Pyhä-Luosto National Park and Amethyst Mine by Car from Inari-Saariselkä

It is about 2.0-2.5 hours drive from Ivalo and the car cannot enter to the mine area because is a National park. The car park is about 2.6 km away from the Amethyst mine and takes about another 100 meters by wooden board steps up to the mine. So the whole return journey to the car park is about 5-6km walk on a gentle uphill slope pathway. However, they had devised an interesting quiz along the route having about 10 questions about the national park about every 200 meters there is a question tagged to the tree. If you get all correct you get a prize. Also note and check that the entry to the mine has scheduled time and is closed on one of the days which l had forgotten. We went on one of the days that was closed and had to make another trip. It is a small mine and there is no commercial mining activity, it is still done through manual conventional mining of chiselling with spikes and hammer since it is now a national park. The guide will explain about the amethyst and visitors at the end are given a chance to dig amethyst themselves. If you could find one that could be covered by your fingers when you close your palm, then you can take away that piece. Anyway dont expect to get big piece. There is also a store where they sell their Amethyst but is not cheap for a good one. The Biggest piece of Amethyst that was dug out in this mine is in ARTIKUM museum in Rovaniemi which we went to see also. Would certainly recommend to visit this site and then head on to put a night in Rovaniemi to visit Santa Village before driving back to Ivalo which takes 3.0-3.5 hours drive the next day.