Family holiday to Sweden, Arctic ice adventure
| country: | Arctic Circle, Sweden |
| location: | Swedish Lapland |
| departures: | 2008: 23 Dec, 30 Dec 2009: 18 Feb, 12 Apr |
| price: | From £1049 - £1249 (5 days) per adult and £879 - £1029 per child including flights from UK, from £701 - £815 excluding flights |
read 1 travellers review
the amazing things you'll be doing
A thrilling 5-day break in the frozen forests and lakes of Swedish Lapland, with a chance to enjoy a host of winter activities. Try your hand at dog and reindeer sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and ice fishing and stay overnight in the famous Icehotel. And there's a very good chance of enjoying one of nature's greatest spectacles: the 'Northern Lights'.
DOGSLEDS & SNOWMOBILES
Based in the northern outpost of Kiruna, our adventure starts with a dogsled safari. With teams of 8 huskies attached to each sled (plus a skilled local doing the driving!) we 'mush off' into the wilderness.
There's also the option of snowmobiling crosscountry and over frozen lakes towards Kebnekaise, Sweden's highest peak. Tonight - and every night - there's the chance to enjoy that most traditional of Swedish activities: a sauna.
REINDEER RIDES & THE ICEHOTEL
On a visit to Jukkasjarvi we overnight at the world famous Icehotel, where everything from the chandeliers to the glasses for your drinks is made of ice (here all the drinks are 'in the rocks'!). You can also play Father Christmas and ride your own reindeer sled, and enjoy a range of optional activities - from snowshoeing to cross-country skiing. The Realm of Santa has far more to offer than you ever imagined!
DOGSLEDS & SNOWMOBILES
Based in the northern outpost of Kiruna, our adventure starts with a dogsled safari. With teams of 8 huskies attached to each sled (plus a skilled local doing the driving!) we 'mush off' into the wilderness.
There's also the option of snowmobiling crosscountry and over frozen lakes towards Kebnekaise, Sweden's highest peak. Tonight - and every night - there's the chance to enjoy that most traditional of Swedish activities: a sauna.
REINDEER RIDES & THE ICEHOTEL
On a visit to Jukkasjarvi we overnight at the world famous Icehotel, where everything from the chandeliers to the glasses for your drinks is made of ice (here all the drinks are 'in the rocks'!). You can also play Father Christmas and ride your own reindeer sled, and enjoy a range of optional activities - from snowshoeing to cross-country skiing. The Realm of Santa has far more to offer than you ever imagined!
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Kiruna |
| Day 2: | Included dogsled safari and optional activities |
| Day 3: | Optional snowmobiling |
| Day 4: | Drive to Jukkasjarvi; reindeer sled excursion and lunch with Sami reindeer herdsmen; overnight Icehotel |
| Day 5: | Transfer Kiruna. Fly London |
travellers' tales
For me the most wonderful and memorable experience was seeing and staying in the Ice Hotel - it was stunning. The most exciting - would have to be the snow mobiles and the dog sledding. (more)
small group family holiday
This is a 'small group family adventure' - typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your children to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves. Most adventure kids tend to be aged between 7 and 15, but some are younger (minimum age is usually 5) and some older (perhaps travelling as part of a larger family group). Please check with the operator to confirm the minimum age for this trip how this holiday makes a difference
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Our exciting family Arctic ice adventure is operated with a local agent that books our accommodation and provides our transportation. Local specialists organise the excursions, ensuring that our money stays in the community and directly provides employment within the region. Our teams organising the dog sled safaris and reindeer sleigh rides have a high regard for their animals, and are concerned that they are well treated and respected.
Kiruna, where the tour is based, is a remote community with a long winter, and tourism at this time of year allows an alternative income for the inhabitants of this region. The Icehotel is a fascinating concept, rebuilt each year from solid blocks of ice and melting away again each spring. Our Tour Leaders are all trained by us in the importance of responsible tourism with guidance given on how they can make a difference. This then percolates down through those they deal with. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |