New Owners of Muotkan Ruoktu

For the new owners of Muotkan Ruoktu, tourism in Northern Lapland is now their whole life. The triangular cabins stand in their places and the restaurant still serves its award-winning reindeer stew, said to be the best in Finland. But not everything is as it was, because the fell village now has entrepreneurs who keep it open through the winter too. It is a matter of honour for the successors of Hans Niittyvuopio to cherish Muotka's illustrious history.

“We are turning a new page in Muotka's history and starting to write our own story, but continuing the work that Hans did. We want to preserve the spirit of Muotka and hold onto its authentic atmosphere.” That is how Kinga Jakubowska and Kevin Lietti, the new owners of Tunturikylä Muotkan Ruoktu, put it.

The Polish-French couple bought the business in October 2023 from Hans, who had been the host of Muotka for nearly 50 years. Passionate travellers, they fell in love with the place at first sight, without knowing it was for sale.

“We spent a sleepless night in a tent when it was still bright at midnight. There, by the riverbank, we looked around and knew that this is our place,” Kinga remembers. “Now this is our little paradise. We know that people love this place. That's why we want tourists, both Finnish and foreign, as well as locals, to feel at home here.”

Kinga from Poland and Kevin from France had lived in Ivalo for four years before moving to Muotka, and both already ran their own travel businesses. Kinga's company offers adventure trips mainly for women, while Kevin organises snowmobile safaris, some lasting up to a week.

“Travelling and adventuring broaden your horizons. I used to travel around the world. When I returned from a trip where I visited places like Patagonia, I gave up everything else and decided to focus only on tourism,” Kinga explains.

Kevin comes from the French special forces, where he worked as a helicopter pilot for 11 years. He plans to use the lessons of the military to run survival courses in Muotka's wilderness. “We organise vacations for others as our job. It's like being on vacation all the time,” he laughs.

In the first months Kinga and Kevin renovated several of the village's buildings. Most of the cabins now have completely renewed, modern kitchens, and the bathrooms have had a facelift too. They call the refurbishment of Muotka a community project, because friends, family, local people and other Muotka enthusiasts helped in many ways.

Hans has been a friend through all of it, even though he and his successors don't share a common language. “We have never been alone in this process. The reception has been really warm. We have received a lot of encouragement and messages from Southern Finland that people plan to visit. They are happy that Muotka found a successor.”

The association Muotka Ruovttu Ustibat, Friends of Muotkan Ruoktu, founded in 1990, has also helped the new entrepreneurs find their feet, and so have the hunters and dog enthusiasts who have made Muotka their base for decades. “When we bought this place, we heard that there would be sled dog races here in two weeks, which we have to organise. The dog enthusiasts were really friendly and helped us in many ways,” says Kinga.

The couple repeat that they want to keep the spirit of Muotka and respect its long history, which you meet everywhere, not least on the wall of the main building, where Hans's picture watches over them. “We want to keep the basics the same but add our own fresh ideas into the mix.”

You can taste it on the menu. “Muotkan Hanssi” was named the maker of Finland's best reindeer stew, so it stays, and it is even written into the sales contract that it must remain on offer. The rest of the menu combines traditional Lappish dishes with the best of the owners' home countries, such as Poland's much-loved soup, French cheeses and wines and local fish that you can also cook yourself over an open fire.

The village is also open in a new way. Before, the fell village closed its doors for the winter. Now it is open all year, which was one of the reasons Hans chose Kinga and Kevin among several possible buyers. On a January day the main log house welcomes Spaniards coming back from snowmobiling and French guests coming back from snowshoeing, and there is plenty of hustle and bustle.

“I guess we're a little crazy! But based on just these months, we can say that it was worth making that change. There have been plenty of guests, and most of the activities we organise are mainly winter ones.” As soon as the polar night began, a group of four women arrived from New Caledonia, about as far from Finnish Lapland as one can get. “They loved being here, and the polar night didn't bother them at all. They promised to come back in the summer. Many others have also said they want to see this place in all seasons.”

Every word and every action of the couple radiates enthusiasm for the new venture and the new way of life. They have come to stay in the north-west of Inari, and that is new too, because neither of them had ever settled down anywhere before.

“Hopefully, this will be a lifelong journey for us. We should at least make it to 50 years and surpass Hans,” they laugh.

This story is adapted from Eetu Kupulisoja's article in Inarilainen ↗, published on 21 February 2024 (in Finnish, with a video from the village).