Northern Lights Dogsled Adventure in Lapland (Sweden)

Two nights at wilderness lodge and overnight expedition to riverside cabin

Please note: The overnight expedition to riverside wilderness camp is possible when ice conditions allow the river to be crossed safely, which is normally from early December until the end of the season. Tours in November, and possibly at other if ice conditions are unsuitable, will have all days of sledding from the kennels.

You will arrive in the morning of Day 1 to do an introductory tour, usually covering around 15-20km as you get to know your dog team and gain confidence handling the sled. This night you will stay at the atmospheric wilderness lodge, offering simple but comfortable accommodation with sauna available. In wintertime, the lodge is not accessible by road, so the last 3km of your transfer from Kiruna will be by snowmobile. You'll really feel that you've arrived in the wilderness!

On Day 2, you will set out for an overnight expedition to riverside wilderness cabin, with accommodation in simple cabins for this night. Sauna is also available here for a wonderful relaxing end to a day on the trail!

On Day 3, your husky adventure continues, as you sled back from the wilderness camp to the kennels for your final night at the lodge.

During your tour, you'll be sledding in a remote and varied Arctic landscape, at times travelling on twisting trails through the pine forest where you need to pay close attention to navigate the turns and avoid obstacles, at others crossing more open areas of frozen lakes and wetland with the wide horizons of Swedish Lapland spread out before you.

Drive your own dogsled, with option to drive tandem sled if preferred

The introductory tour on Day 1 will use 2-person sleds, after which guests will normally drive own sled for the overnight expedition, usually with 4-5 huskies per team.

You'll work closely with your husky team during the tour, and will need to do your share of the work, helping the dogs by pushing or scooting with the sled when the snow is deep or there are uphill sections.

If preferred, as an alternative to the standard arrangement of driving own sled, this tour also has the flexibility to use tandem sleds, where both persons are standing and assisting in driving and controlling the sled.

This allows guests who drive a sled together if they wish - for greater confidence/control, or just to be sociable!

Watch the night sky for signs of the Aurora

With no light pollution, the evenings offer very good chances for a spectacular display of the Northern Lights in the night sky - don't fall asleep too early!

Extend your stay for extra activities in the Arctic

Kiruna, the capital of Swedish Lapland, is the travel point for this experience. The Kiruna area offers a number of options for additional activities if you would like to spend more time in the area. Maybe you'll take time to visit or stay at the world-famous Ice Hotel, stay at the Lapland Sámi Retreat at the Reindeer Camp or join a Reindeer Encounter and Sámi Experience?

Getting Involved

As with all our dogsled tours, you will be involved in all aspects of the trip, and this is very much part of the experience. You will assist with caring for your dog team, including harnessing, feeding (and, yes, picking up poo!), as well as tasks around camp such as fetching water, chopping wood, preparing food, washing up, etc.

Included

Accommodation:

• 2 nights in shared 2-5 person rooms in Wilderness Lodge with shared WC/shower facilities. The lodge has total 3 guest rooms with up to total 14 beds. Standard of accommodation is simple but comfortable. The accommodation has limited electricity (using generator, providing power for lighting, re-charging devices, and powering the shower pump and toilet flush between 07.00 and 22.00 each day), and a large common room with fireplace. Sauna is available with possibility for a dip in the lake.
• 1 night in simple cabin at riverside wilderness camp with shared sleeping accommodation. The camp has a communal cabin for meals and socialising and sauna is also available. No electricity or running water. Dry, outside wilderness toilet facilities.

Meals:

All meals from dinner Day 1 to breakfast Day 4 (breakfast, lunch, dinner + coffee/snacks, etc). Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements.

Equipment and Clothing:

• All necessary equipment during dog sledding tour including sleds with own dogsled team. Each adult participant drives their own sled as standard, usually with 4-5 dogs per team. For the training tour at the start, you will drive two persons per sled. On request or where appropriate, a "tandem" sled arrangement can also be used where both participants are standing and assisting in driving and braking the sled, with a larger team of huskies, or shared sled with driver/passenger.
• Warm winter clothing for all activities: insulated parker and snow trousers, winter boots/overshoes, mittens and balaclava. Please bring own winter hat.
• Winter sleeping bag with liner for night in wilderness cabin.

Guide:

• Instruction in harnessing and sled handling.
• Services of local guide(s) during the tour.

Transfers:

• Return transfer between Kiruna airport, train station or accommodation in Kiruna and the kennels in connection with arrival/departure.

Not Included

• Travel: We do not arrange flights or domestic travel, but are happy to advise on suitable connections and assist you with any aspect of planning your journey. See under "Getting There" for general travel information.
• Alcoholic drinks.

Required

Health requirements/experience:

General good health and level of fitness and used to outdoors. No previous dog sledding experience required.

Min. age 18 (16 if accompanied by adult). Guests aged 18+ will drive own sled as standard (except for first training tour, where two-person sleds are used), but may also choose to use tandem sled (with both persons standing behind the sled and assisting in driving) or two-person sleds (driver/passenger) if appropriate. Guests aged 16+ will usually drive own sled depending on size/weight and trail conditions and at the discretion of the guide.

Dog sledding can be physically demanding and to drive your own sled you must be able to brake the sled when going downhill and also assist the dogs during uphill sections by stepping off and running behind the sled for short distances (note, however, that this tour runs in a landscape of frozen lakes, rivers and forest so will be less demanding than sledding in mountain terrain). Tasks around the cabins/camp (fetching water, etc) can also be physically demanding.

If weight >95kg, please contact us to discuss suitability.

What makes this "Easy-Medium"?

This experience features simple but comfortable accommodation at the kennels on six nights, with simpler facilities at the wilderness camp for one night.

The area is remote and offers exciting and adventurous sledding, but with the flexibility to adapt the level of challenge and distance covered depending on conditions and the participants.

NB: Perception of difficulty is very subjective. What is hard to one person may be easy for another and vice versa, depending on factors including level of fitness, age and previous experience. Weather conditions/temperatures can also dramatically affect the actual level of challenge encountered.

Equipment/clothes needed:

For information on any equipment and/or clothing included as standard for this experience, please see under "What's Included".

A detailed recommended packing list for personal items to bring will be sent with your booking documentation.

NB: We advise you not to buy equipment or clothes for your trip or to incur other non-refundable expenses such as flights until you have received confirmation of your booking from us in writing. Note of course that the most appropriate clothing to use as well as the level of challenge experienced during any outdoor activity may vary significantly depending on factors such as the time of year and the particular weather/temperature conditions during your trip.

Preparing for your trip:

For further reading, we also have a number of general information articles to get you ready for your trip, covering a wide variety of topics from what to do on a city break before/after your tour, advice on packing, eyewear for winter and considerations for female travellers.

Minimum number:

A total of minimum two persons is required for scheduled tours to run. You are of course welcome to book as a solo traveller.

Combine This With

This experience makes a good combination with the following:

• Lapland Sámi Retreat at the Reindeer Camp (30 mins by transfer, ideal for extra night(s) locally before and/or after your tour)
• Reindeer Encounter and Sámi Experience in Lapland (afternoon activity for departure day, 30 mins by transfer)

Groups

Up to 14 guests may be at the lodge during your stay, though in practice there are usually fewer guests at one time. When sledding, groups will be max. 7-8 persons. During periods when there are more than 8 guests, the group will be divided as appropriate to sled separately with own guide(s).

This experience is also available as a private experience for groups. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Eco Info

This provider has a written environmental policy.

Will I see the Northern Lights?

This experience is located in the far north of Sweden, one of the world's best locations for seeing the Northern Lights, and offers good chances to see a display during your tour. Wonderful displays are regularly seen on the tours. However, it is important to bear in mind that the Aurora is a natural phenomenon and sightings can never be guaranteed in any location - it is not possible to search for a display. The skies may be cloudy, there may be no activity, or you may be fast asleep after a day of adventure on the trail!

"The best part was the opportunity to experience winter in a different way. Being mesmerised by the northern lights and sliding through snow with a team of huskies is as magical as it can get. I would have stayed longer." Diego, December 2024