What a reindeer sled ride is really like
If you picture eight reindeer flying across the snow, you will be surprised. If you picture a quiet glide through a white landscape behind one patient animal, you will not. This is what happens between climbing into the sled and climbing out.
What you sit in
A reindeer sled is low, wooden and narrow, more like a small boat on runners than a carriage. You sit close to the snow with your legs stretched out, usually on reindeer skins, sometimes with a blanket over your knees. Most sleds take one or two adults, or an adult with a child on their lap. Getting in and out means bending low, which is worth knowing if your knees or back complain.
Who leads the reindeer
You do not drive. On the tours we compare, either a guide walks beside or ahead of the reindeer holding a lead rope, or the sleds are tied into a short train behind a lead reindeer, which the Sami call a raid. Tromsø Lapland's evening tour describes its ride exactly that way, and the photos of its day tour show the same line of sleds following a guide across the snow.
How fast it goes
Mostly at a walk, sometimes at a trot when the trail allows. A reindeer can run fast when it wants to, but tourist rides are kept gentle, both for the animal and for guests who have never sat in a sled. The feeling is calm rather than thrilling: the creak of the runners, the reindeer's breath in the cold, the clicking of its hooves. If you want speed, take a husky tour. Reindeer or husky compares the two.
How long it lasts
Shorter than most people expect. The listings say this:
- Tromsø Lapland: up to 30 minutes, shortened if the snow is poor.
- Best Arctic: 10 to 15 minutes, with tobogganing while the other half of the group rides.
- Camp Tamok: a short ride through the forest, no figure given.
- Our pick, its evening tour and the closest camp: no figure given.
From reviews, ten to twenty minutes is typical where no figure is stated. That is why we judge reindeer tours as a whole, the ride plus the herd, the fire, the food and the stories, rather than by the minutes in the sled. What you get for the money lays out the rest of each tour.
The longest ride we found
Tromsø Lapland promises up to 30 minutes in the sled, lends snowsuits and serves bidos for lunch, from ~$229.
How it feels in the cold
The ride is the coldest part of the day, because you sit still. Air at minus ten feels harmless while you walk around the camp and bites after five minutes in a sled. Your feet, hands and face feel it first. Pull a scarf or buff over your nose, keep your hands in mittens rather than gloves, and wear boots a size roomy enough for thick socks. The full clothing list is in our guide.
Taking photos from the sled
- Wear thin liner gloves under your mittens, so you can use your phone without bare fingers.
- Keep the phone inside your jacket between shots; cold batteries die without warning.
- The best photo is often of the sled ahead of you, with the reindeer and guide in the frame.
- No flash near the animals, and no drones at the camps.
Who cannot ride
For the sake of the reindeer, Tromsø Lapland sets a weight limit of 110 kg (243 lb) by day and 100 kg (220 lb) on its evening tour. The others do not publish one, so ask before you book if it could matter. Tromsø Lapland and Camp Tamok also say their tours are not suitable for wheelchair users, and getting low into a sled is hard with limited mobility. Children ride, usually with a parent. Sledding with children and how the reindeer are looked after each have their own guide.