Booking choice: The 2 km reindeer sleigh ride through the forest, from $200 per person. Check dates Tour details
It is a fair question, and a good sign that you are asking it. Reindeer in Finland are herd animals that have lived alongside people for centuries. On a sleigh ride they are not asked for speed. A herder leads the line, the reindeer walk or trot, and you sit still and enjoy the forest.
Visit Rovaniemi sets out a clear rule for animal activities. On responsible tours the animals are never forced to run or pull a sled, and activities follow their natural needs. The rest of this guide turns that rule into things you can check before you book.
The quick answer
Yes, a reindeer sleigh ride can be ethical when a herder leads, the pace is the reindeer's own and the farm openly explains how it cares for the herd. If you would rather not sit in a sleigh at all, the walk with reindeer at Apukka is certified under the Green Activities welfare criteria. For a ride, the 2 km forest ride keeps a calm pace with a fire stop and time to feed the herd.
Are reindeer sleigh rides ethical?
They can be. A short, led ride at a walking pace at a farm run by herders fits Visit Rovaniemi's own test: no forcing, no racing, the animal's needs first.
Most reindeer farm tourism in Finland is run by working herders, says the Reindeer Herders' Association, and for them the herd is a living as well as a tradition. Tourism helps keep small herding families going; the association counts it among the main sources of income for herders today.
What makes a ride good or bad is how it is run, not the fact that a reindeer pulls a sleigh. Look for a herder at the head of the line, calm animals and a farm that is happy to answer your questions. The table below shows what to look for.
| What to look for | Why it matters | Where you see it here |
|---|---|---|
| A herder leads the line | The reindeer walk or trot at their own pace; nobody whips them on | Every sleigh ride we list |
| Time with the herd off the sleigh | Feeding and questions show how the farm treats its animals | Feeding on the forest ride and the photo farm |
| Clear house rules | No outside snacks, no sudden moves, no touching where the farm says so | Apukka and Beyond Arctic state them in the listing |
| A welfare label | External audits of daily work, breaks and tethering | Apukka's walk is certified under Green Activities |
| Stories from the herders | Operators who explain their care openly, as Visit Rovaniemi advises | Kota talks on most farm visits |
Are the reindeer in Lapland wild or domesticated?
Semi-domesticated. Every reindeer in Finland has an owner, but the herds spend much of the year roaming free in the forests and fells.
The Reindeer Herders' Association (Paliskuntain yhdistys) puts the numbers plainly. Around 200,000 reindeer live in Finland after the autumn round-ups, owned by about 4,400 people. The herding area covers 36% of the country and is split into 54 herding cooperatives. Calves are born mostly in May, earmarked in June and July, and gathered in round-ups from late September into midwinter.
Visit Rovaniemi calls them semi-wild and asks you not to feed reindeer you meet by the road or in the forest, because it changes their natural behaviour. At a farm, feeding is part of the visit, with food the herders give you.
How are reindeer treated on Rovaniemi farms?
As working animals and as family. Visit Rovaniemi notes that at many farms herding has been a way of life for generations.
On a farm visit you see the herd up close: the corral, the feeding, the sleighs and the people who look after them. Guests on our listed tours keep mentioning the same thing. Brandy, on the forest ride in March 2026, wrote that "you could tell our guides truly were knowledgeable and cared for the reindeer on the property." Niklas, at Beyond Arctic's farm, said the reindeer "were treated very well."
Herders are usually glad to talk. Ask how many rides a reindeer does in a day, where the herd spends the summer and how they choose the sleigh reindeer. A farm that answers openly is the kind Visit Rovaniemi recommends.
A 2 km ride at a family farm, time to feed the herd and a guide who answers every question.
Check dates for the local reindeer farm with a 2 km rideWhat does a responsible reindeer ride look like?
A herder or guide walks at the front, the reindeer move at their own pace in a line, and there are breaks with feeding and talk.
- Nobody hands you the reins. You sit in the sleigh; the herder leads. A reindeer driving licence is a fun certificate, not a licence.
- The pace is calm. The forest rides speak of a relaxing ride and the sound of hooves on frosty snow, not of speed.
- There is a rest. The 2 km rides stop at a fire with hot drinks; the short rides end at the corral.
- There are house rules. Apukka asks guests to move slowly and bans outside snacks for the reindeer. Beyond Arctic does not allow touching the animals.
- Weather counts. The photographer tour runs its sleigh ride only when there is enough snow.
A calm 2 km ride led by guides, a stop by the fire and time to feed and meet the reindeer after. Thermal overalls and boots included.
Explore the 2 km reindeer sleigh ride through the forest Tour detailsIs there an animal welfare certificate for reindeer tourism?
Yes. Green Activities, a Nordic sustainability certificate, added well-being criteria for reindeer in tourism in 2022, with annual reporting and external audits.
The criteria were written by the Multidimensional Tourism Institute at the University of Lapland with Going Green Oy and Porotilamatkailu ry, the reindeer farm tourism association. They set limits on the daily work of reindeer, on how they are tied up and on their breaks. Separate criteria for sled dogs came out the year before.
Apukka Resort says all of its reindeer activities, including the walk with reindeer, are certified under Green Activities. Visit Rovaniemi also points travellers to companies with the Sustainable Travel Finland label, which more than 20 companies at Santa Claus Village hold.
Lead a reindeer on a 2 km forest walk with a herder, then black-pot coffee and herding stories. Certified under Green Activities.
Explore the walk with reindeer at Apukka Tour detailsIs a short reindeer ride kinder than a long one?
Not by itself. Pace, rest and handling matter more than distance. A 2 km ride at a walk with a stop is as gentle as a 500 m loop.
It is tempting to think a shorter ride is kinder. On the forest rides the reindeer walk a quiet track for about 40 minutes, and the caravan stops by a fire. A short loop is over in minutes. Neither length is a welfare problem in itself; what counts is the daily workload and the breaks, which is exactly what the Green Activities criteria set limits on.
What we would watch is the mood of the herd. Calm reindeer that eat, wander and look curious are a good sign, and guests on the rides we list describe exactly that.
Are reindeer farms in Rovaniemi Sámi?
No. Rovaniemi lies outside the Sámi homeland, which covers Enontekiö, Utsjoki, Inari and northern Sodankylä. Herders around Rovaniemi are mostly Finnish families.
Reindeer herding in Finland is shared by Sámi and Finnish herders, and the farms you visit from Rovaniemi belong to the second group, with herding traditions of their own. Be wary of a tour that dresses a Rovaniemi farm up as a Sámi village.
One tour we list is honest about its roots: Arctic GM Experiences describes the hosts of its 2.5 km reindeer safari as a family with Sámi heritage, with herding knowledge passed down through generations. To learn about Sámi culture in depth, Inari, about 3 to 4 hours north according to Visit Rovaniemi, is the place to go.
A 2.5 km sled ride and hot drinks in a kota with a herding family of Sámi heritage, eight guests at most.
Check dates for the reindeer safari with a Sámi heritage familyWhat happens to the reindeer in summer?
They spend much of it free in the forest. There are no sleigh rides without snow, and farms switch to visits, feeding and walks.
The reindeer year follows the seasons: calving in May, earmarking in June and July, round-ups from late autumn. Visit Rovaniemi calls summer a peaceful time to meet reindeer and learn how they live. Guests on a late March visit noted that much of one farm's herd had already moved north for the summer, which is herding life rather than a sign of trouble.
From late autumn, before the snow settles, the walk at Apukka is the gentlest option of all. You lead a reindeer on foot for 2 km, and two reindeer can share a group of six, guests say, with time to swap.
The no-sleigh option: a 2 km forest walk beside a reindeer, lovely in autumn.
Check dates for the walk with reindeer at ApukkaFrequently asked questions
Can you pet the reindeer on a farm visit?
It depends on the farm. Some invite you to feed and stroke them; Beyond Arctic does not allow touching. Your guide tells you what is fine.
Should I feed reindeer I see by the road?
No. Visit Rovaniemi asks visitors not to feed semi-wild reindeer, because it changes their behaviour. On a farm, feed only what the herders give you.
Do reindeer run on a sleigh ride?
No. A herder leads the line and the reindeer walk or trot. Visit Rovaniemi's rule for responsible tours is that animals are never forced to run or pull.
Is the reindeer driving licence real?
No, it is a playful souvenir certificate some farms give you after the ride. You do not steer the sleigh.
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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Walk with Reindeer at Apukka
Lead a reindeer on a 2 km forest walk, then black-pot coffee and herding stories
2 km Reindeer Sleigh Ride Through the Forest
- Reindeer sleigh ride of 2 to 2.5 km (about 40 minutes)
- Thermal overalls and winter boots
- Hot drinks and snacks by the open fire
Local Reindeer Farm with a 2 km Sleigh Ride
A 2 km ride at a family farm, hotel pickup and edited photos by the guide
