Ranua Wildlife Park from Rovaniemi

Ranua Wildlife Park specialises in Arctic and northern animals and has been open since June 1983. It is home to Finland’s only polar bears and about 50 other species, around 150 animals in all, and it is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. The park lies in Ranua, 80 km from Rovaniemi, and the drive takes about an hour. Day trips from Rovaniemi take five to six hours in total.

The polar bears and the other animals

Three polar bears live at Ranua, all of them female. Venus was born in 2004 and came from Rostock Zoo in Germany in 2006. Inuvik, born in 2019, came from Copenhagen, and Kara, born in 2020, from Mulhouse; both moved to Ranua in December 2025. The bears are part of the European ex-situ programme for the species. For a winter visitor the key detail is that polar bears are active all year and do not hibernate, so you can see them in January as well as in summer.

The other animals come from the north as well. The park names lynx, Arctic foxes, owls and musk oxen, and on its English homepage introduces Malla the brown bear and the wolverines Khurma and Julle.

Opening hours and daylight

The park says it is open every day of the year and opens at 10:00. In October 2026 its website gave 10:00–16:00 for every day of the week, adding that closing time varies between the summer and winter seasons. No special hours for Christmas or New Year had been published. Check the official site before you go.

The detail that shapes a winter visit is light. There is no lighting in the park, so you see the animals by daylight only. Around the winter solstice the sun is up in Rovaniemi only from 11:08 to 13:22, and the usable twilight lasts from about 09:16 to 15:14. Arrive at opening time in December and January, and do not count on much after 15:00. By 1 March the sun is up for almost ten hours, and the whole opening day is bright.

Getting there by tour

The day trips below all collect you in Rovaniemi and include the park ticket, and they last five to six hours. The main difference is the guide. Two trips have a driver only, so you explore the park on your own for about three hours; the other two include a guide, and one of them has a local guide in the park with you. None of them includes lunch.

If you want a private guided tour inside the park instead, Ranua offers them from November 2026 to March 2027 only for groups of at least 11 people.

Getting there by bus or car

Public buses run daily between Rovaniemi and Ranua, and in the busy winter months there can be up to six connections a day. The stop is right in front of the park’s parking area, and timetables are on the Matkahuolto website. A package with return bus and park ticket was sold by Saaga Travel in the 2025/26 season; a return for 2026/27 has not been confirmed.

By car, parking at the entrance is free and there are ten charging points for electric vehicles. From November to March winter tyres are required whenever the weather or road conditions call for them, and hire cars in Finland come with them in season. Watch for reindeer: the Reindeer Herders’ Association says there are always reindeer on the roads in the herding area, which includes Rovaniemi, with the highest accident risk from November to January. If you want a photo, stop only in a safe place, never in the middle of the road. Our page on getting around Rovaniemi covers winter driving in more detail.

Practical tips for a winter visit

The park’s kiosks open only in summer, so in winter bring a hot drink and a snack or eat before you set off. Dogs are not allowed in the park, and its dog park is closed from November to the end of February. You walk outdoors the whole time, so dress as for any long stay outside in Lapland, with wool layers, warm boots and mittens; our page on what to wear has the details.

Families will find more ideas on our Rovaniemi with kids page. For other trips out of town, see day trips from Rovaniemi.