Sami Museum

The Sámi are Lapland’s indigenous people – a colourful, nomadic people who for centuries have lived sustainably in Lapland’s unspoilt wilderness.

If culture’s your thing, arguably Lapland’s best attraction is this excellent Sámi museum and nature centre, located just at the banks of the river, that presents documents and explains the relationship of the Sámi to the great outdoors.

A timeline traces the Sámi from pre-history to the present, outlining the social, cultural and political changes which have affected them. The main exhibition holds a series of 10m-high floor-to-ceiling photographs depicting the landscapes of Lapland throughout the seasons.

Throughout the museum, a subtle soundtrack evokes the sounds of trickling streams, rustling birch trees and the enigmatic joik, the Sámi’s particular brand of melodic throat singing.