Finland’s Ranua Wildlife Park offers a close-up of life in the Arctic Circle

Highlights

• Home to around 50 northern and Arctic species
• Located about an hour’s drive from Rovaniemi
• Wooden boardwalks create a forest-like experience
• Only place in Finland where visitors can see a polar bear

A forest setting designed for Arctic wildlife

Ranua Wildlife Park, situated roughly an hour south of Rovaniemi, offers one of Finland’s most established Arctic wildlife experiences. The park is set within a coniferous forest and features around 50 northern species, with enclosures designed to resemble natural habitats. Visitors move through the park on wooden boardwalks surrounded by tall trees, creating the sense of walking through a Lapland forest rather than a traditional zoo.

The park is set within a coniferous forest and features around 50 northern speciesvisitrovaniemi

Meeting the animals of the north

Ranua’s residents include reindeer, moose, arctic foxes, grey wolves, lynx, wolverines, otters and several owl species, including the snowy owl. Snowy owls are particularly striking in winter, when their plumage becomes pale to suit snowy conditions. Unlike many owl species, snowy owls can be active during the day, an adaptation linked to the long summer daylight of the far north.

Grey wolves are another highlight of the park. While their behaviour in a wildlife park differs from life in the wild, wolves in Finland generally live in areas where their primary prey, such as deer, is present.

Finland’s only polar bear

The species is part of the park’s ongoing conservation workvisitrovaniemi

A major draw for visitors is Ranua’s polar bear, the only one in Finland. Watching the bear move through its large enclosure is often described as one of the most memorable moments of a visit, and the species is part of the park’s ongoing conservation work.

Lapland’s wildlife in a natural landscape

With its forest boardwalks, spacious enclosures and focus on northern species, Ranua Wildlife Park provides a calm and scenic insight into Arctic animal life. For travellers exploring the Rovaniemi region, it offers a clear look at wildlife adapted to the northern climate, all within an environment that reflects the landscape of Lapland.