Hitch a reindeer ride with Uber next week in Lapland

Even more incredibly, it will be free of charge, but it goes without saying, availability is limited

Uber has decided to launch a pretty unusual, but also well-timed service, called Uber Sleigh, giving users the option to book a reindeer sleigh ride from their phones. The service, however, as expected will only be available in the one place where you would expect reindeer sleighs to be kind of common – Finnish Lapland, also known as Santa Claus’ mythical homestead.

More specifically, the reindeer rides will be available for a departure from the Apukka Resort, located some 14 kilometres from Rovaniemi, Lapland’s capital city. As if trying Santa’s favoured mobility mode wasn’t good enough of a proposition, the whole ride will actually be provided free of charge.

However, that means it will be available on a “first come, first serve” basis, and only for the week of 12-18 December. So, time is of the essence.

Lapland can still guarantee a white Christmas

Lapland located in the north of Finland is still the kind of place where snowy expanses are quite sure to be in place – global warming or not. The launch of Uber Sleigh comes as Visit Rovaniemi tourism board predicts a boom in the number of families visiting Lapland this year, with a 46% increase in visits following the global ease of Covid restrictions.

Sanna Kärkkäinen, CEO of Visit Rovaniemi, said, as quoted by Romania Journal: “We’re so excited to see the return of tourists from all over the world this winter, following the easing of travel restrictions post-pandemic. Those visiting this year are in for a special treat as Uber offers its limited edition run of special sleigh rides at Apukka Resort, Rovaniemi.” 

The Uber Sleigh rides will take the users on a 2-hour trip across the wintry Lappish landscape replete with forests and lakes. There will be a midway snack stop, as well. Bookings can only be made starting one hour before departure and there will be only two timeslots a day: 10:00 and 14:00.