High in the north of Finland, the modern village of Ivalo stands 2 miles within the Arctic Circle. It is surrounded by a typically watery forested Lapland landscape. Alongside is the Ivalo River and the vast Lake Inari is just 1 miles north. Visitors who hire a car here will find that both Norway and Russia are within easy driving distances. The village is sandwiched between two National Park wildernesses: Lemmenjoen and Urho Kekkosen. Ivalo Airport is five miles to the southwest. The winter ski and summer adventure resort of Saariselkä is a short way beyond that on the E75 highway.
If you hire a car in Ivalo, you'll find that the small Arctic village is a hub for adventures into the vast areas of Lapland countryside around it. In the winter this means plenty of opportunities for snow sports, like snowmobiles, cross-country skiing and husky sledding. It also hosts visitors hoping to meet Santa Claus in an authentic snowy situation. In the summer, Ivalo visitors can find companies offering trekking, canoeing and even panning for gold. The village itself has few historic attractions but is a vital centre for the shops and services that cover a wide rural area.
