Santa Claus Secret Forest Joulukka – What to expect

Santa Claus Secret Forest Joulukka. When we finally made it to Lapland I knew the one thing I wanted to do was to take the boys to see Santa. Yet doing the research I was conflicted about what the best experience would be. After-all Lapland is the home of Santa Claus. It should have been simple we were within the arctic circle. However when you are spending a small fortune on a holiday for that once-in-a-lifetime experience. A mere trip to see Santa has got to be perfect or as close as you could get.

I set about working out what I didn’t want. The list ended up quite long. I didn’t want to queue. Or have a situation where you need to purchase photos in a booth afterwards. While the kids wonder why Santa makes money from the pictures. I wanted it to be a personalised private Santa experience in Lapland that was not rushed. Where the boys could sit and listen to Santa and ask questions if they wanted. I didn’t want to share our magical once-in-a-lifetime experience with anyone else. And what I really hoped above all else was that our now sceptical ten-year-old would believe for another year. This meant for us to see Santa at Santa Claus Village wouldn’t work. When researching alternatives I stumbled across Santa Claus Secret Forest Joulukka.

What is Santa Claus Secret Forest Joulukka

It is the best-kept Christmas secret of all time. Santa Claus Secret Forest Joulukka offer a selection of more personalised Santa experiences. They have private Santa experiences in Lapland like the one we booked where you can meet the big man on your own as a family. Or they also offer small group experiences where you are with other families meeting Santa’s elves. For each type of experience, you can also choose what you get up to. This means that there are ten experiences in total with four small groups ones and six private experiences to choose from. With group prices starting at 199€ for an adult and 160€ for a child. Private experience start at 1490€. 

We opted for the Exclusive Private Meeting with Santa Claus experience. As I hoped it would tick all of the boxes on my list above. Our private Santa experience in Lapland lasted two hours. In peak season all of their experiences are popular so I would encourage you to book these in advance.

What did the Exclusive Private Meeting with Santa Claus experience involve?

Firstly we were picked up from the hotel which is good as many organised tours do not do this. We had a large minivan with nice seating and our elf Nana fetched us from reception. Then proceeded to ask the boys various questions about Christmas, snow and Lapland. The boys were quite curious about her. Harry in particular. 

She encouraged us to sing Christmas songs to enter into the magic snowy forest. Which did look spectacular all covered in snow as we drove down a single-track road. As our Christmas singing was good we drove through a coloured archway and then stopped in a small clearing. As they dropped us off we could see some lights in the sky that looked similar to the Northern Lights. Here we also met Poppy the elf. 

The elves chatted to the boys as we walked down the snowy pathway into the forest. We were the only ones there. It was well lit and the lights made the snow look like millions of tiny diamonds falling from the sky. After a short walk, we arrived at the secret command centre. There were some elf high jinks as they could not remember the password to get in. Which the boys found hilarious. 

Once in santa’s special Christmas command centre, the elves showed us around various machines which they use day to day. I am not going to go through these in great depth as it will spoil the surprise. But we learnt about all the command centres around the world, and how they communicate with each other. The issue Rudolph and the other reindeer have with snowballs. They checked our kindness levels, and the boys sorted letters to Santa and identified some gingerbread spices. 

Before being treated to a meeting with Santa himself. 

Meeting Santa at Santa Claus Secret Forest Joulukka

I really liked that there was no big fanfare. Just a chance meeting between the boys and the big man. A secret door slid open and there he was. The boys were a little dumbstruck. Makes a change to see them to speechless. 

Every visit will be different but Santa asked the boys about school and made some jokes about the personalised information we supplied before our visit. As well as commenting on the fact they appear on the nice list. He also had them sit on the floor and listen to a story about how Santa came about. How he used to carve little wooden animals and give them to the children. Why he grew his beard and why he wears red? The boys were engaged. They were then allowed to ask questions. Don’t worry if the kids aren’t too sure as our elf Nana asked some on the boy’s behalf. 

Then we posed for photos with the elves helping out and taking photos of us all. There is no limit on the photos and you have the opportunity to check and take more if needed. The boys were given a small gift. Before we left with Santa. He continued to chat with the boys and even gave them a high five as he said goodbye. 

Harry who is usually nervous about Santa-like figures was absolutely fine. I think it is because it is done in a natural way and he has already had a chance to bond with elves. 

Things we really loved about our Santa Claus Secret Forest Joulukka experience 

Private Santa experience in Lapland

It was just us and the elves that met Santa. The only other person we came across was the man driving the transport. The forest was empty we had it all to ourselves. Or at least it seemed that way! As we did not see a single soul.

You can personalise the experience

When you book, you are sent some questions to complete about your children and what they have been up to. What they would like for Christmas and any pets. The usual sorts of questions you would normally expect. You can give as much or as little information as you want. I really liked that both the elves and Santa mentioned the personalised information. 

Plenty of time with Santa

Unlike other Santa experiences, we have tried out in previous years in the UK. We had plenty of time with Santa. And the boys had a chance to ask questions. There was no rushing at all and I think we probably could have stayed longer if we wanted.

Pick up and drop off

We decided not to hire a car while in Rovaniemi and so the fact that they pick you up from your hotel accommodation is brilliant. I have noticed that not all trips and tours offer this and it makes all the difference.

Various different options vary in price

There is no getting away from the fact that it is an expensive experience. But as ever you get what you pay for and it ticked all the boxes we were looking for. If we had opted for a group experience it would have been cheaper and so opens up the Santa Claus Secret Forest Joulukka for more people. If you are looking for a cheaper experience then you can visit Santa at Santa Park. Which is run by the same company, here you can visit Santa for free. Tickets to Santa park with all the other attractions it offers costs 42€ for an adult and 38€ for a child – Santa Park – Everything you need to know before you go.

Take as many photos as you want

I always get frustrated by the need to pose for a photo and then the cost of the said photo once you leave Santa. It makes it very commercialised and I was trying to stay away from this. Plus I also like free rein to take photos and so being able to do that. Especially when Harry is not good at looking at the camera. The elves took some photos for us and also decided to get into the pictures themselves. 

Can slip letters to the elves

We had planned to post some letters in the Santa Post Box and then slip another set to the elves. But somehow I managed to forget them extras when we went to Santa Claus Village. However, if you notify them in advance then you can give your letters over. Instead, we decided to hand them over to Santa personally. 

10-year-olds faith renewed

Charlie moves up to secondary school in September and he is starting to doubt that Santa even exists. So this visit was perfect for him. It was the most authentic Santa I have ever met. Well …. We are in his hometown! And Charlie came out beaming, especially when he got the chance to give Santa a high five!

Very uncommercialised

I mentioned this above but everything is very traditional. Even the unique surroundings of the command centre look like it came out of the 1950s. I love this. With Christmas getting more and more commercial each year. I was pleased to see it typically Nordic. This is exactly how I would imagine Santa to live away from the glitz and glamour of the high street Christmas and the numerous movies. 

No queuing

If you think about it logically why would you queue to see Santa? No. So I wanted an experience without any kind of queuing for this reason. 

Was the Santa Claus Secret Forest Joulukka experience worth it?

There is no getting away from the fact that it is a lot of money. We are only coming to Lapland to do the whole Santa at Christmas once so wanted the visit to be extra special. And it was. Everything that I hoped it would be. I am sure that the boys will always remember the time we visited Santa in the secret forest. 

Santa Park

The Santa Claus Secret Forest Joulukka experience is run by the same people as the Santa Park. We visited Santa Park the day after and we were extremely pleased to find consistency. During the elf school, the elf in charge asked a few questions which were covered in the narrative such as how many elves are there and how long they need to be at elf school. 

My husband not realising that Santas Park and Santa Claus Secret Forest Joulukka are run by the same people picked up on it and was very impressed. 

We opted for an Exclusive Private Meeting with Santa Claus experience as we knew we were going to visit Santa Park. If we did not have this planned then I think I may have opted for one of the others. Which involved gingerbread decorating and credits. But since this was one of the activities at Santa Park (which we loved) I was conscious of the overlap. You may also want to consider this when booking. 

Conclusions 

Have you visited a private Santa experience in Lapland? I would love to hear about your experiences of keeping the magic of Christmas alive in the comments below. And please let me know if you are planning on visiting Rovaniemi and have any questions on any aspect of our trip.

Related Articles

If you have enjoyed this blog post and are thinking of visiting Lapland or Rovaniemi then you may find some of these other posts of interest.

• Santa Park – Everything you need to know before visiting – This post tells you everything that the website doesn’t. Including our favourite bits, the time you will need there and what to expect. 
• Tips for visiting Santa Claus Village – I found very little useful information available here, we try to demystify it so that you can make the most of your visit. Including a visit to Snowman World.
• If you only have time for one which one do you choose Santa Park or Santa Claus Village?
• Our Lapland Holiday – 6 nights in Rovaniemi. Our entire itinerary is designed to inspire you to be able to build your own Lapland trip. 21 Things to do in Lapland in Winter.
• Lapland packing list includes the fun things – not your usual clothing list (although there is some of that too) but includes all the other things you do not want to forget. 
• Staying at Santasport – Our Experience and what you need to know before you go. Santasport is a hotel on the outskirts of Rovaniemi and a budget-friendly choice. 
• Our night in a glass igloo and activities at Apukka Resort, Husky Safari and Reindeer Sleigh Ride.
• Staying at the Snowhotel in Rovaniemi – everything you need to know and think about before you visit. A once in a lifetime experience but it pays to be prepared. 
• If you are planning on visiting with children Visiting Lapland with kids – things you should think about
• Rovaniemi on a budget – things to consider to help reduce the cost of your holiday.
• How much does it cost to go to Lapland? – Our trip is broken down by cost including flights, accommodations, activities, food and transport. 
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