Across Padjelanta National Park

A remote hut-to-hut adventure on skis

Discover Padjelanta National Park on skis and visit the most remote area in Sweden. For a week, we travel across a snow-covered plateau, located between the pointy peaks of Sarek National Park and the Norwegians mountains and glaciers. During the days we enjoy the the landscape and the views and during the nights we sleep well in heated cabins. If we are lucky we may see moose, wolverine or ptarmigan. Animals that all have found a way to survive the winter on the arctic tundra. Padjelanta, or the higher land as it is named in Sami, is where the reindeer calves are born and in the summer the Sami settlement that we pass, are full of life. But in wintertime, you can travel across Padjelanta on skis for days without seeing anyone at all.

Padjelanta National Park is the largest national park in Sweden and part of Laponia World Heritage Site. The almost 2000 square kilometers consists of a vast and open landscape with round mountain peaks and great mountain lakes. We will start our tour in Kutjaure, just north of the border to Padjelanta National park. We continue across Padjelanta on skis to the Tarra valley in the south. On our route, we’ll pass close to the most remote point in Sweden. This is the place where you are as far away as possible from any roads and civilizations.

Our idea is to visit the most remote and protected area in Sweden and still enjoy the convenience and safety of staying in temperate huts during the night

This ski tour is for you…

…who are looking for a remote and active vacation but still want to have the comfort of staying in heated cabins during the night. To travel across Padjelanta on skis it requires you to be in very good shape and a fairly strong skier. All participants are pulling a sled and the itinerary includes several longer days with distances over 20 km off-trail. Earlier experience from at least one multi-day ski tour is strongly recommended. No experience from pulling a sled is needed. 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:

• Spectacular mountain views
• A remote area with few other visitors
• Staying in cozy heated mountain huts
• The silence
• Tasty food made from local ingredients

Experience Padjelanta on skis in small groups and with a local guides

We want you to have the best experience possible when traveling across Padjelanta on skis. Therefore, we travel in small groups of maximum 8 guests in total. All our guides live 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 group when arriving the pickup location. It is a great way to experience new areas and to find new outdoor friends. Solo travelers are of course welcome to book the tour, but we will need a minimum of three guests in total to give it a go.

Information

Accommodation and comfort

The first and the last night we stay in at Åsgård guesthouse in the center of a small town named Jokkmokk located just north of the arctic circle. The house, built almost 100 years ago, was owned by the state forestry company, being the home of the local forester. And still today it feels like coming home when entering the front door. We’ll stay in two-person or three-person bedroom with shared toilet and shower and sauna in the basement if you would like to finish the evening with a hot sauna.

As far as possible we try to offer separate rooms for men and woman traveling on their own and let travel companions share a private room. You can also pay extra for a single room. At the guest house there is free wifi and this is also the last chance to charge phones and cameras before heading out in Padjelanta. 

After one night in Jokkmokk it is time to head out in Padjelanta on skis. On the ski tour we stay in wood or gas heated cabin with multi-bed rooms with bunk beds. In case there are other guests in the cabin, women and men may have to share a room. There is no electricity or running water in the cabins and we all help to carry water, melt snow and to chop wood. There are outhouses not far away from each cabin and during the day nature offers cool toilet spots, often with a scenic mountain view. The cabins have a fully equipped kitchen and beds with duvets and pillows. We bring pillow cases and for safety reasons also a summer sleeping bag.

The food

All meals from dinner day 1 to breakfast day 9 is included in the price. In Jokkmokk, Caisa, who runs the guest house will cook for us and in the mountain, we prepare the meals together in the common kitchen. This is also where we meet to eat and chat about mountains, life and other adventures. Food is a large part of experiencing Padjelanta on skis and we want to eat good and feel well. We cook he food from scratch using local ingredients such as moose and reindeer meet. As long as the weather permits, we’ll have a longer break for lunch to eat a lighter lunch and recover. Please let us know when making your reservation if you prefer vegetarian or vegan food or if you have any allergies.

Start and end location

We will meet you at Jokkmokk Guesthouse at 15.00 on day 1 and the ski tour ends in the same place after breakfast day 9.

Travel here…

Get on the night train in Stockholm in the evening and wake up in Jokkmokk the next morning. This is not only the best option for the planet, it is also a cool experience. Book your private cabin or just a single bed in a cabin with 3 or 6-beds. In the morning you get off the train in Murjek where you board bus 43 for a last hour of traveling before arriving Jokkmokk. There is a bus stop, named Åsgatan, only a few hundred meters from the guesthouse where you will be staying. Purchase both the train and the bus ticket online at www.sj.se. Enter Stockholm Central, Arlanda airport, or wherever you choose to travel from to Jokkmokk bus station and it will give you the options.

If you prefer you can also fly directly from Stockholm to Luleå Airport. Please note that you may have to fly in to Luleå already the day before the tour starts. From the airport there is a bus that takes you all the way to Jokkmokk, or you can also stay in Luleå and continue by bus and train in the morning on day 1. The airport shuttle you’ll find at www.ltnbd.se and trains and buses at www.sj.se. Please note that the shuttle needs to be booked latest 17.00 the day before.

…and home

Catch the bus from Jokkmokk to Murjek or Boden and continue south with the train or go to Luleå by bus or train and fly home. Information about buses can be found at www.ltnbd.se and buses and trains at www.sj.se and remember that the airport shuttle need to be booked latest 17.00 the day before.

However you choose to travel here, flexible tickets are recommended. Even if we have planned with an extra day during our week in the mountains, conditions can delay our return to Jokkmokk.

How cold will it be?

During a week in Padjelanta National Park we see all kinds of weather. We can experience sunshine and -15C degrees during the day but also +5C degrees with snow and strong winds. Night temperatures often drop down to -20. Our packing list helps you to decide what to bring to stay warm and happy on the tour.

Packing list – Across Padjelanta>>

How heavy will the sled be?

All participant will each pull a sled with your private gear, food and part of the common equipment, such as safety gear, shovels etc. In the beginning of our tour through Padjelanta National Park the sled weigh about 25-30 kg but as we eat the food it will weigh less and less. To pull a sled is completely different from carrying a backpack and most of the time you barely feel the weight. We mostly travel in fairly even terrain where the sled slides easily. And in the uphill we help each other through the most strenuous sections.

Itinerary

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

DAY 1 ARRIVAL JOKKMOKK AND PREPARATIONS (D)

We pick you up at Jokkmokk guest house and drive to our place just outside Jokkmokk. We will give you an introduction to the tour and all help checking and packing the food and group equipment for a week in Padjelanta on skis. There will also be time to pack your private bag and to get to know the other group members. When everything is packed and ready we head back to Jokkmokk Guesthouse. You will have some time to check in to your rooms and have a shower before we enjoy dinner in the restaurant. If you arrive Jokkmokk in the morning you can leave your luggage at the guest house and have access to toilets and the common kitchen. If you have time we recommend a visit at Ájtte mountain and Sami museum and a walk around town.

DAY 2 THE ADVENTURE BEGINS (B,L,D)

After the breakfast at the guesthouse we pack the minivan and head west to Padjelanta National Park and Laponia World Heritage Site. We travel for about three hours to Ritsem where the road ends. From here we’ll continue in sledges behind snowmobiles for another hour before we get dropped off close to Kutjaure lake. The last stretch to Kutjaure cabin you will be skiing with light backpacks while the rest of the equipment is transported to the hut. We’ll have dinner together and stay overnight in the cabin.

Distance on skis: about 5-10 km, elevation gain/loss: +100/-50, estimated time out skiing: 3h

DAY 3 ENTERING PADJELANTA NATIONAL PARK ON SKIS (B,L,D)

After breakfast we pack our sledges and start heading south. Our route follows the frozen river, named Vuojatädno, passing Sáluhávrre summer settlement. Vuojat means “to swim” and refer to that this is where the reindeer had to swim on their way from winter to summer grassing area. In the evening we arrive the huts in Låddejåkk where we have dinner together and sleep well after a full day in the mountains.

Distance on skis: about 25 km, elevation gain/loss: close to +50/-50 m, estimated time out skiing: 8-10h

DAY 4 ARASLUOKTA (B,L,D)

Our route to the next hut leads us up and over a pass almost 900 meters above sea level. If weather allows we build our lunch couch in the south-facing slope overlooking the surrounding landscape. We spend the night in a hut in Arasluokta, a summer settlement for the Sami people.

Distance on skis: about 13 km, elevation gain/loss: +300/-250 m, estimated time out skiing: 5-6h

DAY 5 DUOTTAR CABINS (B,L,D)

We continue west climbing the slope toward the highest point of the tour. This wide-open landscape offers great opportunities for panoramic views, but we are also unprotected if hard weather approaches. However, Duottar cabin, almost 900 meters above sea level will give us the perfect protection against strong winds.

Distance on skis: about 20 km, elevation gain/loss: +300/-50, estimated time out skiing: 8h

DAY 6 EXTRA DAY (B,L,D)

We have a planned extra day to give us the flexibility to respond to weather and snow conditions.

DAY 7 TARRA VALLEY (B,L,D)

We continue east down the mountain to Tarra valley where we start seeing small birch trees again for the first time in a few days. The frozen Tarra river leads us down to Såmmarlappa mountain cabin where we stay for the night.

Distance on skis: about 25 km, elevation gain/loss: +50/-400, estimated time out skiing: 8-10h

DAY 8 BACK TO JOKKMOKK (B,L,D)

We leave the cabin in the morning continuing down the Tarra Valley passing one of the first tourist huts in the area. After lunch a snowmobile will pick us up and drive us to Kvikkjokk. We continue in a minivan to Jokkmokk where we enjoy a sauna and dinner at the guesthouse.

Distance on skis: about 8 km, elevation gain/loss: -50 m, estimated time out skiing 3h

DAY 9 DEPARTURE JOKKMOKK (B)

We have breakfast at the guesthouse before it is time to say good-bye. Spend a day in Jokkmokk or start your journey home in the morning.

We reserve the right to make changes

Nature is a dynamic place and we may need to adjust the route and the itinerary according to the current weather conditions. We are also in contact with representatives for the local reindeer herders’ communities and other local actors to collaborate in the best way possible.

Do you have any questions?

Please send us an email to info@laponiaadventures.com
We are happy to help and will answer you as soon as we can.