This guide is built from what we have learned living in Rovaniemi and writing about Lapland travel for years. Every detail below is from first-hand experience or from the live StayLapland product pages — never invented.

What Food Is Typically Served on Lapland Tours?

Lapland activity tours in Rovaniemi usually include a campfire element — a pit stop in the heart of the Arctic wilderness where guides prepare what the operators describe as “local food and drinks by the open fire.” On shorter tours (under three hours), this tends to be warm drinks and simple snacks. On longer half-day and full-day adventures, a proper meal is cooked over an open fire.

The signature meal on StayLapland’s longer combo tours is a salmon soup prepared in traditional Lappish style, served inside a cozy teepee or kota. It’s a genuinely beautiful experience — the warmth of the fire, the smell of birch wood, the quiet of the forest — but it is fish-based. For some vegetarians, especially pescatarians, that works fine. For vegans, it doesn’t. Knowing this before you book is the whole point of this guide.

Snacks and drinks included across most tours tend to include items like berry juice, cookies, or warm beverages. These are typically plant-friendly, though we’d recommend checking with the operator about specific ingredients if you have allergies.

The Salmon Soup Question — What Vegetarians Need to Know

If you’re booking a longer combo tour — say, a husky and reindeer adventure with a full midday meal included — you should know upfront that the traditional meal is salmon soup. StayLapland’s product pages describe it as “open-fire salmon soup lunch, prepared in traditional Lappish style,” which means it contains fish.

This isn’t a surprise for most travellers once they know, but it’s something we see questions about. The good news: StayLapland is responsive to dietary requests when you contact them in advance. The most practical approach is to send an email or WhatsApp message after booking, flagging your requirements. We’ve seen operators accommodate these requests — but they need advance notice to source alternatives, and it’s not something you want to raise at the campfire itself.

If you’re planning a combo adventure5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 that includes a meal, the process is: book through Bokun, then contact the operator directly via the email or WhatsApp listed on the product page with your dietary requirements. Be clear and specific — “vegetarian,” “vegan,” or “fish allergy” all land differently.

Tours That Don’t Include a Full Meal

Not all Rovaniemi activity tours include a sit-down meal. Many shorter tours — under three hours — don’t have a campfire meal as part of the itinerary. They might include warm drinks, a small snack, or cookies, but no cooked food. If you’d rather avoid the meal question entirely, these tours work well.

Examples of tours that typically don’t involve a full cooked meal include shorter husky rides, standalone reindeer farm visits, and the shorter snowmobile options. If the food question is a major concern, we’d actually recommend checking the “What’s Included” section of each product listing carefully — it will tell you exactly whether a meal is listed.

It’s also worth noting that some nature and culture experiences, like berry-picking walks in summer, include a lakeside campfire with simple snacks and drinks. These are typically much easier to accommodate for plant-based diets.

How to Flag Your Dietary Requirements When Booking

Bokun’s booking form may not include a dedicated dietary field, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck. The process we recommend:

Step one: Book through the Bokun platform. Use the activity links on this page to book directly and get your 5% discount with code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5. The booking confirmation will include contact details for the operator.

Step two: Message StayLapland immediately after booking. Their product pages list a WhatsApp number and email address. Send a short, clear message: your booking reference, the date, your group size, and your specific dietary requirements. The earlier you contact them, the better — especially for private tours where they may be sourcing food separately for your group.

Step three: Confirm closer to the date. A quick follow-up message a day or two before the tour is always a good idea. Tour guides are briefed before each departure, and this ensures the message has been passed along.

In our experience, Rovaniemi activity operators are genuinely accommodating when they have advance notice. Lapland tourism has internationalised significantly, and the teams are used to handling dietary requests from guests around the world.

Snacks and Drinks: The Campfire Staples

Even on tours that don’t involve a full meal, campfire snacks are part of the experience. StayLapland’s product descriptions typically mention “local snacks and warm drinks by the campfire.” From what we’ve seen and what’s described on the pages, warm drinks (likely berry juice, hot chocolate, or similar) and cookies are common.

Berry-based drinks — bilberry juice, lingonberry juice — are a staple of Finnish outdoor culture and are naturally vegan. Traditional Finnish cookies and biscuits vary, and it’s worth flagging if you have dairy concerns. These smaller details are easy to communicate when you send your pre-tour dietary message.

The campfire moment is genuinely one of the highlights of a Lapland tour. Even if the food side needs a little advance coordination, it’s worth it — sitting around an open fire in the Arctic wilderness, listening to silence, is something you won’t forget.

Vegan-Friendlier Tour Types in Rovaniemi

If minimising dietary friction is a priority, here are the tour types that tend to be most straightforward for vegetarians and vegans.

Northern lights tours — aurora hunts typically run late in the evening and don’t include a full meal. They often include warm drinks (check with the operator), but the food component is minimal. These are among the easiest tours to navigate for dietary reasons.

Shorter husky or reindeer rides — tours under two to three hours usually don’t involve a cooked meal. You get the experience without the salmon soup complication.

Summer nature and culture experiences — activities like the nature and culture activities5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, including berry-picking walks, are naturally plant-friendly experiences. Wild blueberries and lingonberries straight from the forest are about as vegan as it gets.

Sauna experiences — sauna tours typically include snacks and drinks alongside the sauna itself. These are usually more straightforward from a dietary perspective, though it’s still worth confirming specifics with the operator.

Our honest advice: don’t let the food question stop you from booking longer combo tours if those are what you really want. A simple advance message handles it — and a five-hour husky-and-reindeer combo is worth a one-minute WhatsApp.

Practical Tips for Vegetarian and Vegan Travellers

A few practical reminders based on what we’ve seen from living here and from guests we’ve spoken to:

Don’t assume silence means accommodation. If you haven’t flagged your dietary requirement and the tour includes a meal, assume it will be the standard menu. The guides are wonderful people, but they’re not mind-readers and they brief for the standard meal unless told otherwise.

Rovaniemi restaurants are more flexible than tours. If you’re in the city before or after a tour, you’ll find good options at restaurants in town. The activity tour campfire meals are specifically the tricky moment — everywhere else in the trip, vegetarian and vegan options are generally available.

Bring a small emergency snack for long tours. If you’ve communicated your requirements and you’re still a bit uncertain what the campfire will offer, a small snack in your jacket pocket (protein bar, nuts) is sensible for a full-day outing in cold weather. You’ll be active and you’ll burn energy fast.

Private tours give you more control. On private tours, the group is smaller and the operator has more flexibility. If you’re booking a private experience and have specific dietary needs, mention it at booking and you’re likely to get something genuinely tailored.

The cold matters for eating. At −15°C or colder, eating something warm is genuinely important. If you’re on a long tour and the provided meal doesn’t work for your diet and no alternative was arranged, you’ll feel it. This is the main reason to communicate in advance.

FAQ: Vegetarian and Vegan Food on Lapland Activity Tours

Is the salmon soup on StayLapland combo tours actually salmon soup?
Yes — the product page for longer combo tours describes it as “open-fire salmon soup lunch, prepared in traditional Lappish style.” It is fish-based. Contact the operator before your tour if you need an alternative.

Can vegetarians and vegans do Lapland activity tours?
Absolutely. The food component is one moment in a multi-hour experience. With advance communication, it’s manageable, and many shorter tours don’t include a cooked meal at all.

How do I contact StayLapland about dietary requirements?
After booking via Bokun, your confirmation will include contact details. You can also reach StayLapland via WhatsApp or email — contact details are on the booking confirmation and the operator’s product pages.

Are the campfire drinks (berry juice, etc.) vegan?
Berry-based drinks are generally vegan-friendly. For any items you’re unsure about, confirm directly with the operator when you send your dietary requirements message.

What’s the easiest type of Rovaniemi tour for vegans?
Northern lights tours (which don’t typically involve a full cooked meal) and shorter activity tours (under three hours) are the most straightforward. Summer nature and culture activities like berry picking are naturally plant-based.

Should I mention vegan/vegetarian when booking, or afterwards?
Ideally both — add a note in any “special requirements” field if available, then follow up directly with the operator after booking. Earlier is always better.

Final Word: Yes, Rovaniemi Is Worth It for Plant-Based Travellers

Lapland’s activity culture is built around the outdoors, the animals, and the cold — not around the campfire meal. The food is one small part of experiences that will genuinely change how you see winter. The salmon soup is traditional and delicious for those who eat fish, but it’s not why people remember these tours.

If you’re vegetarian or vegan, the single most useful thing you can do is send a short message to the operator after booking. That one message is all it takes to shift the experience from uncertain to sorted. We’ve never heard of Rovaniemi’s operators refusing to accommodate — they just need the heads-up.

So book the husky ride. Book the aurora tour. Come to Lapland. The forest in January, the sound of huskies, the northern lights over the treeline — none of that depends on whether the soup has salmon in it.