Day 1
UK - Kuusamo, Finland | Flight to Finland, Challenge Briefing and Games

We kick off our Family Christmas Adventure Challenge at the airport in London, where we gather as a group for the first time and catch our flight to Finland.

Touching down in the winter wonderland of Kuusamo in the late afternoon, we’re welcomed off the plane by our amazing local guides. Together, we transfer through a snowy paradise, no doubt feeling as if we’ve been transported into a Christmas film. As the snowiest area in Finland, Kuusamo makes the perfect setting for our Christmas challenge and we settle down at a cosy lodge, nestled in the countryside.

After a delicious Welcome Dinner, our evening ends with a briefing from our expert Challenge Leader, followed by games in the sports hall.

Every Night - Northern Lights Hunt
Every night, our Arctic Experts will watch the sky to see if the conditions are right for the Northern Lights to dance for us. If we’re really lucky, we’ll have the option to turn the evening activity into a Northern Lights Hunt and experience the Aurora Borealis, a breath-taking display of nature that few people ever get to see!

Day 2
Gear check, Monkey Olympics, Arctic Animals and Ecosystems

Waking to a hearty breakfast at the lodge, we check our gear with our local guides to ensure everyone has what they need to stay warm, dry and comfortable throughout the adventure. We check our warm clothes, shoes, ski boots, basic adventure gear and safety gear and if you’ve chosen to hire specialist gear, you’ll receive it now.

One we’re confident and happy with our gear, we embark on our Monkey Olympics! Prepare for a team-based outdoor sports activity that combines physical and mental challenges with a fun twist and friendly competition. Stepping out into the snow, we work together in the World Championships of Monkey Drive to beat the previous winners’ records! Then it’s time for Finnish baseball with a rubber chicken! This hilarious game brings us closer as a team and leaves us breathless with cardio and laughter.

After tucking into a group lunch, our Challenge Leader opens our eyes to all the amazing animals that live in the pristine lakes and forests of Finland, including moose, reindeer, wolf, lynx and a variety of bird species. We’ve specially selected local guides that share our care for nature and the environment and this intro to Arctic animals will give us special insight into how to respect the local habitats to protect the wild animals that live in them.

All clued up on the theory, we’re ready to experience the lakes for ourselves. Famously known as the Land of a Thousand Lakes, Finland has a whopping 187,888 of them! Needless to say, it doesn’t take us long to find one – there’s one right next to our cabin, the perfect place to sit, learn about the life inside them and enjoy the silence of the forest. We also have the chance to do a spot of ice fishing!

Chilled from our trip to the lake, we warm up by relaxing in the lodge’s sauna and tucking into an enriching group dinner. We spend the evening learning funny Finnish words and enjoying more team activities that help us form new bonds and grow closer as a group.

Day 3
Ice Skating, Igloo building, Movie night

Here in Winter Wonderland, Finns learn to skate before they can walk, so after breakfast, we borrow quality ice hockey skates and helmets from our Arctic team and learn to ice skate like the locals!

A tasty lunch then fuels us up to build the bases of igloos together! We gather an enormous pile of snow and let it freeze and harden overnight. Tomorrow, we’ll build the rest of the igloo, but for now, our work is done.

We settle down for dinner and another sauna, before finishing the evening with a movie night. Our local guides have an awesome collection of Finnish nature films and cultural classics with subtitles for everyone to enjoy – they’re a great way to spark discussions about the local way of life – past, present and future. Alternatively, you’re welcome to bring your own movies to watch.

Day 4
Outdoor cooking, Arctic Survival, Igloo Building and Night in an Igloo

We’ve learned so much about Finland already, but now it’s time for the best lessons yet: Arctic Survival! After breakfast, we practice some of the most important survival skills needed for living in the Arctic, like making fire without matches. We put our new skills to the test, working together in our family groups to make our lunch over open fires that we build ourselves. After all that work, lunch has never tasted sweeter!

This afternoon, we get to finish building our igloos! It’s no easy feat, challenging us both physically and mentally, but think of the celebration once it’s finished! After all, no igloo build is complete without a housewarming party for our new snowy dwellings!

Tonight, after our dinner and sauna, half of us get to sleep in the igloos we’ve built. You’ll stay plenty warm with the four-season sleeping bags we provide. If you prefer the feel of a bed, you’re welcome to stay in the lodge instead and end the day with an optional games night.

Day 5
Cross-Country Skiing School, Santa visit, and Night in an Igloo

Waking to breakfast at the lodge, we wrap up warm and get out into the snow for a cross-country skiing lesson! Our Arctic guides show us the basics and if you’re already an experienced skier, they’ll give you their top tips to bring your skill to the next level. Now we’re confident to ski into the wilderness with our guides. We hear nothing but the sound of our skis as we venture through miles of sparkling snow, exploring the spotless fields, forests and lakes – an experience we’ll never forget.

Having worked up an appetite, we return to the lodge for lunch. Then, we get a real Christmas treat – a visit from Santa Claus and one of his Christmas elves! Santa has sweet teeth, so we bake some delicious gingerbread for him. The elf helps you choose the best decorations and shows you all his baking secrets.

We all know that Santa’s a very busy man this time of the year, so he can’t stay for dinner. It’s just us tonight and after our meal and sauna session, the other half of our group can sleep in the igloos we’ve built, while the rest enjoy a games night at the lodge.

Day 6
Snowshoe Expedition and Camp Lunch

Make sure to eat a big breakfast, as we have a big day ahead! We pull on the quality snowshoes we’ve hired and set off into the wilderness for a snowshoeing adventure. These special shoes help us to walk through the deep snow and keep us on top as we journey cross-country through more of the forest. Even the smallest children can take part. If they’re unable to snowshoe, we can carry them in a special sledge, so they can just kick back and enjoy the ride!

Spending a full day snowshoeing, we’ll get to explore miles of untouched woodland where few humans have roamed. Remember to listen and look out for the Arctic animals we learned about on our first day. We stop for a warming camp lunch and hot drinks along the way to keep us energised and raring for more!

All things must come to an end, so we return to the lodge in time for dinner and a very welcome relax in the sauna. We end another perfect day with optional indoor sports and games, all of us sleeping in the lodge tonight.

Day 7
Husky Safari and Reindeer Farm

After breakfast, we have the special chance to meet a team of beautiful huskies and enjoy a husky safari! The adults will drive the sledges, where the children sit comfortably under a warm blanket.

Our private team of huskies will take us on a breath-taking ride through snow-covered forests, lakes and fields, far further than people can travel alone in one morning. At the end of the safari, you can snap some pictures with the huskies, before we fuel up with lunch.

What kind of a Christmas adventure would this be if we didn’t get to see reindeer too? This afternoon, that’s what we’ll do, heading to a reindeer farm to feed the animals and talk to the herder. You also have an opportunity to earn your own reindeer driving license!

NB: Our ground partners have built relationships with animal handlers that have the same core responsible tourism values as we do, so you can rest assured the huskies and reindeer are very well cared for and never overworked or underfed.

We’ve finally come to the end of our adventure, so tonight we sit down for a fantastic farewell dinner and award ceremony. We tuck into exquisite food, reflect on our unbelievable experiences and enjoy some final team activities.

As if our adventure couldn’t get any better, we even get a second visit from Santa and his elf! Every lucky child gets a Christmas present, delivered by the parents to the elf beforehand.

Day 8
Kuusamo – UK | Free Morning and Flight to the UK

This morning is free for us to lie in as long as we want, relax at the lodge and use the sauna a final time, before our local guides transfer us to the airport in the afternoon for a late afternoon/evening flight back to London. Touching down in London later in the evening, we part ways for home and a very good rest in the relative warmth of the UK!