Ranua Wildlife Park is the reason most travelers know the town. The long boardwalk route passes enclosures for Arctic and northern forest species: polar bears, lynx, wolverines, owls, reindeer, foxes, and other animals that are difficult to see in the wild.
It is a zoo, so do not confuse it with wilderness. But in a Lapland winter, with snow heavy on the trees and cold animals looking very much at home, it can be a better half-day than another Santa-themed stop outside Rovaniemi.