Welcome to Finnish Lapland.

The air here is clean.

Saunas are aplenty and reindeer outnumber people.

I'm visiting during the midnight sun.

This is a 45 day period between June and mid-July where the sun never sets.

So there is tons of adventure to be had at all hours of the day.

I'm going to be exploring some of the villages in this area, and showing you guys some of the adventure activities that you can do here.

It's been a while since I've been in this part of the world.

I have always loved the Arctic Circle, and I've explored Norway and Sweden and Alaska, and I cannot wait to show you guys all the things that you can do under the midnight sun.

I'm Alice Ford and we're back in Northern Norway.

This is the Garden Island, Kauai, Hawaii.

As you guys can see, it is absolutely beautiful down here.

The views are just already stunning.

We are on our way to Antarctica.

So right now we're having a traditional tea here.

Wow.

My first stop on this adventure is the small village of Levy.

Now, this town hosts World Cup skiing almost every year.

And they've been doing that since 2004.

But it's obviously summer right now, and there's still a ton of adventure that you can have here, like mountain biking and hiking, paddling and even golf.

So I'm excited to show you guys some of the things you can do here.

Using Levy as a home base while exploring the region makes a great choice.

It's a micro city, so there's a nice mix of shops and restaurants.

A town sauna and hot spring, and lots of places to hike, bike and paddle.

Levy is a ski town located 170km north of the Arctic Circle.

Its main attraction is the ski resort.

So first up, I headed up the gondola to get a view of the area and check out some of the downhill mountain bikers taking to the trails.

Levy has about 60km of hiking trails and miles of biking trails for summer usage.

Levy also has a renowned 18 hole golf course, and getting some practice in at the driving range was a great way to beat my jetlag.

The course is beautiful, located at the bottom of the ski resort and situated on the banks of the river.

There's one thing people in Finland are very serious about, and that's the fact that Santa Claus is from Finland.

Right now we're at Tonttula Elves Village, which is a hotel and a nature park where I got to experience the stories and mythology of elves.

There are a bunch of fun, family friendly activities at the park and elf workshops throughout the forest as well, which in the winter time host Santa Claus and his elves for different kinds of kid friendly activities Just like America has the Sasquatch, Finland also has its mythical creatures and folklore still believed by many.

The belief in elves goes back hundreds of years and were believed to be spirits in the household that help protect the homestead and its occupants.

But it's not just the houses that could have elves, it's also forests and graveyards, lakes and ponds, fire and iron, and many places and items in our daily lives.

As a childhood lover of fairies and talking to animals, I am all about visiting places just like elves village.

Home for tonight and tomorrow night are the Aurora pyramids.

This is definitely one of those iconic Finland hotels.

You've probably seen photos from this place, from the night sky with the Northern Lights, and I cannot wait to show you what it's like inside.

Talk about immersion with nature.

After flying across the world, I am pretty excited to just do this.

We've been talking a lot about the midnight sun.

So let me explain what this natural phenomenon actually is.

During the northern hemisphere summer, the Earth tilts towards the sun, which results in a constant period of daylight in the Arctic region of the world, where the sun never falls below the horizon, giving off 24 hours of daylight.

Now this also happens in reverse.

So while the Arctic is bathing in the light, the Antarctic around the South Pole is immersed in darkness.

And when the seasons change, so do these periods of light and dark.

During the Arctic winter, this area has a period of constant night, while the Antarctic has a period of constant light.

And this area of the Arctic Circle is just amazing.

It's teeming with wildlife and life and exploring here in the summer is just a fantastic way to experience it.

There are countries all around the world in the Arctic Circle from Norway and Finland, Sweden to Russia and Alaska and Greenland and Iceland, to name a few.

In a place that gets as much snow as they do here.

It's no surprise that there are sled dogs.

And right now we're at the Levy Husky Park to meet some of them here at the Husky Park, they have a 67 dogs.

There's some little puppies.

They're just three months old right behind me here.

They don't just have dogs here, however, though.

They have Arctic foxes and reindeer as well.

They also train animals for movies and television.

The Husky park is open to the public in summer for tours and in winter for sled dog rides and experiences.

Meeting all the animals.

There are a few foxy families at the park as well.

Since they've been raised to work on TV.

They're actually very friendly and I got a chance to not only meet them, but feed them.

The Arctic Fox was really special because this species can actually only be found in the Arctic, so it's very well adept at surviving in very, very cold winter conditions.

The park is also home to some wolf dogs, which are actually 50 to 80% wolf.

And one of the keepers actually told me the way that you can tell Wolf's and regular dogs apart is by the sound and speed in which their jaws clamp when they catch a treat.

This area of Finland has more than 700 lakes, so now they're heading out on the lake to get some sightseeing of this area.

Levy and much of Lapland is surrounded by lakes and rivers.

Taking a relaxing pontoon ferry cruise is a great experience to get the family together.

And for those ready for a swim, you can jump off the boat and hop into the unborn sauna for a warm up.

Saunas are not only great for your health, but they're also an integral part of the Finnish lifestyle.

Now, long ago, they were actually the practical place to wash and warm up during the long winters before there was running water.

And nowadays you can find them just about everywhere at home.

I couldn't have asked for a more peaceful way to experience these long days of summer on board.

I was also treated to crepes and hot tea cooked over an open fire.

Now, the evening hours in this region of the world are incredible, with nightly rainbows and intensely mesmerizing views of the unwavering sun.

Now I'm in the ski village of Yllas.

This is actually Finland's largest ski resort, and sits on the border of Finland's most popular national park.

There's a lot of hiking and mountain biking here as well at the national park.

And this mountain right next to me are open for both.

Finland has a staggering number of national parks: 40 and several of them are located in Lapland, including three of the largest parks in the entire country.

And I can assure you that these places are places where the crowds are few, and the beauty of the Arctic is immense.

You can experience the midnight sun in summer, or the changing of the colors in fall, and maybe even catch the northern lights.

This is certainly something I can't do back at home.

Start a hike at 10 p.m.. One of the benefits of being here under the midnight sun the late night hikes in Lapland were one of my favorite activities.

The landscape just becomes so vivid and brightly colored as the sun wavered to its lowest point over the rocky and open landscape of the fells.

When you come to Finland, you will hear people speaking of the fells.

And no, this isn't a place that someone fell down.

It's actually an Old Norse word used to describe a high, barren landscape, such as a mountain or more covered hillside above treeline.

The Yllas resort, much like Levy, has a bike path and miles of hiking trails for summer adventures as well.

So whether you're a mountain biker or a hiker, taking the gondola up the mountain is always a surefire way to explore.

Just stopped for a hot chocolate here at the tallest restaurant in Finland and learn about some local traditions As well, they've got these cups hanging all over.

These are Kuksa.

They're actually made locally here in Finland.

And if you want, you can come buy yourself.

One for about 350.

And for the rest of your life, you can get free coffee or tea up here at the top of the mountain.

Breathing the worlds purest air wasn't just great for an evening hike, but a morning bike ride too.

So I stopped over at SISU outdoors to get fitted with an e-bike and headed by Bike path straight into the National park of Pallas-Yllastunturi for a full day of exploring.

This park was one of the first established in Finland in 1936.

The area is located on the Baltic Shield, an area of the Earth's crust said to be one and a half to 3 million years old.

Glaciers once covered the landscape here, so it's pretty common to see oddly placed large granite boulders and other rocks lying in the forest and swampland that make up most of the park.

There are actually more than 160km of trails in this national park and within the greater area here.

So just a ton of room to explore Biking was only just opened in these national parks about five years ago, and it's quickly become one of the most popular things to do here.

Something that you'll find at all the national parks here in Finland are areas with little fire pits.

And this little cabin over my left shoulder is actually full of firewood.

So after a long day biking, hiking or cross-country skiing in the winter, you can come here, grill up some hot dogs, which is the pretty traditional thing to eat here when you're out on a hiking trip here in Finland.

One of the things that for me so cool about this national park is that there's these little wilderness cafes.

They're open all year round, so they're available to hikers and hikers in the summertime, and skiers and even snowmobilers in the winter.

And getting here and getting the food here is no easy feat.

They have to bring everything in every day on ATVs, driving in every single ingredient.

So getting to stop here is definitely a luxury that I don't get very often on any of my adventures.

Made it back to the bike shop.

A little bit more wet than when I started.

And I know just what we need now a suana.

Almost every home and hotel in Finland has a sauna.

Well, you can have one in a gondola on the mountain, but the most Finnish tradition always starts with a swim in a lake and ends with some relaxation or, you know, torrential rain and a cloudberry cocktail.

Little change of pace here, because now we're in the city of Rovaniemi and not in the village.

This is actually the capital of Finnish Lapland and also the hometown of Santa Claus.

This city was actually almost completely destroyed in World War Two as well.

So everything we see here is new.

It was rebuilt in the 1950s and 60s, and it's a pretty modern city now because of it.

If youre into Christmas, you are going to love this place.

Right now, I'm at Santa's Village here.

This is actually the hometown of Santa Claus.

And his post office is right behind me.

Here at Santa's post office, they get more than half a million letters per year from more than 200 countries.

All the ones are from America are actually right here.

So make sure you mail your letter to Santa before Christmas is here.

Santas village also sits right on the Arctic Circle.

So let's go.

Stepping across the line into the official Arctic Circle.

As much like adding a stamp to your passport, and certainly a highlight for many.

After mailing my letter to Santa, it was off to Santas office to see what the elves were up to and of course, to meet Santa Claus himself.

So how are you today?

Good, how are you?

So you are here so I'm fine.

But this is so easy.

We have already shown Santa's Village has a little bit for everyone in the family.

Kids will love coming to chat with Santa himself or explore the elves village.

You can feed the reindeer or play with some of the huskies.

Send a postcard to Santa himself and adults will love the shopping, the restaurants, there's even an ice bar and there's lots more fun activities to be had as well.

Now for the thing I'm most excited for meeting the reindeer.

Reindeer eat a variety of plants and shrubs in summer, loving the shoots of the new growth from birch, larch and willow trees.

And they don't look quite as well in the summer as they do in winter.

As they shed their coats, as the temperatures warm and they regrow as the frigid winter weather returns, Rovaniemi and reindeer have a really strong tie, as the capital of Lapland is actually shaped like the head of a reindeer with antler liked shaped streets.

Reindeer are one of the icons of Finnish Lapland, forming an important part of the indigenous Sámi culture.

Every reindeer is earmarked and counted during the reindeer herders spectacular winter roundups, but for most of the year, these semi domesticated animals are free to wander at will and you are likely to see them wandering on the sides of roads as you drive around Lapland.

There's so much more to explore here.

Outside of just visiting Santa Claus in Rovaniemi this afternoon, it's nice and sunny out.

I'm going to be actually heading out on the water on a relaxing canoe ride.

I waspaddling in an area where two Arctic rivers converge forming a massive delta of land, water and sand with the striking backdrop of the city, these waterways have been an important lifeline to people going back thousands of years.

The first settlements date back as far as the Stone age, and this river in particular, was once one of the best salmon rivers in all of Finland.

What a day of adventure it's already been today.

And there's more.

So I think I need a few minutes of rest.

I'll see you guys in a bit.

My next adventure here in Rovaniemi is horseback riding under the midnight sun.

So this is my horse Nothe, this is a Norwegian horse and having a snack.

I'm really excited to get out and kind of see the countryside here outside Rovaniemi.

In the evening hours here in Finland are some of my favorites for activities.

As the colors in the sky are vibrant and the crowds are few and far between.

But there's one thing you'll have to pack.

And thats some extra energy.

Or just leave some time in between for an extra nap.

You guys know I love horses, and this is a special treat because there's some foals that were just born like three and a half weeks ago, and we get to come in the pasture with them, give them some love after our ride.

Hello!

Hi.

Hello.

Look at your beautiful curls.

It's all the babies.

After riding through the forest, I journey to one of the best places in Rovaniemi to take in the midnight sun.

No where else had I seen this spectacular phenomenon so bright and perfect.

It looks like the moment right before sunset.

But lasts for ages, casting light and shadows over the land and making for an unforgettable picture.

I will hold in my memories forever.

It's after midnight and it is so beautiful.

Just keeps getting prettier.

Might be raining.

But honestly, who cares?

Sadly, my time here in Lapland is coming to a close.

But what fun I have had experiencing the midnight sun here.

You know, this is such a fantastic summer adventure destination.

Because you have the 24 hours of sunshine.

Which means, you know, you don't have to just adventure in the morning or the afternoon.

You have all night long.

And there are so many activities that I did on this trip that started at 9 or 10 p.m., from horseback riding and hiking to biking and canoeing, there's tons of lakes and rivers.

There's mountains.

There's so much to do here.

So when you're planning your next vacation, definitely think about coming here to Finland.

It is, as I said, a great place to come in the summer.

There's also all kinds of stuff to do in the spring, fall and winter as well.

But I hope you guys enjoyed discovering what you can do here under the midnight sun with me.

As always, I'm Alice Ford.

Never stop exploring.