Day 1 Arrive in Luela - Swedish Lapland Arrive in Luleå by night train or a short flight from Stockholm. Since there will be no set activities on this first day you can arrive with any flight or train. We have booked a room for you at Hotell Savoy in central Luleå, a pretty little town on the coast of Northern Sweden. The hotel is a 5 minutes walk from the train station and if you arrive at the airport it will be a 20 minutes shuttle bus or a taxi. On this first day, you will have time to land at your own pace. The hotel has a small but nice spa with saunas and swirl pools where you can easily relax for a couple of hours. And during the evening you can go for a dinner at any of the town’s many restaurants.
Your guide will arrive tomorrow.
Day 2 To Jokkmokk and Northern Lights Excursion Meet and greet with your guide and the other participants after breakfast.
After a brief welcome, we pack our bags into the van to take off and leave Luleå behind. Our first stop is Storforsen, part of the Pite river and Europe’s largest unbound rapids. The rapids thunder with a mighty power - partly frozen with white water shaping natural sculptures of ice and snow.
We then continue our Northbound journey across the Arctic circle and into remote Swedish Lapland. Here we reach Jokkmokk, a small northern outpost town which will act as a base for our excursions. It's right in the heart of the Sami's ancestral lands surrounded by mountains, tundra, forests and lakes. Jokkmokk is home to a large Sámi community and we absolutely love this place! As we arrive to our guesthouse we sit down together for a proper introduction over coffee.
We enjoy dinner with local specialties, and then, if the skies are clear we will definitively fill our thermoses with hot drinks and head out to watch for the Northern Lights.
Day 3 Moose watching and reindeer meeting We plan to rise early to drive through a nearby valley known to host some of Europe’s largest moose, but also herds of reindeer. During the cold Winter season, these two deer species gather in the valleys in search for food. This gives us an excellent opportunity to observe and photograph these magnificent animals at close range.
We stop for an outdoor lunch somewhere along the shore of a lake, by a campfire, we love campfires! If the weather is fair we spend most of this day in the snowy valley, before returning to Jokkmokk.
In the afternoon we meet up with our good friend Anna, just outside of Jokkmokk. Anna and her family are Sámi reindeer herders. She has invited us for an evening meal in her lávvu (traditional tent). With a native perspective, Anna has a lot to share. We sit on skins on the floor and try traditional Sámi dishes that she prepares for us over the open fire. It's a great introduction to your cultural experiences over the next few days.
Later we have another chance to watch for northern lights, and hopefully the skies are clear.
Day 4 Dog sledding and Jokkmokk time Today we are going dog sledding with our good friends Matti and Stina. They live in a small cabin by a lake with more than 50 huskies in their snowy garden. There will be a few moments to greet and cuddle the dogs or help prepare the sleds before we are ready to take off.
Seated on wooden sleds we travel across the frozen landscape, hearing only the breathing of the huskies and feeling the crisp winter air on our faces. We stop somewhere for coffee and light a warming campfire, while the dogs get some well-deserved rest and cool down in the snow. We are typically out for two to three hours including a break.
In the afternoon you will have some time to explore Jokkmokk town. You may wish to visit the interesting Ájtte museum, which tells the story of the Samis and life in the landscape they've inhabited for thousands of years. There are also a few local handicraft shops worth visiting. Sami handicraft, made from traditional, natural materials is exquisite and unique and makes a wonderful present. Knives, wooden cups, woven tin wire bracelets and baskets woven from birch roots.
In the evening we have another chance to marvel at the Northern lights. Fill up your thermos and bring some snacks to stay warm and content.
Day 5 Birds watching and night in tents at Sami Camp After breakfast, we go for a walk to a nearby forest and a bird feeding station, where some nature-loving locals help birds survive the long Winters. Here we have the chance to watch a variety of species such as Willow tit, Crested tit, Siberian tit and Siberian Jay as well as Red Squirrel at close. Some of the birds may even eat out of your hand, a beautiful experience.
After lunch, we leave Jokkmokk behind and travel further north to visit our good friend Lennart in Unna Tjerusj Sami community. It makes us very happy that he welcomes us to stay at his tented camp.
You will sleep comfortably in one of the tents. There are proper beds and a heater, so it's almost like staying at a hotel. You will be surprised how comfortable a tent can be. Toilet? Don't worry, Lennart has set up some heated toilet booths near the tents. We have five tents to share so there is be plenty of room for all of us.
During the evening we enjoy an evening meal by the fireplace in a small wooden cabin. We take turns to go outside and watch for the Aurora, hopefully dancing in the sky above the camp. In either case, the illuminated tents provide an ideal foreground for night sky photography.
Here we recommend you to put your phone away and let nature be your connection to the world. We're in the wild, so no electricity is available to charge your phone. Although Lennart wouldn't call it wilderness, for him this is his 'backyard'. The Sámis have lived in harmony with these lands for thousands of years. Following the reindeer, harvesting berries, herbs and firewood and drinking the water from the streams and lakes.
Day 6 Ski or Snowshoe Wake up in your tent and join the others for breakfast in the warm cabin. Take this day to relax. You deserve it. Read a book, talk to your fellow travelers, go for a walk by the lake.
You can also explore the surrounding forests and the frozen lake on wooden Nordic skis or snowshoes. Experience different types of snow and search for animal tracks of grouse, moose, reindeer, fox and weasels. These activities are optional. You can also go by foot, or just lay in your bed all day.
Lennart is feeding birds at the camp so there are always some birds around. And there is plenty of Willow ptarmigan in the surrounding forests. Lunch and dinner at the camp. No schedule, no stress.
In the evening we heat up the wood-heated sauna by the lake. Heat up, then if you dare, roll yourself in the snow! Buckets of warm water will be your only shower.
Day 7 Wake up in the wild - return to Lulea We enjoy another slow breakfast in the cabin. This morning you will have another chance with the skis or snowshoe before saying our goodbyes to Lennart and begin our journey back to the modern world. The time has come to leave Sápmi, although we're quite sure you will return someday. We stop for lunch at a local restaurant in Jokkmokk and then continue our return journey to Luleå and the coast. We have booked a room for you at the same hotel where we met on the first day. Our guide will drop you off during the late afternoon. After two nights in tents, you may want to soak up at the spa.
Day 8 Departure day Enjoy another breakfast buffet at the hotel.
If you have time we can highly recommend you to explore Luleå town before you depart on your train or flight.
