Sarek Adventure trek

Trek and camp in the wildest National Park in Sweden

Hike in Sarek National Park and visit our favorite spots in the wildest area in Europe. We travel across rivers and open tundra but also through barren rocky valleys and among high mountain birch trees. Our hike sets of along Kungsleden, the most famous trail in Sweden, that leads us to Skierffe, a 700-meter high cliff at the mouth of Rapa valley. The impressive meandering delta landscape below, is a popular grazing area for the great Sarek moose, buzzards and other large birds of prey that thrive in the surrounding cliffs. We continues west through Rapa Valley, deeper into to Sarek National Park, navigating in off-trail terrain and along game trails. Every night, we find a place to set up our tents and cook a proper dinner together. 

Sarek National Park is the largest high mountain area in Sweden and one of our oldest and largest National Parks. Within Sarek National Park you’ll find no less than six peaks over 2000-meters and over 200 glaciers(!). Sarek National Park is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Laponia, protected for its unique combination of culture and nature values. Since thousands of years, the Sami people have migrated with their reindeers through Sarek National Park creating winding trails along the valleys. The area also has a unique and interesting history. Here lies a desolated chapel, built for the workers who struggled with silver mining during the 1700s. The researcher and geographer Axel Hamberg have spent years in in the area and during World War 2 a and a British bomber crashed in Sarek National Park. 

Our idea is to gather a small group of adventurous hikers and together experience great fellowship, challenging terrain and fantastic mountain views in the heart of Sarek National Park

This mountain trek is for you…

...who wants to experience the remoteness of Sarek National Park. You should already have experience from multi-day trekking and at least shorter nature camping tours. Sarek adventure trek is one of our toughest tour and it requires a lot from you as a participant. To join this hike in Sarek you must be able to hike between 15-20 kilometer per day in terrain with high level difference, and with a backpack of 20+ kg (to start with). We will mostly follow game trails but also hike off-trail. You should be prepared to do several river crossings but also pass rocky sections and smaller snow fields. Recommended age from 18 years old. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding your physical ability or experience level.

Join us and experience:

• Dramatic mountain views over Rapa valley
• Great fellowship and team spirit
• A chance to see the biggest moose in Europe
• The enjoyment of well prepared and tasty food after a long day’s hike
• How you feel challenging yourself physically and mentally

Hike in Sarek in a small groups with a local guide

We want you to have the best experience possible on your hike in Sarek National Park. Therefore, we travel in small groups of maximum 8 guests in total. All our guides have long experience from hiking in the area and can tell you stories about the culture and history in Laponia. They are all certified guides trained in wilderness first aid or live up to the same standard or higher.

Solo travelers

Many of our guests travel on their own and don’t know anyone else in the team when arriving Saltoluokta. It is a great opportunity to find new outdoor friends. Solo travelers are of course welcome to book the tour, but we will need a minimum of four guests in total to go.

Information

Accommodation and comfort

We start directly from Saltoluokta with a first night in tent up in the mountains and continue with six night in tent in Sarek National Park. We’ll sleep comfortably in high-quality tents, constructed to cope with heavy rainfall and strong winds, to keep you dry during the night. You’ll share a tent with another hiker from the group and together you’ll carry and set up the tent for the night. Sleeping bags and insulated sleeping pads can be borrowed from us. In Sarek National Park there are no toilets or outhouses but nature offers cool toilet spots, often with scenic views. This is also a great opportunity to look for moose, reindeer or other animals.

We finish the week at Saltoluokta mountain lodge, a cozy and genuine accommodation, located right by the foot of the mountain and away from roads and civilizations. The oldest building is built already in 1912 and the main building is from 1918. We stay in multi-bedrooms with a shared toilet. As far as possible we try to offer separate rooms for men and woman traveling on their own. And to let travel companions share a private room. Single room and guaranteed bed in two-person bedroom supplement is possible.

You’ll find both showers and sauna in a nearby building and the mountain view from the sauna is something special. And after a week in the mountains it is for sure time for a sauna! At Saltoluokta mountain lodge there is free wifi and electricity so that you can charge your phone etc. before starting you journey home.

The food

In the mountains, we cook breakfast and dinner together on outdoor stoves and have lots of time to chat about mountains, life and other adventures. As long as weather permits we will have a longer break during the day to eat lunch and re-energize. Food is a large part of the experience when we hike in Sarek National Park. We want to eat nice food and feel well. The menu is based on local specialities, such as moose and reindeer meet, together with dried vegetables. We aim to keep the weight on the food as low as possible without loosing quality and taste on the food.

During the trek you will also have access to snacks and fresh and cold water from the creeks. As there are no cabins nor mountain lodges in Sarek National Park, we will carry all the food for the whole week. We finish the week with dinner and breakfast in the restaurant at Saltoluokta mountain lodge, well known for the tasty and generous food. Please let us know when making your reservation if you have any allergies or food restrictions.

Start and end locations

We will meet you outside the main building in Saltoluokta kl 11.00 on day 1 (or soon after the boat matching the morning bus arrives). After the tour we finish in Saltoluokta around 10.00 on day 9:

Travel here

More information about how to get to Saltoluokta and back home you’ll find here.

However you choose to travel here, flexible tickets are recommended. Even if we have planned an extra day during our week in the mountains, conditions can delay our return to Saltoluokta. We also recommend you to have a valid travel insurance and check passport and VISA rules befor traveling to Sweden.

Stay warm and dry

During a hike in Sarek National Park we see all kinds of weather. We can experience sunshine and +30 degrees during the day but also +5 degrees with rain and strong winds. Night temperatures can drop down to 0. Our packing list helps you to decide what to bring to stay warm and happy on the tour.

 Packing list – Sarek Adventure trek >>

How heavy will your backpack be?

Expect your backpack to weigh about 20+ kg at the beginning of the trip depending on how well you’ve packed it. Aim for your personal equipment with clothes and other small things to weigh around 4-5kg plus the weight of the backpack of 3kg. In addition, there will be about 12-13 kg of food, common equipment and a water bottle with water that you get from us in Saltoluokta. The total weight ends up around 20+kg. But we always have some extra things that we need to be happy and comfortable, such as an extra sweater, a camera or a book. We recommend that you take the time to think through your packing and what you really need. Hiking in Sarek National Park becomes much more comfortable with a lighter backpack.

What about mosquitoes?

There will be mosquitoes on our hike in Sarek. How much depends on the temperature and how much rain we have had recently. But also, how windy the weather is during the week that we are out hiking in Sarek National Park. We do our best to choose camping spots and have breaks where we have a breeze that keeps most of the mosquitoes away. If you are sensitive to bugs we recommend that you bring a head net and mosquito repellent. If you are allergic you should consult a doctor about possible antihistamine to reduce the reaction from the mosquito bites.

Itinerary

Included meals marked each day with B=breakfast, L=lunch and D=dinner

DAY 1 ARRIVAL SALTOLUOKTA (L,D)

Saltoluokta is a cozy mountain lodge located right by the foot of the mountain. This is where we’ll all meet to have lunch together and make the last preparations and adjustments for a week-long hike in Sarek National Park. Arrive the same morning or travel here a day earlier and book an extra night in Saltoluokta before leaving on the hike. Travel luggage can be left at Saltoluokta mountain lodge and be recovered when we come back. In the afternoon we start our hike up the mountain to set our first camp somewhere above tree-line. We cook dinner together, and go to bed in our tents, letting the sound from the mountains rock us to sleep.

Hiking distance: about 5-9 km, elevation gain/loss: +300/0 m, estimated time hiking: ca 3h

DAY 2 KUNGSLEDEN (B,L,D)

We start the day with a filling breakfast before we pack our backpacks and continue our hike south. The hike along Kungsleden takes us through a wide U-shaped valley, dividing the high mountains in the west from the rolling hills of Ultevis in the east. In Sitojaure we take a short boat-ride to the other side of the lake, where the trail continues up the mountains. We set camp and sleep well after a first real hiking day.

Hiking distance: about 14 km, elevation gain/loss: +200/-200 m, estimated time hiking: ca 6-8h + 20 minutes boat ride

DAY 3 SKIERFFE (B,L,D)

We continue up the mountain to today’s high point, Skierffe, an impressive 700-meter cliff that dives down into the turquoise colored Rapa delta. We leave the backpacks below the peak and hike up the last kilometer to the top. If we’re lucky we may see some birds of prey or raven circling above. We pick up our backpacks and continue west, deeper in to Sarek National Park, following the northern hillside of Rapa Valley.

Hiking distance: about 13 km, elevation gain/loss: +500/-350 m, estimated time hiking: 6-8h

DAY 4 RAPA VALLEY (B,L,D)

Our hike continues west along the higher route through the Rapa Valley. If we are lucky with the weather we’ll be surrounded by majestic view over the Rapa Valley. The terrain is sometimes very rocky and during the day we have to cross several bigger river before arriving camp down in Rapa Valley.

Hiking distance: about 16 km, elevation gain/loss: +250/-600, estimated time hiking: 8h

DAY 5 UPPER RAPA VALLEY (B,L,D)

We are now by the upper Rapa Valley and continue along the river to Skårki, one of the still standing huts built by Axel Hamberg. Axel Hamberg was a scientist and a researcher that made one of the first printed maps of Sarek National Park. During 35 years(!) he spent his summers, and sometimes also the winters in Sarek researching both geography, as well as hydrographic and meteorological conditions. Our hike in Sarek continues upp the hill to Snávvávágge where we set camp for the night. Along the way up we glans over the delta in hope to catch sight of one of the large Sarek moose that often search for food in the lush Rapa Valley.

Hiking distance: about 16 km, elevation gain/loss: +300/-0, estimated time hiking: 8h

DAY 6 THE HEART OF SAREK (B,L,D)

Our hike in Sarek continues along a game-trail through Snávvávágge. A steep and sometime narrow passage takes us further to the heart of Sarek and Bielavallda where we set camp by one of te turquoise colored lakes. The colors comes from the melting water from the glaciers around us. 

Hiking distance: about 12 km, elevation gain/loss: +150/-300, estimated time hiking: 6-8h

DAY 7 BASTAVÀGGE (B,L,D)

We continue through the moonlike landscape in Bastavágge. The terrain is barren and rocky and some year there are still snow-bridges to get across the rivers. Other year we have to get in the cold water and walk across the rivers. We set up our last camp by one of the rippling streams in the other end of the valley.

Hiking distance: about 15 km, elevation gain/loss: +250/-200, estimated time hiking: 6-8h

DAY 8 SALTOLUOKTA (B,L,D)

After breakfast we pack down our tents and get ready for our last day in the mountains. Today our route takes us out of Bastavágge and down to the National Park border close to Sijddodno where the helicopter will pick us up. We fly back to Saltoluokta mountain lodge. where we’ll have a well-deserved, and well-needed shower and sauna before finishing the day with dinner in the restaurant. 

Hiking distance: about 9 km, elevation gain/loss: +0/-250, estimated time hiking: 4h

DAY 9 DEPARTURE SALTOLUOKTA (B)

After finishing the organic breakfast in the restaurant at Saltoluokta mountain lodge it is time to say good buy and wish you a safe travel home.