Winter Activities

Your White World

You may book your private Villa Cone Beach winter activities at short notice during your stay, once you are sure of what exactly you would like to do.
The freedom is yours to start and quit in-house activities at any time. Fill your days or just relax. The flexibility covers one activity at a time.
Only a few activities require advance booking, as shown in the Price details.

Photo show a mother and her small daughter skiing in a sunny forest.

Ski on Shining Snow

Private cross-country ski tracks lead you into wilderness right from your Villa Cone Beach door. The forests and frozen lakes could not be more suitable for skiers.

Easy on-site tracks suit beginners, who will get basic ski lessons. Longer tracks into the forests invite more seasoned hobbyists who want a more energetic speed. Frozen lakes turn into huge stadiums to ski freely. The Vuokatti ski-tunnel lets you ski in the summertime too. After all this, nothing beats a hot drink back in the warmth of Villa Cone Beach.

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The warming Sun often melts the upper layers of snow in March and April. Freezing nights then harden the wet snow into a solid crust of snow known as Hanki. That is when local people love to go and ski freely. Early in the morning a strong Hanki can even carry a car! In old times people brought firewood and dried hay from faraway shelters in horse-drawn sledges on Hanki. However wise people won’t go too far on Hanki, as snow softens quickly in the new day.

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Price 20 € / h / adult
10 € / h / child under 12 years
Included Transportation, guide, ski gear, snacks, refreshments
Availability November-April
Start time 8 am – 8 pm
Duration No minimum, max 5 hours
Difficulty Very easy-vigorous
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: winter outdoor clothing
Operator: ski clothing if applicable
Exceptions Subject to weather conditions
Operator Arctica Estates
Photo shows a woman walking on snow shoes in a snowy sunny forest.

Snow Shoes in Wilderness

Snowshoeing is an ideal way to explore the Villa Cone Beach wilderness during the winter months. In facts walk just a short distance and the landscape changes from open lake ice to a snowy forest.

Everything is covered under soft white stuff, so it’s completely safe and plain fun if you manage to stumble deep into the snow. Take a good selfie! We will take a break at a fireplace for a rest, snacks, and hot drinks, if you so wish.

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Price 20 € / h / adult
10 € / h / child under 12 years
Included Transportation, guide, snow shoes, snacks, refreshments
Availability November-April
Start time 8 am – 8 pm
Duration No minimum, max 5 hours
Difficulty Very easy-vigorous
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: winter outdoor clothing
Operator: extra winter clothing if applicable
Exceptions Subject to weather conditions
Operator Arctica Estates
Photo shows Vuokatti Safaris snow mobiles

Snowmobile drive

Drive your snowmobile safely on the smooth Villa Cone Beach lake ice, or ride into wilderness on nearby bumpy tracks. You don’t need a driving license here.

Enjoy the luxury of riding privately without seeing many people. Take time to watch the wild nature and keep safe, because speed is not the point. We have time to stop, make an open fire, and enjoy warming snacks and drinks before returning to the villa’s comfort.

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You can drive a snowmobile at Villa Cone Beach if you are at least 15 years old. You should hold a category T driving licence (included in EEA licence classes A1, A2, and A) only on tracks far away and in certain situations, such as when crossing a road. In these cases, we will be in the driver’s seat for you.

Price

Booking During stay
Group Max 4 persons
Price 75 € / hour / person, 2 persons on a mobile
125 € / hour / person, 1 person on a mobile
Included Transportation, snowmobile gear, guide, snacks, refreshments
Availability November/December-April
Start time 8 am – 8 pm
Duration No minimum, max 6 hours
Difficulty Easy-average
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: winter outdoor clothing
Operator: snowmobile clothing, helmet
Exceptions Subject to weather conditions
Operator Arctica Estates
Option You may book here, too, when more than 4 persons:
Hotel Kalevala
Vuokatti Safaris
The lakes surrounding Villa Cone Beach offer plenty of fish.

Net Fishing on Ice

Villa Cone Beach villagers are used to fishing with nets in wintertime, but how on earth can you get a net under thick ice? Come, learn, and get excited!

Experience the fisherman’s feigned coolness as he surveys his nets after their patient job under the ice overnight—you never know what the catch might be. If he succeeds, we can take the fish with us.

This truly fresh meal can be prepared by our kitchen. If you’re an aspiring chef yourself, why not prepare your favourite dish for your fellow guests. This is authentic lake-to-table dining!

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Price 40 € / h / adult
20 € / h / child under 12 years
190 € minimum tour total
Included Transportation, guide, expert fisherman, snacks, refreshments
Availability November/December-April
Start time Early in the morning
Duration No minimum, max 2-3 hours
Difficulty Easy
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: winter outdoor clothing
Operator: extra outfit if applicable
Exceptions Subject to weather conditions and fisherman’s schedule (no guarantee)
Operator Arctica Estates
Winter fun with a merry-go-round sledge in winter wonderland.

Merry Sleigh-go-Round

Sleigh-go-round, locally called Hoijakka, has thrilled the region’s children and adults alike for centuries. Villa Cone Beach has one for you.

The sleigh gives slow pace for small children. Older passengers can enjoy fiercer speeds, depending on the daredevil qualities of the sleigh driver and the pusher’s power. The snow provides a soft pillow if you get too dizzy. See how fast you can go!

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We let the central pole of this marvel freeze firmly in the ice. Next we fix a long rotating rod on top of the pole and tie a sleigh to the rod’s free end. Simple as that for a joyful experience. The longer the circling rod and the stronger the pushing muscles, the faster the speed. After a guided instruction session you are free to enjoy Hoijakka any time on your own.

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Price Free
Included Introductory guidance
Availability November/December-April
Start time 24/7
Duration Max 24/7
Difficulty Very easy, except for pusher!
Clothing Winter outdoor clothing
Exceptions Subject to weather conditions
Operator Arctica Estates
Photo shows two men ice fishing on a lake ice and the Sun shining just above the horizon in the daytime.

Ice Fishing at Hole

Drilling a wide hole through thick ice for fish to come up makes for good exercise. The reward is worth the sweat even if your catch remains zero. Sit down and be freed from earthly worries.

Concentrate on the meditative movements of your small fishing rod or let your thoughts travel. Hours fly by. When coming back to the comforts of Villa Cone Beach your blood pressure is down and your hunger up.

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You are most likely to catch perches and other small yet delicious fish. After taking a fish carefully up you may want to put it back in the hole, to live in the waterworld happily ever after.

Many small and national ice fishing competitions are held in Finland every winter. Read more about fishing in Finland. Will you want to challenge national champions and be a celebrity? It is within your reach, if you take warm clothing, lots and lots of good luck, and our expert guide. We wish you tight lines!

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Price 60 € / hour / any group size
120 €  minimum total
Thereafter free when self-serviced and location near the villa
Included Transportation, guide, fishing gear, snacks, refreshments
Availability November/December-April
Start time 8 am – 6 pm
Duration No minimum, max 5 hours
Difficulty Very easy – average
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: winter outdoor clothing
Operator: extra clothing if applicable
Exceptions Subject to weather conditions.
Operator Arctica Estates
Photo shows a young woman kicksledding on a snowy Villa Cone Beach road.

Kicksled Fun on Ice

Zoom your kicksled all across the snowy roads and frozen waters of Arctic Lakeland. The foot-powered vehicle is a Finnish innovation. It starts reliably, every time and in any weather.

Many older people, school kids, and other wise persons enjoy this practical and extremely healthy mode of transport. They ride on a kicksled to school, the market, or to work. They are clever to save money and emit zero CO2, while getting in some good exercise. Now it’s your turn to try!

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Kicksledding has become a sport too, with futuristic carbon fibre equipment. After a guided session you are free to kicksled any time on your own, or your guide will continue to ensure your safety. The latter will always be the case if the route goes on very hard ice or along a public road, and when the kicksledder is not a grown-up.

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Price 1 guided hour free
Self-serviced extra hours free
Guided extra hours 60 € / h / group of any size
Included Guide, 1 kicksled / 2 persons, helmets, snacks, refreshments
Availability November/December-April
Start time 8 am – 8 pm
Duration No minimum, no maximum
Difficulty Very easy-vigorous
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: winter outdoor clothing
Operator: extra clothing if applicable
Exceptions Subject to weather conditions
Self-serviced kicksledding in safe conditions
Operator Arctica Estates
Photo shows a big herd of forest reideer, called also forest caribous, on Villa Cone Beach lake ice.

Rangifer Safari in Winter

See the wild forest reindeer, Finnish caribou, roam in the Villa Cone Beach wilderness. The best time for a private Rangifer Safari is from October to April.

Wild forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus) are the big, wild cousins of Santa’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the smaller household species. They are the symbol of the Villa Cone Beach village. Big herds move in the winter, even hundreds of animals together. We can go for a safari to find, watch, and photograph them.

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Lucky scouting is often needed first. Take a closer look at these magnificent wild animals from our vehicles, as they trust cars more than humans. Sometimes we may return empty-handed from our safari, yet always freshened up. The thrill can come from just the chase!

No more than 800 genetically diverse forest reindeer are left in the EU, and they all live in the Kainuu region. The wild forest reindeer classification is Near Threatened, due to habitat loss and predators. An ongoing EU-funded project is moving a few caribous from us to elsewhere in Finland in order to prevent extinction.

Although efforts are being made to save the forest reindeer, it is best to come and see them soon rather than being too late!

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Price 30 € / hour / adult
20 € / hour / child under 12 years
120 € minimum tour total
Included Transportation, guide, snacks, refreshments
Optional lunch or dinner, when tour 4 h+
Availability October-April (see summer programme too)
Start time 7 am – 4 pm
Duration No minimum, recommended min 3 hours, no max
Difficulty Very easy – prolonged
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: winter outdoor clothing
Operator: extra clothing if applicable
Exceptions Subject to weather conditions
Operator Arctica Estates
Another campfire during winter.

Night in Winter Wilderness

You will forever remember your private night beside a wilderness campfire in the snowy forest, under the twinkling Milky Way. The darkness and silence give you a sense of your very own luxury.

Our traditional campfire is made of two logs, one on the other, the fire burning slowly yet warmly through the night. Sparks fly into the stars, or the cloudy sky sends snow flakes floating down. The campground is no more than 10-15 minutes away, or just a stone’s throw from the Villa Cone Beach comforts.

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When we stay outdoors overnight, a proper tent or a cosy wilderness log shelter makes us feel at home. If the conditions favour us, we can even have a snow igloo built for sweet dreams.

Forest night life is exotic and suitably hard. We plan the programme to your taste. You can relax, as at any time you can change your mind and return to the comfort of Villa Cone Beach. There is no danger in the darkness but your imagination may take hold as the nightly sounds can be a bit strange.

Here you can experience the true mystique of the forest. The forest spirits are never harmful, but they might get curious… Rest assured you are in safe hands.

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Price 20 € / h / adult
10 € / h / child under 12 years
175 € minimum tour total
Included Transportation, guide, snacks, refreshments, evening meal, sheltering
Availability November/December-April
Start time 6 pm – 8 pm
Duration No minimum, no maximum
Difficulty Easy-prolonged, near villa accessible
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: winter outdoor clothing
Operator: extra clothing if applicable
Exceptions Subject to weather conditions
Operator Arctica Estates
Photo shows Villa Cone Beach lakeside sauna facing the snowy Lake Korpijarvi.

Sauna Wellness in the Cold

The private beachfront sauna at Villa Cone Beach is a safe and gentle way to deep clean and relax your mind and body. Moreover, it brings amazing health benefits.

Throw some water on hot stones in the Villa Cone Beach lakeside sauna. Take soft steamy Löyly before cooling down in fresh air. If you want to feel even more elated, roll yourself in the snow and feel your senses come alive. Aching joints love the sauna. Skin feels soothed and softened, thanks to the sauna’s anti-aging effects.

Why was Finland the happiest country in the world again in 2021? Step into the sauna and find out.

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You can have a pre-physical examination at cost before sauna, when suitably available in the region. Measure your stress level before and after sauna with our exclusive smart ring. You may be surprised.

Frequent sauna bathing hugely lowers the risk of stroke, states the well-known study by the University of Eastern Finland. The decrease was amazing: 61 % among those with 4-7 sessions per week, compared to those with one session only. The study also indicates that regular sauna bathing is associated with a reduced risk of coronary diseases, sudden cardiac death, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and respiratory diseases, and it lowers CRP levels too. Maybe sauna should be made compulsory!

In the old times the Finns who settled into wilderness always built a sauna first. It was the safe base against hardships while constructing the main log house. And it was a paradise in the merciless backwoods. Is it your turn now? Collect sauna know-how at Villa Cone Beach. A free package for our sauna-goers contains designs, recommendations, links to studies on wellness and health, as well as to the best suppliers. Personal instructions are also given.

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Max 4 persons in the Löyly room at a time
Price 70 € / hour / any group size
Included Transportation, guide for instructions and supervising, sauna gear, cool spring water at sauna tap, stress level measurement
Availability Year-round
Start time 10 am – 9 pm
Duration No minimum, no maximum
Difficulty Easy-average, sauna accessibility
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: swimsuit when applicable
Operator: sauna clothing, amenities
Exceptions
Operator Arctica Estates
Photo shows smoke sauna feeling.

Smoke Sauna Feelings

The traditional Finnish smoke sauna’s extra gentle Löyly steam is good for your skin and mind. Relax and feel healthy results in the mysterious darkness and silence.

Remember good habits in a smoke sauna. It is the dwelling of Saunatonttu, an elf or some such being, a very old bearded fellow no more than half a metre tall. He has been told of for centuries. When you enter, he leaves you in peace and retreats into the darkest corner behind the stone pile. Saunatonttu loves to be your host, but he can get very grumpy if you insult his rules. Don’t worry, we will tell you what they are and if necessary, we’ll take the blame.

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You can have a pre-physical examination at cost before sauna, when suitably available in the region. Measure your stress level before and after sauna with our exclusive smart ring. You may be surprised.

How to prepare a smoke sauna? There is a heated stone pile in the corner, and no chimney. Smoke gets out through a hole high in the log wall. After the sauna master has burnt firewood for several hours, the space is ventilated and readied. Smoke sauna’s health effects are equally incredible to those of ordinary saunas.

Collect sauna know-how at Villa Cone Beach. A free package for our sauna-goers contains designs, recommendations, links to studies on wellness and health, as well as to the best suppliers. Personal instructions are also given.also given.

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Max 4 persons in the Löyly room at a time
Price 60 € / hour / adult
20 € / hour / child under 12 years
280 € minimum sauna total
Included Transportation, guide for instructions and supervising, sauna gear, refreshments, stress level measurement
Availability October-May, order by 4 pm the day before, at the latest
Start time 4 pm -8 pm
Duration No minimum, max 4 hours
Difficulty Easy-average, sauna accessibility
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: swimsuit when applicable
Operator: sauna clothing and amenities
Exceptions
Operator Arctica Estates
Photo shows the sauna thermometer needle risen to hot 100 degrees centigrade.

Red Hot Sauna In Winter

Q: Where can you open a door and step into a place 130°C colder? A: Up in space, or in the Red Hot Sauna at Villa Cone Beach.

If you try it in space without a million euro suit, it’s pretty much over. But when you exit from the Red Hot into freezing winter air, perhaps rolling in snow, your healthy heart only strengthens. You feel fantastically alive and well.

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Open-minded explorers can safely and quite comfortably tolerate sauna temperatures up to 100 °C (250 °F), if the air is very dry. Water boils at that temperature. If you are hardcore, you might be able to take a bit more. But don’t feel any pressure, it is fully honourable to turn back from the door!

Collect sauna know-how at Villa Cone Beach. A free package for our sauna-goers contains designs, recommendations, links to studies on wellness and health, as well as to the best suppliers. Personal instructions are also given.

The programme is for eligible and fit grown-ups only. Should we so deem or should you request, a pre-physical examination shall be arranged at cost, when suitably available. Measure your stress levels before and after the Red Hot Sauna with our exclusive smart ring. We all may be surprised, since no study has measured it so far.

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-6 adults
Max 4 persons in the Löyly room at a time
Price 75 € / hour / adult
150 € minimum sauna total
Included Transportation, guide for instructions, sauna gear, cool spring water at sauna tap, stress level measurement, certificate
Availability October-May
Start time 10 am – 9 pm
Duration No minimum, no maximum
Difficulty Average-tough for a moment, sauna accessibility
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: swimsuit when applicable
Operator: sauna clothing, amenities
Exceptions Only fit adults
Operator Arctica Estates
Photo shows the winter sightseeing road from Villa Cone Beach to Kuhmo town center. Wind flies snowflakes in a very bright sunshine.

Sightseeing Arctic Winterland

Experience a private winter sightseeing tour in Arctic Lakeland through the snowy wilderness. Visit places interesting to you and see local attractions.

Roads were made for journeys not destinations. This wisdom of Confucius fits Arctic Lakeland perfectly. Winter wonderland roads are made for a seemingly never-ending white experience. Conveniently, they also lead us to places of great beauty.

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We will include any places you would like to visit, such as:
• Petola, the visitor centre packed with information about brown bears, wolves, and other wild predators
• Atalante, the postmodern library which makes people read more than anywhere else in the world, with a vast variety of books and other media
• Tuupala Home Museum area, a former farmhouse complex owned by an upper class family, showing life from the 1880s to the 1960s
• New wooden school, for healthy learning and studies on health effects of the building
• Vartius village, Arctica Estates border crossing to Russia
• Lentiira, a scenic village close to the Russian border
• Bear Centre, a place for watching wolves and wolverines (bears are asleep in the winter)
• The Winter War Museum and sites of war history
• Other places, exhibitions, and events interesting to you
The programme is fully flexible. We will use our pedals and steering wheel to make it very special for you.

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Price 25 € / hour / adult
15 € / hour / child under 12 years
150 € minimum sightseeing total
Included Transportation, guide, snacks, refreshments and, when available along route, optional lunch or dinner when tour 4 h+, optional lunch and dinner, when tour 6 h+
Availability October-April
Start time 8 am – 6 pm
Duration No minimum, recommended min 3 hours, max 10 hours
Difficulty Easy-prolonged, no disabled access vehicles
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Winter outdoor clothing
Exceptions
Operator Arctica Estates
Photo shows Villa Cone Beach under magnificent Northern Lights and stars.

Chasing the Northern Lights

Now and then you will be able to see the Northern Lights playing in the skies above Villa Cone Beach. If they are dancing elsewhere, let’s go and follow their steps right away!

Actually, seeing the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, is an exciting lottery. If you win the jackpot, they will appear for you at Villa Cone Beach. The season begins in mid-August and ends in April. The show peaks usually before midnight and the best moments may last only half an hour. The Villa Cone Beach area may be the best place to see the Northern Lights in early autumn and late springtime, because Lapland is too bright then.

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The Northern Lights often appear hundreds of kilometres away, in any direction but most often the north. Our chauffeur will gladly drive you there as quickly as possible, if we have enough time. The Northern Lights are created by particles sent by the Sun, when they hit our atmosphere a few days later. That’s why a forecast can be given no more than days or hours ahead. Be prepared for a lengthy ride to anywhere in Arctic Lakeland or Lapland.

Many folks have beliefs and tales explaining the Northern Lights. Finns have learned since the Ice Age that they are a fox running in flames across the skies and their Finnish name, revontulet, literally means “fox fires”. Other people know the Northern Lights have an important role in fertility matters.

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Price 25 € / hour / adult
15 € / hour / child under 12 years
90 € / hour minimum tour total
Included Transportation, guide, snacks, refreshments
Optional lunch or dinner, when tour 4 h+
Availability October-April, actual time may be subject to an advance request and Aurora alarm info
Start time In time to reach the Aurora destination same day by 10 pm, at the latest
Duration No minimum, normal maximum 10 hours, negotiable
Difficulty Easy- prolonged, no disabled access vehicles
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: warm winter outdoor clothing
Operator: extra clothing if applicable
Exceptions Subject to weather conditions
Operator Arctica Estates
camp-fire-in-the-night.

Picnic by a Snowy Fire

Enjoy a snowy picnic lunch or snacks with hot drinks at a private campfire in the Villa Cone Beach back forest, which is easy to reach by foot in no time.

Easy camping is especially suitable for families with small children, because your villa’s comforts remain close at hand. In midwinter darkness falls early. The crackling fire burns bright and sparks fly to the starry sky, your celestial ceiling above the glistening white carpet. The nearby snowy trees make beautiful walls around your sheltered camp. When the temperature is mild you can warm up by building a snug snow castle.

Entertain the kids with some campfire stories or simply savour the luxury of silence by a crackling fire. The fire and hot drinks will keep you warm.

Price

Booking During stay
Group 1-8 persons
Price 60 € / hour / any group size
60 €  minimum total
Thereafter free when self-serviced and picnic location near the villa
Included Transportation, guide, snacks, refreshments
Availability October/November-April
Start time 9 am – 8 pm
Duration No minimum, no maximum
Difficulty Easy, accessible when near the villa
Payment Upon check-out
Clothing Customer: winter outdoor clothing
Operator: extra clothing if applicable
Exceptions Subject to weather conditions
Operator Arctica Estates
Photo shows Villa Cone Beach white wonderland during winter.

Good to Know about Arctica Estates Winter

Villa Cone Beach winter begins in November and is over by the end of April. And what is winter? Usually it means sub-zero temperatures, at least some snow, and frozen lakes.

The beginning and end of autumn and springtime vary a lot. Weather is also a matter of interpretation and a main topic when two locals meet for any reason. Usually they exchange brief statements about the weather—past, present, or forecast. They agree and are able to move on. That is Finnish small talk at its best.

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The night temperatures can briefly reach -30 ºC already in October. In December it is no surprise anymore. The coldest weeks come typically at the end of January or in the beginning of February. The temperature can drop below -40 ºC for a night or two, but this doesn’t happen every year. When it is twenty degrees colder than in your freezer, cars behave differently. Steering is stiff and driving feels hard until the parts warm up somewhat. Even then your stay in the warmth of Villa Cone Beach is comfortable and cosy.

The end of March and April are spring months. Days get longer, warmer, and sunnier. April is the month when we lose our snow and cannot stop the summer from beginning. As wonderful as winter is, the change in seasons is always welcome.

It snows from time to time over the whole period, the thickness of snow perhaps being half a metre by the year’s end and up to a maximum of one metre in March. The temperature rises above zero several times during the snowy months. Then we make snowmen, snow castles, and other art of snow. You can try it too!