Finland – An Icy Landing in Ivalo

Written on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 by Emma Whiting Travel

Touching down in the vast wilderness of the Arctic Circle onto a pure white runway required a certain amount of Finnish bravery. It was a truly magical entrance to the ‘land of the thousand lakes’ and so I captured the moment as we walked from the plane out onto the snow-clad tarmac. The journey took me from the historical and comparatively warm city of Helsinki all the way up to Ivalo. This is Finland’s northernmost airport and the gateway to Finnish Lapland; a place where traditionally clothed Saami Reindeer herders roam, ice fisherman patiently wait for a line to twitch, where Santa Claus and his elves reside and where dog sledding is a valid form of transport. Truly an astounding place.