Saariselkä
Saariselkä] (Northern Sámi: Suoločielgi, Inari Sámi: Suáluičielgi, Skolt Sámi: Suâlčiõʹlj) is a largish winter sports centre in the municipality of Inari high up in Finnish Lapland, some 250 km north of the Arctic Circle and nearly 1000 km away from the southern capital Helsinki. Nestled in a valley, Saariselkä is a compact strip of a village with one gas station, one main supermarket, one liquor store and a slew of hotels, shops and restaurants, but it's quite manageable on foot and located only 30 km away from the town of Ivalo and its airport.
About Saariselkä
Saariselkä] (Northern Sámi: Suoločielgi, Inari Sámi: Suáluičielgi, Skolt Sámi: Suâlčiõʹlj) is a largish winter sports centre in the municipality of Inari high up in Finnish Lapland, some 250 km north of the Arctic Circle and nearly 1000 km away from the southern capital Helsinki.
Nestled in a valley, Saariselkä is a compact strip of a village with one gas station, one main supermarket, one liquor store and a slew of hotels, shops and restaurants, but it's quite manageable on foot and located only 30 km away from the town of Ivalo and its airport. The neighbouring fells of Kaunispää and Iisakkipää, both equipped with ski lifts, are the primary slopes for winter sports. The hiking trails, skiing tracks, biking routes and snowmobile tracks of Saariselkä also cover the villages of Laanila and Kakslauttanen (3 km and 10 km southward) and Kiilopää (6 km east from Kakslauttanen), which may be regarded as part of the same tourist resort. Saariselkä is also used as a base for hikers and cross-country skiers going to the Urho Kekkonen National Park or Hammastunturi Wilderness Area.