From Kittilä airport to Raattama by car

Kittilä airport (KTT) is the airport for Levi, and in winter it has direct scheduled flights from several European cities as well as several daily connections from Helsinki. From the airport it is about 80 km to Villa Tupasvilla in Raattama village and about 90 km to our Saivo cabin. Plan on an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half in winter conditions.

The route

From the airport the road first takes you to Levi, 15 km away. Almost everyone else on the plane gets off there. You continue north, and the last stretch into Raattama is regional road 957. There are no turnings to worry about once you are past Levi: the road simply carries on through forest and past lakes until the village.

If you are coming from the south by car instead, Raattama is on road 957 between Muonio and Enontekiö, roughly 50 km from Muonio.

Renting a car

You will want a car for the whole stay. Public transport in this part of Lapland is scarce, and there is no regular service to Raattama. Taxis and buses run between the airport and Levi, but for the rest of the way a car is the practical answer. Getting here without one is possible but needs arranging, so if that is your plan, ask us before you book flights.

Kittilä airport has car rental desks. Book in advance, especially for the winter season and the weeks around Christmas and the February holidays, when the airport is at its busiest.

Winter driving: what you actually need

• Four-wheel drive is not necessary. The roads are maintained and ploughed when needed. A normal front-wheel-drive car is fine.
• Winter tyres are required, and studded ones are best. The roads can be icy, and on the quieter stretches north of Levi they are not salted. In Finland rental cars are fitted with winter tyres in season, but it is worth confirming they are studded rather than friction tyres.
• Drive by the conditions, not the speed limit. Allow extra time in the dark and in snowfall.
• Reindeer on the road. This is reindeer herding country and the animals wander onto the road, especially at dusk. Slow down when you see one; there are usually more behind it.
• Keep the tank at least half full. Fuel is available at the Raattama village shop during its opening hours (Monday to Friday 10–17, Saturday 10–15), and around the clock in Muonio, 45 km from Raattama. There is nothing between Levi and Raattama.

Arriving

Check-in at both cabins is from 16:00 and check-out by 12:00, with flexibility if you ask. If you arrive after dark, which in December means after about 14:00, a headlamp makes the walk from the car easier, and we will have told you how to find the key. Villa Tupasvilla is on a quiet private road in the village; Saivo is 10 km further, on the shore of Saivojärvi.

Shopping on the way

Levi has supermarkets and is your last chance for a big shop. After that there is the Raattama village shop, which covers the basics and sells fuel, and the larger supermarket in Muonio, 45 km from Tupasvilla and 55 km from Saivo. Our cabins have a full kitchen with a dishwasher, and linen and towels are included, so you only need food.

Driving on from Raattama

Once you are here, the car earns its keep: Pallastunturi and the national park visitor centre are 25 km towards Muonio, the Kelo Resort is 10 km away, and Doghill Huskys in Muonio is about an hour. Our reindeer farm is in the village itself.

Any questions about the drive, email or call us. We drive this road every week.