Authentic Skolt Sámi Cultural Experience
VISIT TO A SKOLT SÁMI AREA
SEVETTIJÄRVI | INARI | SKOLT SÁMI AREA
Welcome to a place where history is not just something of the past — it is still a living everyday reality, shaped by people’s voices, layers of landscape and quiet knowledge that cannot be found in textbooks.
A visit to our original Skolt Sámi farmstead offers you the opportunity to step into a living culture. Here, you are invited to slow down, breathe and let the silence of the North do its work — with space to ask questions, reflect and learn at your own pace.
Cultural Guided Tours
You are warmly welcome to join our cultural walking tours. These tours are ideal for anyone interested in northern cultural history, Indigenous traditions and how people have learned to live in balance with nature. Tours are available year-round — each season brings its own atmosphere and stories.
Skolt Sámi Area visit:
Price: €39 / person
Duration: approx. 1 hour
Format: walking tour in the Skolt Sámi area
Languages: Finnish, English, Russian, Northern Sámi — and you will also hear some Skolt Sámi
Tea or coffee is included in the price.
During your visit, you may row out onto the lake and swim at the sandy beach — just as people did in the past. You may also rent the lakeside sauna for private use at an additional cost.
Lakeside sauna rental: €59 / 1 hour
Capacity: 4 adults and 2 children
In summer 2026, a small heritage museum will open at the farmstead. Admission will be free for all our guests
Guided Cultural Tour in the Skolt Sámi Area:
Price: Group tours from €450
Duration: approx. 1 hour
Group size: 10–40 people
Format: walking tour in the Skolt Sámi area
Languages: Finnish, English, Russian, Northern Sámi — with some Skolt Sámi
Our guides have lived experience of everyday life within the Skolt Sámi community. Sonja has a background in cultural history, and our guides live and work as part of the local community.
The tour includes:
A guided visit introducing Skolt Sámi culture and history
The opportunity to see and hear how traditions continue to live on today
Fact-based yet accessible storytelling led by a knowledgeable guide
Tour themes can be tailored to the group’s interests, with a focus on:
Skolt Sámi history
Traditional Skolt Sámi handicrafts
The activities of secret police in the border region during the Second World War
Fascinating and lesser-known true stories from Sápmi
We also offer guided tours in the Municipality of Inari and in Northern Norway (Kirkenes, Neiden).
Activities for Children:
Price: €29 per child
Duration: approximately 1 hour
Group size: Maximum 6 children. Each child must be accompanied by their own adult guardian.
Format: guided walking tour in Sevettijärvi
Languages: Finnish, English, Russian and Northern Sámi, with a chance to hear some Skolt Sámi as well.
Step onto paths where Skolt Sámi culture and northern history are woven together.
With the guidance of our local guide, you will see how Skolt Sámi culture continues to live on as part of Finland’s story.
Before us, others have walked these paths
Jouko as a child in Sevettijärvi. Photo: Pertti Pelto.
Vasko Moshnikoff sitting in a reindeer-drawn sledge. Photo by Nickul Karl, 1934, Suonikylä, Petsamo.
Anna and Vasko Moshnikoff sitting in a sledge. Photo by Nickul Karl, 1934, Suonikylä, Petsamo.
Kiureli Moshnikoff and a reindeer. Photo by Nickul Karl, 1934, Suonikylä, Petsamo.
During your visit to our original Skolt Sámi farmstead, you will walk the same paths where our ancestors have lived in rhythm with nature for centuries. Here, time slows down, the mind finds calm, and the rush of everyday life fades away.
On guided tours, you will hear stories of life past and present — of Suonjel in Petsamo, the Petsamo Monastery, and the journey of the Skolt Sámi people to the present day. Jouko is happy to share the history of reindeer herding and how it has changed over time — stories that still live on in objects, in the landscape and in people’s memories.
By arrangement, you may enjoy Skolt Sámi hospitality through traditional foods, tea moments or storytelling sessions. If you wish, you can try traditional handicrafts, take part in conversations with local people, or simply be present in the quiet of nature — just as it has always been done here.