The ends of epic journeys have long been associated with mythical pots of gold, but this summer, a resort in Finnish Lapland is making that dream of treasure come true for one lucky visitor.
The tourist office in Levi, a popular Nordic skiing destination and viewing point for the Northern Lights, has hidden a gold bar worth €20,000 somewhere among the area’s local trails, service venues, and landmarks.
Coinciding with the season of the midnight sun in Lapland, from 18 June 2026 until 22 August (or until the gold bar is found), a trail of clues will be gradually revealed by the destination manager as part of a “Midnight Sun Hunt,” allowing guests in the region to hunt the treasure. And if they find it, no matter how many clues they solved in order to do so, it’s theirs.
While not everyone can come away from their Lapland adventure with their very own gold bar, the idea is that everyone who visits the region will be a winner, having discovered some sort of gold of their own. ”Levi is known above all for its winter, but the northern summer is still undiscovered by many,” Satu Pesonen, the CEO of Visit Levi, said. “We want to give travellers a new reason to visit Levi when the sun never sets, and the fell landscape reveals a completely different side of itself.”
At the time of writing, the Levi Midnight Sun Hunt website is counting down the days and hours to the first clue reveal, while a social media campaign backed by an atmospheric, ancestral score portrays northern summer outdoor pursuits such as canoeing and walking, set against radiant 24-hour daylight and pristine local forest landscapes. “Read the land, until it gives up its secrets,” a slogan urges.
The goldrush concept is a joint venture by Visit Levi, Agnico Eagle Mining Company, and Levi Ski Resort. However, the organisers are keen to emphasise that participants in the hunt should not dig or disturb any terrain and must stick to exploring permitted zones only, respecting the natural environment. “The hunt has been designed to encourage responsible exploration of the area while showcasing the unique character of the Arctic summer,” the official website says.
Named Outdoor Destination of the Year 2025 at the Scandinavian Outdoor Award Travel at ITB Berlin last March, Finnish Lapland is set to receive a boost to its connectivity by the end of 2026, thanks to five new direct European routes operated by AirBaltic to and from the region.
