Lomakylä Hetan Kota Oy — Hotel in Tunturi-Lapin seutukunta

Just returned from a photography trip in Finland. Travelled from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, Kittila and Enontekiö. ||For the avid photographer, make your way straight to Enontekiö where there is minimum light pollution. This is probably the best place for Aurora sightings. ||You would need a minimum F2.8 wide angle lense with tripod, which is a must and multiple layers of thermal wear as I was shooting with ease at minus 28 degree Celsius. ||1. In Rovaniemi- you can stay in Santa Claus Village which has a shuttle that brings you to town. I took the overnight VR train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi. ||2. Avoid the Apukka Resort which is a photographer's night mare. See my previous post. Extreme light pollution and not worth the price paid. Beware of the "Apukka shortchange" if you are in Rovaniemi as there are a number of such brightly lighted units and the mgt simply don't even care to reply to my last 2 emails to them. Once bitten twice shy @Apukka. ||3. In Enontekiö - You can stay in Hetan kota Holiday village. Wonderful hospitality from the couple owners and the frozen lake is located next to the hotel. This is probably the best place in Finland to shoot the Aurora as it has almost zero light pollution. ||4. For my trip to Enontekiö, we drove there ourselves. It is a straight road and roads in Finland are generally well maintained. Pickup the car at Kittila airport and fly from Kittila airport back to Helsinki thereafter. ||Note : All photos are cropped and shot in Enontekiö - Nikon D7500. SD 11-16 F2.8. Manual focus. ISO 800 - 1500. 5-8 sec exposure...

This must be one of the best kept secrets in Lapland. With a relatively large group of friends, we stayed at Hetan Kota for seven nights. The holiday camps has A-frames and log cabins scattered around in the forest and on the lake front, in an amazingly peaceful location. The manager, Jukka, and his wife are among the best hosts I have ever come across during me travels. They arrange programs, call around to get the best deals, cook super delicious dishes and go out of there way to ensure that the guests are happy. Coffee and tea were available throughout the day, and there is a small library with local books and brochures. ||I stayed at one of the green log cabins further away from the A-frames. It had four double rooms on two floors, a living room, two bathrooms and two separate toilets, and of course its own sauna. The temperature outside dropped to -17 C but inside it was warm and cozy. We got towels but had to provide our soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. ||There is also a larger sauna building on the lake shore, and Jukka cuts a hole in the ice for those who want to finish off the sauna experience with a dip in the frozen lake.||Public transport is not really available (there was one daily bus to Kittila during our stay,) so to be able to move around you will need your own car. The small town with shops and restaurants is about 5 km away. We went there only once (to buy beer) because the food provided in Hetan Kota was more then enough and we didn't need...

I've stayed at the small lakeside cabins at Hetan Kota twice now and have enjoyed my visits very much. Each cabin has enough space for two people, comfy beds, sufficient heating, a small kitchen and fridge. Though there is no running water, the shared caravan kitchen and toilets are nearby.

From Hetan Kota, you can do short bike rides and hikes to Jyppyra which begin at the Visitors Centre nearby, or walk towards the back of the estate which takes you towards Pyhakero. Though I didn't make it all the way there, there are lovely views along the way, especially of the Ounasjarvi lake.

Alternatively, they also offer boat rides to and from the Hetta-Pallas trails for 10 euros, which is a very popular and scenic option.

Breakfast every morning was simple and filling, with options for people who want a savoury and/or sweet start to the day.

Hikes aside, perhaps my favorite thing to do here was taking the evening showers, sauna (7pm for men and 8pm for women) and a quick dip in the lake.

Finally, Titta, Janne and Jouna are lovely hosts. Checking in and out was a breeze, and they gave me useful suggestions for my daily activities as well. I will miss them dearly and hope to...