Lake Inari from Saariselkä: ice skating, ice fishing or a northern lights dinner?
Updated October 29, 2026 · 4 min read
For most people staying in Saariselkä, the best way onto Lake Inari is the Ice-skating on Frozen Lake Inari trip. It costs from €89, takes 2–4 hours and is rated 4.7 stars by 130 reviewers, the lowest price and the most reviews among the five Lake Inari trips below. The skating track is in Inari village, about 70 km north of Saariselkä on the E75 road through Ivalo, so even a short session there fills half a day. At 2–4 hours, skating still leaves room for an evening activity. Pick the ice fishing day if you would rather sit beside a hole in the ice, and the dinner tour only if a cloudy sky would not spoil it for you.
A lake of 3,318 islands
Visit Inari calls it Finland’s third-largest lake and puts the official deepest point, 92 metres, in the Vasikkaselkä basin. Metsähallitus counts 3,318 islands. Ukko Island, called Äijih in Inari Sámi, is a sacred Sámi site dedicated to the thunder god, which Visit Finland asks every visitor to respect.
Five Lake Inari trips side by side
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | Contents per the listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice-skating on Frozen Lake Inari | 2–4 hours | €89 | 4.7 (130) | skating on what it calls Lapland’s only natural-ice track |
| Ice Fishing Tour on Lake Inari, Reindeer & Lunch | 5 hours | €189 | 4.8 (31) | Arctic ice fishing, an experienced local guide, a fireside lunch inside a teepee |
| Lake Inari Northern Lights Tour with Dinner | 5 hours | €185 | 4.5 (32) | aurora watching, meeting reindeer, homemade dinner in a teepee |
| Ivalo: Snowmobile Safari, Meet and Feed Reindeers with Lunch | 195 minutes | €179 | 4.8 (99) | small group, homemade lunch and reindeer on the island where the owner family lives |
| Ice Fishing Tour with Open Fire Cooking | 5 hours | €249 | no reviews yet | snowmobile-sleigh ride to an island, ice fishing lesson, open-fire cooking |
The skating track
Visit Finland gives the track’s address as Ruottalantie 10 in Inari village, lists it for November to March and says an experienced guide supervises it. The track’s own operator adds that its length changes with the weather. This is a prepared, supervised circuit, not a free run across the open lake.
Winter and summer on the lake
Metsähallitus says the ice is strong enough from December to May in an average year. Snowmobile routes to Nellim, Sevettijärvi and Ivalo are marked on it only once it has been measured thick enough. The lake holds Arctic char, whitefish and perch, but the Federation of Finnish Fisheries Associations calls winter char fishing here a challenging sport: book the fishing day for the setting, not the catch. On a dark, cloudless night, the Finnish Meteorological Institute puts the chance of an aurora at resorts like Saariselkä at roughly 50 %.
Boating runs from early June until the bays freeze, at the latest in early October. In summer 2026 Visit Inari’s catamaran left Siida’s harbour daily at 1 pm from 8 June to 19 September, cost €29 for adults and circled Ukko Island without landing. Our list has no summer boat trip on the lake.
Ice safety
Metsähallitus asks for at least 10 cm of black ice under an adult on foot and 15 cm under a snowmobile. Snow, wind, flowing water and sun all weaken the ice, so never go out alone, and carry ice picks. On a guided trip, follow the guide.
Who should go, and who should not
Visit Finland’s listing says the track suits practised skaters and beginners alike. If your break falls in November, ask whether your date is running, since Metsähallitus dates dependable lake ice from December. The fishing day costs over twice the skating price and has only 31 reviews. Of the four rated trips, the dinner tour scores lowest, even though at 5 hours it fills a whole evening. Without half a free day to spare, skip the lake.
Our recommendation
Book the Ice-skating on Frozen Lake Inari trip for a first visit. With a second free day and patience for quiet hours, add the 5-hour ice fishing tour.
