There is more to Lapland than reindeer and snow.

Inari is one of the Samí municipalities in Finnish Lapland. Inari is a vast area consisting of several small villages. The Sámi are the only indigenous people of the European Union and they had already lived in Lapland long before settlers from the south arrived. The area inhabited by the Samí lies within the northern parts of Finland, Sweden and Norway. The traditional sources of income are reindeer herding, hunting and handicrafts, which are still practised together with e.g. tourism. 

In the actual centre of Inari village is Siida, the National Museum of the Finnish Sámi, an important place of interest for the Samí culture. Siida is also the locale for a January event Skábmagovat, the indigenous peoples’ film festival. This coming January the focus of the festival is on Nepalese cinema along with the many Samí films shown at the festival.

Skábmagovat is not the only film festival in the area. In June the town of Sodankylä hosts the Midnight Sun Film Festival, founded by the Finnish film director Aki Kaurismäki. It is a very important festival for independent cinema, however, don't expect big-money blockbusters in the nightless night, but prepare yourself for films that will give you food for thought. While the January film festival takes place under the Northern lights and when there is only around 2 to 3 hours of daylight, the Midnight Sun Film Festival screens films 24 hours a day in the season when the sun does not set.

Inari has plenty of hostel accommodation on offer all year round. Hotel Inari is in the very centre of the Inari village, only a few hundred metres from the Siida Museum and by the lake Inari. Hostel Jokitörmä and hostel Kaamasen Kievari are in the village of Kaamanen.

Hostel Ahopää is part of the Kiilopää Fell Centre that lies on the border of a huge National Park, which is perfect for cross-country skiing during the winter months and hiking in the summer. You can also enjoy smoke sauna and in the winter try ice-swimming.

Guesthouse Husky will open its doors in January. At the time of writing it is still under construction, so travellers can expect to be accommodated in brand-new rooms. Guesthouse Husky offers a wide range of activities and the stars of the guesthouse are the 150 husky dogs that are kept by the family running the guesthouse. The dogs can take you to exciting safaris in the snowy surroundings. Guesthouse Husky is located in the village of Ivalo, which is also a part of the Inari municipality.

Getting to places in Lapland is easy. An overnight train takes you comfortably from Helsinki either to Rovaniemi or Kemijärvi from where you can move on either by coach or by a hire car. Many of the hostels mentioned are close to the route of Eskelisen Lapin Linjat Coaches, which can even take you all the way from Helsinki to Inari. You can also continue your journey as far as to the banks of the Barents Sea.

There nearest airport is in Ivalo. There are daily flights to Ivalo from Helsinki or even places abroad. Also the airport in western Lapland in Kittilä is an option when travelling to destinations in Inari.

Hostelling International Finland
Kati Ollula
kati.ollula@srm.fi
www.hostellit.fi