Guide · On the runners

Self-drive husky safari in Levi: how you drive the sled

On a self-drive husky safari in Levi you stand on the runners and the dogs answer to you, with a guide leading the line. Here is what the briefing covers, how braking and balance work, and when you swap seats.

Check availabilityfrom $230 · cancellation is free

Editorial team, levihuskysafari.comUpdated October 22, 2026read in 7 minutes8 sources

The tour this guide is about Levi 7 km self-drive husky safari 4.7 (502 reviews) 3 hoursYou drive, 2 people per sledWinter clothing and a warm drink included from$230per person Check availabilityCancellation free up to 24 hrs in advance

Quick answer

01Who drives: You do: 2 people share each sled on the 7 km safari, and you swap halfway.
02Before the start: An introduction to the huskies and a briefing on sledding.
03Guide's role: The guide leads the safari; on some rides guides never drive guests.
04Fitness: Some kennels ask for enough fitness and body control to handle the sled.
05Prefer to sit?: A 2 km ride in Levi has a professional musher driving.

What self-drive means on a Levi trail

A self-drive husky safari in Levi puts you in charge of a sled and a team of dogs. On this site's 7 km ride, each sled is driven by a team of 2 people, one on the runners and one in the basket, and the driver can switch halfway through. A guide leads the group from the front, sets the pace and decides where the teams stop, but the steering, the braking and the balance are yours.

The same arrangement appears across the region. All Huskies, a kennel in Kittilä, describes its 15 km safari the same way: two people to a sleigh, one driving and one sitting, with a change of driver in the middle.¹ ² On the two-day Forest Troll safari, each team is 4-6 Alaskan huskies.³ However short the ride, the feeling is the same: the dogs respond to what you do with your feet and your weight.

It is not hard, and it is not passive either. Most of the effort is in the first minutes, when the dogs are at their keenest and you are still learning how the sled answers. After that the work settles into a rhythm of braking on the descents, leaning in the bends and keeping your distance from the team ahead, and the trail starts to feel calm.

Step by step

Your first self-drive run, start to finish

Arrival

Clothes on

Winter clothing is part of the 7 km safari.
Briefing

Meet the dogs

An introduction to the huskies and a briefing on sledding.
Start

Hands on the bar

The guide leads the line and you follow on the runners.
Halfway

Change places

The driver can switch halfway through.
Finish

Thank the team

Warm drinks and cookies after the ride.

The briefing before the dogs are hitched

Every self-drive ride in Levi starts with instructions. The 7 km safari opens with an introduction to the huskies and a briefing on sledding, given before anyone steps onto the runners. Polar Lights Tours lists a 15-minute safety briefing on its self-drive ride, and Levisafari covers basic husky handling and safety instructions before its 5 km run. Wonderlapland's 7 km listing calls the same step musher instructions.

Listen to the briefing as if you had never seen a sled. Each kennel's sleds and brakes differ a little, and the guide will show you the details that matter on that trail: where the brake is, how to set the snow hook if there is one, what signal means stop, and what to do if you fall. Ask about anything you did not catch; the guides would much rather answer twice than pick up a loose team.

Expect noise while the teams are harnessed. Sled dogs bark and howl when they know a run is coming, and the whole yard can sound alarming the first time. It is excitement, not distress, and it stops almost the moment the sleds move. Use those minutes to settle your gloves, tuck in scarf ends and decide with your partner who drives the first half.

Who does what

Driving rules on Levi's self-drive rides

Ride	Distance	Instruction	Swap or sharing	Transfer
7 km self-drive	7 km	Introduction and briefing	Swap halfway	Pickup in Levi
Polar Lights, guided self-drive	Not stated	Safety briefing, 15 min	Not stated	Bus from Hissitie 11
Levisafari, 5 km	5 km	Handling and safety	Not stated	None
Levisafari, 2 km	2 km	Not stated	No single sleigh	None
Wonderlapland, 7 km	7 km	Musher instructions	Not stated	Not stated

What each listing states about instruction, sharing a sled and transfers; 'not stated' means the record is silent.

Three self-drive rides

Pick your first time on the runners

Swap halfway

7 km self-drive

Pickup in Levi

Distance: 7 km
Total: 3 hrs
Clothing: Included

See the ride

Levi: Self-Driven Husky Ride In Snowy Forest (5km)

Kota to warm up

5 km in a snowy forest

From the Tourist Office

Distance: 5 km
Total: 2 hrs
Van: 10 min each way

See the ride

Levi: Self-Drive 2 KM Husky Sledding Experience

Shortest drive

2 km self-drive

At the Levisafari farm

Distance: 2 km
Total: 1 hr
Group: Up to 8

See the ride

Decision helper

Are you ready for the runners?

Match the ride to how you feel about driving

7 km self-drive

7 km with a swap halfway and a guide leading.

2 km self-drive

A 1-hour visit at the Levisafari farm.

2 km with a musher

A professional musher drives for you.

A farm visit

Levisafari's rides list back problems as unsuitable.

Ask before booking

Some kennels do not offer a sleigh for one.

You have an opportunity to drive two persons on the sleigh by yourself, another driving and another sitting. The driver can switch in mid-safari.

Visit FinlandSource 2

Braking, balance and keeping your distance

The handlebar, the runners and the brake are all you work with. Keep both hands on the handlebar and both feet on the runners, and never let go of the sled, even if you tip over; a team without a driver keeps running. The brake is usually a metal claw or bar under your foot between the runners, and pressing it digs into the snow and slows the sled. A rubber mat, where the sled has one, drags gently for a softer slowdown.

Most of the driving is braking. Brake before a downhill rather than on it, brake when you close in on the sled in front, and brake to keep the line taut but not slack. On a bend, shift your weight towards the inside and keep your knees soft, the way you would on skis. On a straight, flat stretch you can simply ride, enjoy the quiet and watch the dogs work.

Leave a good gap to the team ahead. Dogs that catch up with another sled want to pass or to play, and a tangle of lines is the most common small mishap on a group ride. If something goes wrong, stop with the brake, call to the guide and wait; do not walk forward to the dogs unless you are told to. The guide knows the team and will sort out lines in seconds.

Checklist

Before you step on the runners

Agree with your partner

Who drives first and where you swap
Who carries the phone or camera
The stop signal the guide teaches you

On the sled

Both hands on the handlebar, always
Brake before descents and bends
Keep a gap to the sled in front
Mittens big enough to grip the bar

Cost calculator

What a self-drive ride costs your group

Choose a ride and how many of you are going.

7 km self-drivePickup in Levifrom $230 5 km, snowy forestVan includedfrom $172 5 km, LevisafariNo transportfrom $173 2 km self-driveNo transportfrom $110

People 2

Total from$459

per person from $230

Check availabilityfree cancellation

We take the lowest price GetYourGuide shows for each option, multiply it by your head count and convert it with the ECB rate; checkout gives the exact figure.

Video

Husky safari in Levi, Finland: an unforgettable ride

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Driver and passenger: when to swap

On the 7 km safari the driver can switch halfway, and the listing mentions a stop for photos on the way, a natural moment to change places. Agree on the order before the start, and switch only when the guide has stopped the group. The passenger sits low in the basket, holds on and keeps the camera ready; the scenery is best seen from there, and the photos of the team ahead are the passenger's job.

Not every kennel allows a sled for one. Levisafari's 2 km ride lists a single driving sleigh among the things it does not offer, and the same listing says the guide does not drive guests. On the Apukka ride near Rovaniemi, the guides assign people to each sleigh to balance the load for the dogs, and they do not act as drivers either. Check this if you travel alone or in an odd-numbered group.

If one of you does not want to drive at all, that is a fair choice. The swap halfway is offered, not required, and the passenger seat has its own pleasures. If nobody in your party wants the runners, book a ride where a professional musher drives, such as the 2 km ride at Rautusjärvi.

How fit you need to be

Driving a sled needs balance more than strength. You stand for the length of the run, shift your weight in the bends and sometimes push or run behind the sled on a short climb. The Apukka listing near Rovaniemi puts it plainly: participants need enough physical fitness and body control to enjoy being mushers. If you ski or cycle a little, you will cope easily.

The suitability sections spell out the limits. Levisafari's 5 km ride is not suitable for people with back problems or pregnant women, and its 2 km ride adds people with epilepsy or recent surgeries. Several rides set weight limits, from 95 kg on Keo Wilderness's 5 km ride to 140 kg on Levisafari's 5 km ride. This site's 7 km safari states no such limits in its record, so ask the provider if you are unsure.

A bad back does not have to rule out the dogs. A ride where a musher drives, or a farm visit without a sled, keeps you close to the huskies without the jolts of the runners. Our page on husky farm visits around Levi lists the options.

The team in front of you

The dogs you drive are working athletes. The Levi kennels that describe themselves on the resort's official site keep Alaskan huskies, and Maglelin takes part in sled dog races every winter.⁴ ⁵ ⁶ Visit Levi notes that some of the area's sled dogs compete in international races as long as about 500 kilometres.⁷ Expect them to pull hard from the first metre.

Talk to your team, quietly. Dogs know their names and the guide's commands, and a calm voice from the runners helps more than shouting. Never step off the runners to reach a dog while the team is moving, and keep hands away from harnesses and lines unless the guide asks you to help. At the end, the dogs are usually happy to be thanked, and some love a scratch behind the ears.

Watch the dogs rather than the scenery for the first few minutes. Their ears, tails and pace tell you a lot: a slack line before a descent means brake, a team turning its heads means a bend or another sled ahead. By the halfway swap most drivers find they are reading the team without thinking, and that is the real pleasure of driving your own sled.

Cold, wind and when rides are called off

A moving sled makes its own wind. Visit Levi warns that the Arctic wind makes midwinter temperatures of down to minus 30 degrees feel even colder.⁸ The 7 km safari includes winter clothing, but warm layers underneath, a hat over the ears and mittens big enough to hold the handlebar are still your job. Face cover is worth having on the runners; the passenger feels the cold more than the driver.

This site's safari runs rain or shine and is cancelled only for extreme weather such as storms, with a full refund. Other Levi kennels put a number on it: at -30°C or lower, Keo Wilderness and Lovimainas keep the right to move the ride to another day or pay you back. In both cases the decision is the operator's, and it protects the dogs as much as the guests.

If your dates are flexible, a day with light frost and good snow is the easiest one for a first drive. The tracks are firm, the brake grips well and your hands stay warm. Whatever the weather, arrive on time: Keo Wilderness, for one, says late arrival gives no refund or rescheduling.

Pick your date

The dogs are ready when you are.

Collected in Levi, dressed for the cold, on the runners of a sled you drive. Cancel free until a day ahead.

See datesfrom $230 · cancellation is free 4.7 · 502 reviews, verified

You ask,we answer.

Is it hard to drive a husky sled?

No, but it takes attention. The briefing covers the brake and the commands; the 7 km safari starts with an introduction to the huskies and a sledding briefing.

Do I need to have driven before?

No experience is required. Kennels teach you on the spot; Levisafari's 5 km ride includes basic husky handling and safety instructions.

Can I drive a sled alone?

Not on every ride. Levisafari's 2 km ride does not offer a single driving sleigh.

When do driver and passenger swap?

Halfway, on the 7 km safari. The listing allows the driver to switch halfway through the tour.

What if I fall off?

Keep hold of the sled. A team without its driver keeps running, so hold the handlebar, stop with the brake and let the guide sort out the lines.

Is there a weight limit?

On several rides, yes. Keo Wilderness's 5 km ride sets 95 kg; Levisafari's 2 km ride sets 135 kg.

What happens in extreme cold?

The operator decides. At -30°C or lower some kennels move or refund the ride; this site's safari is cancelled only for extreme weather, with a full refund.

Sources