Lapland in March: snow, light and the question of the northern lights
In March Lapland is still winter, but the days get light.
What the Finnish Meteorological Institute says about snow cover and the northern lights, how March and April in Rovaniemi differ from January and what a ride then demands.
The snow
According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, winter in Lapland usually begins in mid-October and lasts about 200 days. Permanent snow follows about two weeks after the start of winter, and around mid-March the snow cover in the east and north is on average 60 to 90 centimetres deep. In March you therefore still ride in a firmly snow-covered landscape, not in a transition.
The temperature
The normals of the Finnish weather service (via the WMO, 1971 to 2000) for Rovaniemi show in January a mean daily maximum of -8.5 degrees and a night minimum of -15.1 degrees, in March -2.8 and -9.4 degrees, in April 2.7 and -4.5 degrees. The day becomes clearly milder in March than in January, the nights stay cold. For Rovaniemi in winter Visit Finland names a mean between minus 10 and minus 20 degrees and advises thermal underwear, a windproof outer layer and insulated boots.
The light and the northern lights
According to Visit Finland, in Rovaniemi, Saariselkä and Ylläs very little sunlight falls in early January, and in March it gets brighter. The FMI names, for northern Finland, March and early April, looking at weather and darkness, as the best time for the northern lights; the probability of seeing the northern lights on a dark, cloudless night is roughly 50 percent of nights in Lapland and about 75 percent at Kilpisjärvi. The typical time is around midnight. A ride in the early evening therefore often ends hours before the typical time; the FMI gives no figure for the rides, and we give no assurance.
What this means for the ride
In March cold on horseback is still an issue, only less during the day. Ask about the start time, about light for horse and rider and about what the provider does in cloud or snowstorm.
Questions for the provider
- When does the ride start, and how late is it then?
- Which winter clothing and boots are provided?
- What applies in cloud, storm or snow, and until when will I know?
- Is there riding in the dark, and is there light?
- What level is required, and is there a weight limit in kilograms?
- How many guests and how many guides are there?
- Until when is cancellation free?
What we could not confirm
No measurements for the coldest nights, only monthly means. The FMI names Finland; for Norway and Sweden we have read no source.
Sources (read on 11 and 12 October 2026)
- Finnish Meteorological Institute, Seasons in Finland, en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/seasons-in-finland.
- Finnish Meteorological Institute, Auroras in Finland, en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/auroras-in-finland.
- WMO, World Weather Information Service, Rovaniemi (172), worldweather.wmo.int, retrieved on 12 October 2026.
- Visit Finland, Weather and climate in Finland, visitfinland.com/en/practical-tips/climate-and-weather-in-finland. Tourism marketing, named only as a statement of the page.
- Offers: Viator pool and GetYourGuide hand cards, as of 11 October 2026.