters is that the trail starts at the edge of the village, so a snowmobile tour in Levi spends its time in forest and on frozen lakes rather than on a coach. The office is in the centre, a walk from most hotels.

The landscape is the other constant: forest, frozen lakes and rivers, sometimes in full sunshine, sometimes in the blue light of a cold morning. Several reviewers single out the ride through the forest and across the frozen lakes.

Practical details get mentioned too: an office that is easy to find in town, the overalls, boots and gloves handed out before the ride, the hot berry drink and cookies halfway. One guest rode in severe frost and still recommended it, thanks to the extra clothing the guides provided.

January and February bring the deep frost. The Kittilä station averages a daily low of -17 °C in January, and Visit Levi warns that the Arctic wind makes temperatures of up to minus 30 feel even colder. The clothing included with the ride is made for exactly this.

March is the easy month for a first ride: the sun is up for 11.5 hrs at mid-month and the average low has eased to -12.3 °C. Visit Levi names March and April for spring crust, the hard snow that forms after warm days and cold nights.

On the routes the rules of the road apply. Visit Levi posts limits of 80 km/h on the river basin, 60 km/h on terrain routes and 30 km/h in village centres, and a helmet is mandatory for drivers and for anyone in a sleigh. With a guide in front, you will rarely think about any of it.

One sign is worth noticing anyway. The route network has a yellow rescue code sign at every kilometre, so emergency services can find a rider from the nearest code. It is the quiet reason the guides can take beginners deep into the forest with confidence.

Two people share each snowmobile, and the listing states no single-rider option. Couples and friends swap at the stop, so both get a turn at the handlebars and a turn looking at the view. If you travel alone, ask the operator before booking how they will seat you.

The driver also carries the responsibility for the machine. The listing sets the driver's liability for damage at a capped amount per accident, and an optional insurance bought on the spot before the tour lowers that cap. Decide on it before you arrive, so the counter is a formality.

Cold is the camera's enemy. Frost empties batteries quickly, so carry the phone inside your jacket and bring it out only for the shot. Thin gloves under the mittens let you work a touchscreen without exposing bare fingers to the wind of the ride.

The break for hot drinks is the moment for group photos and close-ups of the snowmobiles. Reviewers mention that the guides on this ride took plenty of photos of them, which frees you to enjoy the trail instead of filming it.

Start with wool next to the skin, then a fleece or a wool sweater, and avoid anything tight that squeezes out the warm air. Two pairs of socks, a neck gaiter to drag up over the nose and a thin hat that fits under the helmet complete the kit.

Your hands work hardest. The throttle is pressed by the thumb for most of the ride, and a thin glove under the lent mitten keeps that thumb warm. Bring sunglasses in March and April, when low sun on white snow is bright enough to make you squint behind the visor.

Finnish rules take care of the sledge. A snowmobile pulling passengers in a sled may not go faster than 40 km/h, and anyone in an open sledge wears a helmet. Dress children warmly: they move less in the sledge than you do on the seat.

The listing does not recommend the ride for pregnant women or people with a fragile musculoskeletal system. A snowmobile bounces over the trail more than it looks from the outside, so take that line seriously when you plan a family day.

This site's safari is a daytime outing, but in the darkest weeks even a midday ride sees little sun. The Finnish Meteorological Institute names 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. as the best time for auroras, and February-March and September-October as the best months.

Many guests combine both: the two-hour safari by day to learn the snowmobile and see the landscape, and an evening ride later in the week. Our page on northern lights by snowmobile compares the evening options.

A few points deserve attention. There is no hotel pickup by default: the operator collects you within a 10 km radius only if you ask at least 48 hours ahead, and missing the meeting time beyond reasonable delays costs the price of the ride. Without your physical licence you will not drive.

If you want more distance, a fell top or a lunch fire, longer rides exist and our comparison covers them. For a first taste of the trails around Levi, two hours is about right, and you can still back out at no cost until 24 hours before the ride.