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It’s a gorgeous silence that normally defines Syöte, Finland’s southernmost and snowiest fell region. But arriving to Syötteen Eräpalvelut, a chorus of howls surrounded us from every direction. Nearly 100 Siberian huskies were making it clear they knew why we’d arrived.
I honestly didn’t know how I’d feel visiting a husky safari. I adore dogs, and in my travels have seen some pretty shocking practices when animals work for humans. That said, the research I’d done looked very promising. So I came with an open mind and a lot of questions.
Syötteen Eräpalvelut: the husky safari on the edge of Lapland
The husky safari we visited is nestled in the pristine Syöte wilderness, about two hours north of Oulu. The area is often called a more affordable Lapland, for offering the magic of the far north, often without the crowds or price tags.
We were greeted by Johanna Määttä, who has been running the place with her husband Janne for the past 16 years. As we stepped out of a minibus, we found rows of spacious enclosures lining a snowy path, most housing two or three huskies. Each had its own little wooden house for shelter, with little panels by the enclosure doors displaying their names.
Some of the dogs were shy, others unbothered. But the great majority were very excited. They bounded forward, tails wagging, ready to play or run (or both). They looked healthy, with thick coats, clean spaces, fresh water and shelter. Most seemed genuinely interested in visitors, though some were clearly more social than others.
Johanna moved among them with ease, greeting dogs by name, pausing to give attention where it was wanted. There are 96, she tells us, and only the ones that like to run partake in the husky safaris, where they pull someone on a sled. The ones that come from other places also don’t run.
Once a year, all husky safaris get an unannounced visit from a vet to check on the wellbeing of the operation. Depending on the conditions, they’ll either do nothing, give a warning, or confiscate huskies. In the past few years, Johanna has received eight from husky farms who didn’t pass inspections. These dogs don’t work, Johanna tells us, as she doesn’t know enough about their backgrounds. The focus for them is on encouraging socialising with the other dogs, and giving them a nicer place to live.
I asked about breeding. No, Johanna said. She doesn’t breed commercially, and she doesn’t sell dogs, either. If romance happens with visiting dogs from other farms, she won’t interfere, but only if she knows their lineage with certainty. Inbreeding poses serious health risks, she explained, so any pairing needs to be between dogs from entirely separate family lines. She laughs as she tells us about one of her dog’s boyfriends, and how they went off for a special ‘romance package’ in the summer.
To me, the relationship between Johanna and the dogs seemed obvious. She seemed to really love and understand them. She knew who needed movement before warming up, who would knock you over with enthusiasm, who preferred to observe from a distance. She’s got 16 years of learning behind her, and it shows.
But – asking for a friend – how do you find yourself in the remote wilderness with 100 huskies? It turns out that Johanna’s story started, as many good tales do, with a leap of faith.
From written wish to husky safari
In 2004, Johanna was working at a spa hotel doing physiotherapy and rehabilitation. She loved the human side of it, where she worked with people and helped them recover. But she faced a highly relatable problem: the better she got at her job, the less time she spent doing the things she loved. She found herself spending more and more time indoors in front of a computer. She hated it.
One day, frustrated, she opened a document on her computer and typed out what she hoped to call into her life. Within five years, she wanted to be working with people and animals, outside, in nature. She closed the document and forgot about it.
Until 2009, when a friend called her and told her that a husky safari had just come up for sale in a remote area called Syöte. Did she want to take a look?
Johanna traveled to Syöte. She walked around the property, met the dogs, tried to imagine what running a husky safari in the remote wilderness of Syöte would be like. She had zero experience with huskies, zero experience living in a remote area, zero experience with tourism operations. So she went for it.
Learning from the best
Although she had a steep learning curve ahead of her, Johanna wasn’t overly keen on learning from the previous owners. She took on board the more technical tips, but felt they were too heavy handed with the dogs themselves. She made friends with another husky safari nearby, where she felt the huskies were treated well and the owner been around sled dogs ever since he was a little boy. “The first three to five years, I called them all the time,” she recalls. They were a huge help. But her real teachers, she says, were the huskies themselves.
“The best thing I have learned is don’t shout to the animals, don’t shout to the children.” Johanna explained. “If you want to make them behave nicely, calm down yourself first and then go asking what’s the matter with you. They are the best teachers, because they are always in presence.”
It doesn’t always go to plan, she admits. Sometimes when you’re tired and the dogs don’t believe you. The huskies are constantly reading your body language, your behaviour, your energy, your intentions. If you’re not present and calm with them, it’s not going to work, she says.
It’s a philosophy that extends beyond dog handling. The huskies look very well looked after and they only run if they want to. I didn’t go on a husky safari myself (and was very happy simply hanging out with the huskies, which is also something you can do), but I did watch a couple come back from a run. The dogs were still pulling, still eager, and looked disappointed when the sled stopped. Getting them to calm down and settle was a whole operation – it looked like they were keen to keep going given the choice.
The hard part
I asked Johanna what she found most difficult about running the husky safari. She said it’s when the dogs ‘leave’. With huskies ranging in age from seven months to 15 years, she loses around one husky a year.
“I was thinking, will I get used to that? But no, I don’t,” Johanna tells me. “I always want to be here when they leave, and I’m crying all the worries of the world”.
Sometimes the dogs die peacefully, while other times they can be in a lot of pain. When the pain becomes too much, she calls the vet, but it’s a very difficult thing to do.
“The most beautiful death was my tivi taavi,” Johanna says as she recalls a dog she loved deeply, who had fallen ill. When she went to see him in the morning, she found him in his little cabin, with one paw crossed gently on top of the other and his head resting on top. His nose was sticking out of the doorway, and a light dusting of snow had settled on his head. It looked like he’d laid down for a peaceful nap.
She describes how she bawled, but was also incredibly relieved. “I was so happy that you left me like that. Without me needing to make that decision.”
It’s clear that Johanna carries the losses with her. But there are some more practical challenges too, and few visitors will see those. The off-season runs from April to December. It’s a time when the huskies don’t pull the sleds, but still need to be fed, kept cool, stimulated and comfortable.
Huskies don’t sweat like we do, and can only cool themselves through their mouths. This makes summer heat dangerous, even in Lapland. In the summers, all the enclosures get shade covers, but that’s just the start. Water bowls need changing every 45 to 90 minutes, as the dogs drink constantly to regulate their temperature. On top of that, social groups need managing carefully, as they don’t all get along with each other. It’s demanding work, done every day, with fewer tourists or income.
You can still visit in the summer, though. You can have a coffee, hang out with the huskies and hike the forests nearby, or do another of their summer activities. There’ll just be no sled pulling.
Sixteen years on
Johanna says she still has the document where she set her initial intention. Sixteen years on, she’s carved out the path she wanted, while creating something truly special along the way. She continues to learn from the dogs, adjusting and adapting each season. That willingness to listen – rather than assume she has the answers – is something we could probably all learn from.
Practical Information
Season: Husky safaris run from December to mid-April, weather dependent. You can also visit outside the season for the summer activities, but the dogs won’t pull the sleds.
Safari options: at the time of writing, Syötteen Eräpalvelut offers several safari lengths, from 6km to 30km routes through the Syöte wilderness. Prices range from €110 to €295 depending on the length and experience you choose. You can also simply visit the farm on a guided tour and hang with the huskies (which is what we did).
Location: Oksanperäntie 364, 93280 Syöte (approximately 2 hours north of Oulu)
Website: syotteenerapalvelut.fi (English version here)
Instagram: @syotteenerapalvelut
You can read more on Syötteen Eräpalvelut’s commitment to animal welfare and sustainability here. They are certified under Visit Finland’s Sustainable Travel Finland programme.
Choosing a husky safari in Finland
Husky safaris have become incredibly popular in Finnish Lapland, even overtaking snowmobiling as the top winter activity in recent years. With around 4,000 huskies working in tourism across the region, it’s an industry worth paying attention to.
But with economic opportunity comes exploitation, and it’s important to do due diligence when choosing an operator. Not all husky farms operate the same way, and it’s key to weed out anyone mistreating their dogs. Don’t be afraid to ask questions as you search. Some examples of what to look out for:
- Summer care: What happens in the off-season? Huskies spend 8+ months not working, and their welfare during this time is crucial. Do they have shade? How are they kept cool?
- Rescue and retirement policies: What happens to dogs who can’t or don’t want to work? Do they take in rescues from other operations? Are retired dogs cared for? Are they sold?
- Choice and health: Do the dogs only run if they want to, or are they forced? How? How are they looked after health wise? What happens if they get hurt?
- Transparency: Good operators will answer your questions openly. If they’re defensive or evasive about welfare practices, that’s a big red flag.
- Breeding practices: Do they breed? Sell dogs and/or puppies? Operations focused on welfare tend to be reluctant or cautious around breeding.
- Cost: The reality is that ethical operations often cost more, because they’re investing in animal welfare year-round. If a deal seems too good to be true, there may be a reason for that.
It’s worth taking the effort to find the right operator. But if you visit a husky farm and something doesn’t feel right – dogs looking stressed or fearful, poor conditions, reluctant animals being forced to work, cruel policies – don’t stay silent. You can contact the local vet in the area, and/or leave honest reviews to warn other travelers. There are places who genuinely love their dogs, but there are also horror stories our there. By getting the word out about the less ethical operators, you help to ensure that more operations follow a model of partnership rather than exploitation.
Passing by the area and want to try something else unique? I also loved snowshoeing in the fells of Iso-Syöte, and visiting the Oulu brewery who serves pints with a side of free sauna.
Or, read why Oulu was recently named the 2026 European Capital of Culture.
About the author
Jules is the founder and editor of Stubborn Travel, an independent travel blog focusing on adventure travel to lesser known places. A marketing strategist with a background in digital communications, she speaks English, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish, and French, and has lived in China, Italy, the UK, and the US. When not traveling, she’s based in London. Connect: Instagram | Email | Medium
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