Cross country skiing in Lapland
| country: | Sweden |
| location: | Swedish Lapland, Northern Lights |
| departures: | Tailormade for winter 2008-9. Extra days and activities can be added |
| price: | From Kr8270 (approx £704) (5 days) per adult and Kr6875 (approx £585) per child (12-15 yrs) excluding flights. Price includes accommodation, activities, equipment, meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 5 & transfer |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Explore the amazing crystallised landscape of winter Lapland on traditional wooden cross-country skis. This kind of cross-country skiing is without pre-made tracks. You will travel in real wilderness, creating your own tracks through untouched snow.
Together with your expert local guide, weave through forests and around lakes discovering the local plants, birds and mammals native to this part of the Arctic. You’ll investigate this complex ecosystem and develop an understanding of the local people’s relationship with it.
At the end of each day’s adventure, return to your comfortable accommodation, a historic vicarage that has been restored with sustainable living in mind. This extraordinary, beautiful and cosy home away from home is located in a small village surrounded by expansive forests, pristine lakes and untouched rivers. All meals are prepared artfully from scratch with whenever possible local, seasonal and organic ingredients. Meals at the guesthouse are mainly vegetarian. Your hosts happily cater to any special requests.
Each day ski tour is about 6-8 hours. Lunch with local wild meat or fish is made on tour beside a campfire. The ski tour lengths are generally 3 to 10 km and the tours are adjusted according to group member’s abilities. You will be outfitted in comfortable and warm traditional grey felt outer clothing and reindeer skin boots.
If you would like to extend your stay, you have the option to add on another day of guided skiing or activities such as dog-sledging, snow/igloo building, ice-fishing, overnight in the wilderness, or an experience of the Sámi culture.
Because of the possible extreme weather conditions, this trip is normally not suitable for children under 12 years.
Together with your expert local guide, weave through forests and around lakes discovering the local plants, birds and mammals native to this part of the Arctic. You’ll investigate this complex ecosystem and develop an understanding of the local people’s relationship with it.
At the end of each day’s adventure, return to your comfortable accommodation, a historic vicarage that has been restored with sustainable living in mind. This extraordinary, beautiful and cosy home away from home is located in a small village surrounded by expansive forests, pristine lakes and untouched rivers. All meals are prepared artfully from scratch with whenever possible local, seasonal and organic ingredients. Meals at the guesthouse are mainly vegetarian. Your hosts happily cater to any special requests.
Each day ski tour is about 6-8 hours. Lunch with local wild meat or fish is made on tour beside a campfire. The ski tour lengths are generally 3 to 10 km and the tours are adjusted according to group member’s abilities. You will be outfitted in comfortable and warm traditional grey felt outer clothing and reindeer skin boots.
If you would like to extend your stay, you have the option to add on another day of guided skiing or activities such as dog-sledging, snow/igloo building, ice-fishing, overnight in the wilderness, or an experience of the Sámi culture.
Because of the possible extreme weather conditions, this trip is normally not suitable for children under 12 years.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Transfer from airport or train station in Kiruna/Gällivare to accommodation. Welcome supper. Outdoor clothing outfitting |
| Day 2: | Introduction to skiing with broad forest skis. Your guide will teach you all the basics for skiing with traditional wooden skis. By the end of the day you will be fully prepared for the rest of your holiday. Evening Northern Lights night tour. This tour will be made on the night of the trip with the best conditions for viewing the Northern Lights. Take your skis on a tour through an amazing night landscape, thousands of shades of blur reflecting on the snow. By a campfire you’ll sit on a reindeer skin and enjoy a warming drink. With luck the Northern Lights dance above (if the weather is cloudy, this tour may be made on another evening of the holiday). |
| Day 3: | Tracking animals. Explore the wilderness and learn about animals. Your guide will explain how the animals live and how the ecosystem works. Possible tracks include moose, reindeer, fox, hare, and, more rarely, pine marten or lynx. |
| Day 4: | Peace of mind in the magic old forest. Ski in Naakajärvi Ecological Park. The ancient trees groan under the snow, whispering their life stories as you quietly explore this old forest area, absorbing the magical atmosphere. |
| Day 5: | Transfer to departure airport or train station in Kiruna/Gällivare. |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.flights/trains at Xmas & New Year
For the Christmas and New Year period you need to book your flights or train tickets early to ensure availability and good value for money. Travel to Lapland around the holidays fills up very quickly and is normally difficult to book by the end of November. Scandinavian Airlines www.flysas.com offers direct flights from the UK to Kiruna. Veolia Transport, www.bokatag.se, offers train tickets from Stockholm/Arlanda airport. Travel through Kittilä in Finland is also possible.how this holiday makes a difference
|
We are a small local company working together with other local companies in an area with otherwise few work opportunities.
Ecology and environmental awareness is the theme for this trip and our hope is that participants gain an appreciation and real understanding for the local nature. Travelling silently by ski is the best way to explore the wilderness with minimal disturbance to wildlife. Small group size, two to eight participants, is also a way in which we minimize our disturbance to the local nature. We practice a leave no trace policy in all outdoor activities. Our guides and hosts are from our area and inform about and encourage awareness and appreciation for the local culture and the environment. Our guesthouse is a traditional timber building that has been restored with natural materials and includes dry compost toilets and a waste water recycling system. The house is heated with wood pellets, a renewable energy source. Guests are provided with healthy food, locally and organically grown whenever possible. |
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. |