Wilderness Hotel Nellim & Igloos

Made for foreigners not accustomed with winter and snow.

Good for groups, not for individuals.

List prices high to give virtual discounts for groups.

The Adventure Week at the Wilderness Hotel in Nellim was the highlight of our trip. The staff are wonderful, the food is great and the activities are awesome. I would highly recommend this place to anyone interested in a Northern Lights adventure.

A Once‑in‑a‑Lifetime Experience in Nellim Wilderness
- A special shout‑out to Anthony, our guide, who made the experience extra special and took incredible photos when he spotted the sunset. Thank you, Anthony!

This was truly the best experience of my life. From the moment I booked, the team was extremely responsive and answered every question quickly. Everything was perfectly arranged from the day I landed at the airport.

🏡 Accommodation
I stayed in a cabin near the main building, surrounded by the breathtaking, remote Nellim wilderness. The cabin was comfortable for three people, with a private sauna, a fireplace with wood, and a kitchen. The sofa bed wasn’t the greatest, and there could be more space to hang winter layers, but overall the cabin was more than good enough.

❄️ Resort & Facilities
The resort has a lovely, relaxed atmosphere and doesn’t feel commercial or crowded.
- Great toboggan slide for kids (and adults—we had a lot of fun falling down the slopes!).
- Sledges available to play with.
- Peaceful, authentic wilderness surroundings.

👏 Staff
The staff deserve a special mention. Every single person was kind, helpful, and always smiling. They even prepared some food that wasn’t on the menu when we asked. Their warmth really made the stay special.

🍽️ Restaurant
The buffet was excellent every day, with a wide variety of vegetarian and non‑vegetarian dishes. The menu changed daily, and the desserts—ice creams, cheesecakes, and more—were amazing. There was beef, pork, fish, reindeer, blood pudding, and many other local specialties. Breakfast was also superb, with something for everyone.

🎿 Activities & Planning
Everything was well organized, with the next day’s schedule shared in advance.

- Meet the Reindeer — A beautiful experience. We got to pet the reindeer, and the Sámi guide explained their culture and lifestyle. The trip to the church on a snowmobile‑pulled sledge was lovely.
- Snowmobile Safari — Absolutely breathtaking. The views in the forest and on the frozen lake were unforgettable. We witnessed the most stunning sunset of our lives.
- A special shout‑out to Anthony, our guide, who made the experience extra special and took incredible photos when he spotted the sunset. Thank you, Anthony!
- Husky Safari — Simply brilliant.
- Snowshoeing — A peaceful walk through a magical snowy forest.
- Ice Fishing — A fun and unique experience. We didn’t catch anything, but others in the group did.

🌌 Northern Lights
We were lucky to see the Northern Lights once during our week-long stay, and they were bright and beautiful—truly the cherry on top. Even without them, the trip would have been perfect, but seeing them made it unforgettable.

🔥 Aurora Camp
This depends on luck. We were fortunate that the camp night matched a clear-sky aurora night. But it’s possible to go and not see anything if it’s cloudy. Some of the best auroras we saw were actually back at the resort after returning from the camp.

💡 Suggestion
If I had to suggest one improvement: the Northern Lights alert devices could be offered for free instead of €30, especially since you often notice the aurora while at the restaurant or walking around anyway.

🌟 Overall
My stay exceeded all expectations. The location, the activities, the food, the staff, and the atmosphere all came together to create a truly unforgettable experience. I would return in a heartbeat.

Just WOW !!!, Excellent Location, Accomadation and Experience. Trip of a lifetime that did not dissapoint, the Lodges / Accomadation were just perfect, the buffet food was excellent, and all the staff were so welcoming and friendly. I really cannot say anything negative.

We stayed here for 6 nights in Feb 2026. We booked the wilderness room. It was cosy and comfortable. We saw aurora from our room window on one of the days. Special shoutout for Sushil from housekeeping. Reserved the sauna separately, a must do. The hotel is set in the remote village of Nellim near Lake Inari, 45 mins by taxi from Ivalo airport. We opted for half board which included daily breakfast and dinner. A good selection of soups, salad bar and desserts everyday. Main course includes root vegetables, incredibly fresh salmon and meats. The restaurant area has a nice lounge to sit by the fireside. We opted for two activities: aurora hunt by car and husky safari. Gabor was amazing at aurora hunting, we chose a clear, starry night and saw mesmerising auroras. Husky safari was delightful and a must do. They have 120 dogs in total and they’re eager to run out on the frozen lake. There is a nice walking trail in the forest behind the hotel around 3 kms long. Overall a magical experience and good value for money. Definitely recommended.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Nellim Resort in Wilderness. The whole area is beautifully set up, comfortable, and feels like a charming little winter village. The cabin we stayed in was absolutely great, and we enjoyed it very much.

Everything was perfectly organized by the resort, so all we had to do was relax and enjoy our time there. The activities were absolutely amazing, and we loved every single one of them. The guides were always attentive, making sure everyone was safe, comfortable, and well taken care of.

We would definitely come back to Nellim and its beautiful surroundings. Highly recommended!

Very nice Hotel in a wonderful surrounding. Well organized tours with motivated guides. Fantastic kitchen and service

What an absolutely lovely trip. The staff are amazing and can't do enough for you to make your trip perfect. The lodges are very well appointed and warm and cosy (even in -37C temperatures which we experienced whilst there).

The various activities are brilliant and the guides very knowledgeable and attentive. I never felt rushed along, and they took time to chat and look after us. The snowmobiles are brilliant, the husky dogs are just the best. The setting is amazing.

Food is really good - they had a fabulous cheese board on the first day, which sadly never reappeared, but the food was plentiful and tasty. Also reindeer meat is very nice!! Drinks were reasonably priced despite my expectations of them being very expensive.

Sehr sehr freundliches Personal und Guides.Tolle Lage, sehr schöner Gastraum.
Sehr gute Saucen bei den warmen Gerichten.
Die warmen Anzüge u. Schuhe für die Ausflüge, bei -26 Grad, wärmstens zu empfehlen.:-)

Amazing stay, the sauna was a bonus, perfect for a family of 5

paikka oli ok

The Aurora Cabin was phenomenal! We got to see thr Northern lights on both evenings of our stay! This was the best winter holiday we have had. The Husky and Reindeer experience and the Aurora Camp is a must do. The food was hearty and delicious. Felt like we lived through the most magical Christmas movie!