Korouoma CanyonKorouoma and Auttikongas: Two Frozen Waterfalls in a Day
The family answer to a canyon graded Hard. This Korouoma and Auttikongas tour shortens the walk below the icefalls, then stops where a boardwalk and a wooden bridge deliver a second frozen waterfall for almost no effort. Children from four are accepted, overalls and boots are supplied, and the group caps at eight. It costs $151 and is rated 4.7 from 33 reviews. Compare the Korouoma frozen waterfalls tours.
About This Family Day
6 hours, split between two waterfalls
$151 per adult; both sites are free to enter
4.7 from 33 reviews on GetYourGuide
Children from 4; group limited to 8 participants
A shortened canyon walk plus a short boardwalk trail
Open-fire BBQ lunch and a lesson in traditional fire-lighting
Check Dates and Availability
Live departures and prices from GetYourGuide, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Quick answer How to see the icefalls with a four-year-old, and what gets left out
This six-hour day pairs a shortened walk in Korouoma with Auttikongas, a waterfall reached by boardwalk and a wooden bridge on the road back to Rovaniemi. It is the only listing here that takes children from four, supplies overalls and boots, and caps the group at eight. The trade is the canyon: you see it, but you do not walk the full loop.
Key takeaways
- Minimum age four, against eight on the small-group hikes
- Two frozen waterfalls in one day, the second on an easy boardwalk trail
- Winter overalls and boots supplied; free pickup 10 km out or further
- In poor conditions the second stop can be dropped, one reviewer saw only the canyon
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup
What You Actually See
Korouoma, shortened
The canyon section is deliberately cut down. Instead of the full clockwise loop with its steep roped descent and the climb out at the end, the guide takes a shorter route in to the ice and back, at a pace built for children and for anyone who read the word Hard on the trail sign and hesitated.
You still stand under a frozen waterfall in a hundred-metre canyon, which is the thing people come for. What you give up is the sequence of six named icefalls that the full loop delivers, and the sense of having walked the whole place.
Auttikongas, on a boardwalk
Auttikongas sits directly on the road between Rovaniemi and Korouoma, which is why this pairing exists at all rather than being invented for the listing. A short nature trail with duckboards and a wooden bridge crosses above the fall, and in winter the water freezes into a much smaller but far more accessible version of what the canyon does.
It is a twenty-minute stop with a big payoff for small legs, and it is the reason this day runs six hours rather than seven.
The fire, and the lesson
Lunch is a BBQ over an open fire, with the guide showing how a fire is built the traditional way. For a family day that stop is the anchor: it is warm, it is food, and it gives children a reason to stand still.
Skye, who took the tour in January with a child, wrote that what made it special was the guide, and that the group learned a lot about the forests and the waterfalls. That is what this listing sells, not distance.
Logistics Worth Knowing
Pickup, and the ten-kilometre rule
Free hotel pickup applies to accommodation ten kilometres or further from the centre, mirroring the operator's other Korouoma day. Central guests meet in town. It rewards exactly the families staying at the cabins and holiday villages outside Rovaniemi.
The operator is the same company that runs the full canyon day tour: same guides, same vans, a different day out.
| This family day | The full canyon day | Which to book | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum age | 4 | None stated, but the full descent applies | Children under 8: this one |
| Time in the canyon | About 2 hours, shortened route | About 4 hours, full loop | Serious walkers: the full day |
| Second waterfall | Auttikongas boardwalk | None | Two sights in a day: this one |
| Food | Open-fire BBQ lunch | Campfire snack | A hot meal: this one |
| Price | $151 | $169 | Cheaper here, and shorter |
When the second stop does not happen
Saniya, who went in February, wrote that the group only visited the frozen waterfalls, describing a really short hike where the return climb was a little challenging for some people. Weather, road conditions and how long the canyon takes can all cost you Auttikongas.
Book it for the canyon plus a good chance of a second waterfall, not for a guaranteed two. If Auttikongas is the specific thing you want, ask on the day and be ready to hear no.
The Day, Hour by Hour
Six hours, two stops, and a fire in the middle of them.
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08:30
Pickup or meeting point
Free collection for accommodation 10 km or further out; central guests meet in town. Overalls and boots issued.
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09:00
The drive south-east
Ninety minutes, passing the Auttikongas turn-off on the way out.
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10:30
The shortened canyon walk
Down to the ice at a family pace, with time to look up rather than at your feet.
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12:00
BBQ at the fire
Lunch cooked over an open fire, plus the fire-lighting demonstration.
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13:00
Auttikongas nature trail
A short walk on duckboards to the wooden bridge above the frozen fall, conditions permitting.
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13:45
Back to Rovaniemi
An hour on the road, drop-offs in the mid-afternoon.
Both Waterfalls on Film
The two stops this tour makes, in the order it makes them, including the boardwalk and the bridge at Auttikongas.
Auttikongas, in Its Own Right
What the second stop actually is
Auttikongas is a waterfall on the Auttijoki with a marked nature trail around it: 3.7 kilometres, one to two hours, graded Medium, walked counterclockwise, with lookout points over the gorge and illustrated information boards. Tours stop for the short version, the walk to the bridge above the fall and back, which is why it fits into a six-hour day alongside the canyon.
In winter Metsahallitus notes the trail is usually tamped down by other walkers and can be done in winter boots, but warns that the stairs and slopes freeze and become extremely slippery, and recommends snowshoes or anti-slip devices.
Why the pairing works for families
Korouoma's own loop is graded Hard by the same agency. Auttikongas is graded Medium and is the accessible half of the day: shorter, gentler, with the payoff visible from a bridge rather than earned by a descent.
Putting them together in one day is the compromise that lets a four-year-old stand in front of a frozen waterfall without walking the full canyon loop to do it.
Winter in a Canyon, With Children
The practical bits nobody lists
Supplied overalls and boots solve the big problem and create a small one: children overheat walking and then chill fast at the fire, so a thin base layer under the suit beats a thick jumper. Mittens on a cord, a spare pair in the pack, and a hat that covers the ears matter more than anything else you bring.
The fire stop is the anchor of the day for anyone under ten. It is warm, there is food, and it comes before the climb rather than after, which is the right order when legs are getting tired.
How much walking a child actually does
The canyon section is shortened, so the number to plan against is roughly a couple of hours of moving in snow, with a descent and a climb back. Auttikongas adds a short walk on a marked trail where the surface is tamped down by other visitors.
A four-year-old will need carrying at some point, and in a snowsuit that is heavier than it sounds. Families who want less than this and still want to stand in front of ice are better off driving to Auttikongas alone, which the transport guide covers.
What Travellers Said About This Tour
We learnt so much about the forests and the waterfalls, which were stunning and beautiful.
Our guide was amazing, she made our tour so special, very knowledgeable and very friendly.
The hike was really good. The guide was really good and informative.
Excerpts from verified GetYourGuide reviews of this listing, quoted with their original dates.
Questions About This Departure
Will a four-year-old manage the canyon section?
The walk is shortened for exactly this reason and the pace is set by the group, but there is still a descent and a climb back, and the return uphill is what adults mention. Carrying a tired four-year-old up it in overalls is the scenario to picture before you book.
How long is the stop at Auttikongas?
Short, a nature trail on duckboards to a bridge above the fall, rather than a hike. It is the accessible half of the day, and it is the part most likely to be cut if the canyon runs long or the road is slow.
Is a pushchair any use on this tour?
No. Both trails are snow-covered in winter and the canyon section includes a descent; the operator does not accept wheelchair users and lists mobility impairments among its exclusions. Carriers work, wheels do not.
Page last reviewed September 2026. Price, rating and review count read from the listing on September 2026. Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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