Sarek Ski Expedition TEST

The ultimate challenge for the adventurous 

On this expedition you’ll be part of a team exploring the remote valleys of Sarek National Park. There are few who visit Sarek National Park during the winter, and often we ski for days without seeing more than a handful of people. Surrounded by spectacular mountains in all directions, we follow the rhythm of the nature. We wake up to the sound of the mountain and get ready for a full day of skiing making our own tracks through the untouched snow. Some days we enjoy spectacular view and relax in snow couches during lunch and other days we plod through deep snow and snowstorms. In Sarek National Park there are no huts available and each evening we build our own camp in the snow. We cook tasty dinners made from local specialties and glance out through the tent to get a glimpse of the northern light.

Our idea is to gather a small team of enthusiastic outdoor people to experience the beauty and the challenge of Sarek National Park together

Sarek National Park is one of the most impressive alpine areas in Sweden. The whole country has twelve mountains that reach above 2000 meters and you will find six of them here. The Rapa River, the artery of Sarek, is born in Skarja and supplies the lush Rapa delta with water from melting snow and glaciers. We start skiing down in the Rapa Delta and follow the frozen river to the center of Sarek National Park. For hundreds of years the Sami people have migrated their reindeers through Sarek National Park and they still do today. However, the landscape is well preserved and you see few signs of people actually living in the area for thousand of years.

• Enjoy dramatic mountain views
• Experience fellowship and team spirit
• Get away from the crowd
• Eat well and feel good
• Get physically and mentally challenged

This expedition is for you…

…who are adventurous and who are looking for the perfect winter challenge. Sarek ski expedition is our toughest tour and it requires you to be in good shape and a fairly strong touring skier. We look for expedition members that work well in a team and that have the ability to deal with uncomfortable conditions. Recommended age from 20 years old. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding your physical ability or experience level.

Book and pay your tour online

Book by filling in this booking form online. We will manually review your booking to make sure that the tour will suite you and that we still have availability. If everything looks okay we will send you a confirmation by email within shortest possible time. You will be charged a 20% deposit at time of booking and the rest 30 days before your tour starts. If we have not received the booking fee within 7 days from the time of your reservation, the booking will automatically be cancelled. All payments can be made by credit card or bank transfer.

Here you’ll find our complete Terms and conditions

NOTE: SPECIAL CANCELLATION POLICY DURING THE CORONA PANDEMIC
If any rules, laws or recommendations prevent you from traveling to our destination, you can cancel your tour or activity up to two weeks before it starts and receive a full refund.

BOOK ONLINE

Information

– Food and accommodations

The first night we stay in a guesthouse in the center of Jokkmokk where you’ll share a room with other participants from the team. 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. Caisa, who runs the place will cook dinner for us in the evening and prepare the breakfast in the morning. On this tour you will get the chance to try local specialties such as reindeer, moose and fish from the mountains. Please let us know when making your reservation if you prefer vegetarian or vegan food or if you have any allergies.

The following six nights we’ll stay in high-quality Hilleberg tents made for heavy snow and strong winds. You’ll share a 3-person tent with another expedition member and together you’ll carry and set up the tent for the night. We provide you with sleeping bags for winter temperature and double insulated pads so you can sleep warm all-night long. 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 northern lights.

In the mountains breakfast and dinner will be prepared together in our group tent. This is also where we meet in the evening to eat and chat about mountains, life and other adventures. Food is a large part of the experience and we want to eat good and feel well. As long as weather permits we will have a longer break during the day to eat a lighter lunch and re-energize. We finish the week at the restaurant in Saltoluokta mountain lodge, well-known for its generous three-course dinner. But before we have dinner, we take a well-needed shower and enjoy a hot sauna. This is also the place where we stay for the night in warm rooms with nice beds.

– Stay warm and happy

During a week in Sarek National Park we see all kinds of weather. We can experience sunshine and -15 degrees during the day but also +5 degrees with rain and strong winds. Night temperatures can drop down to -30. Our packing list helps you to decide what to bring to stay warm and happy on the tour.

Packing list – Sarek Ski Expedition >>

– Small groups and authentic experience

We want you to have the best experience possible in Sarek National Park. Therefore, we travel in small groups of maximum 10 guests in total. All our guides live in the area and have good knowledge of 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 Jokkmokk. 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 two guests in total to run the expedition.

– Travel here

Travel here by night train leaving from Stockholm in the evening and arriving Jokkmokk the next morning. This is not only the best option for the planet, it is also a cool experience. Book your own 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. You can purchase both the train and the bus ticket online at sj.se. Simply enter Stockholm Central to Jokkmokk busstation and it will give you the options. We will meet you at Jokkmokk Guesthouse at 11.30 on day 1.

If you prefer you can fly from Stockholm to Luleå Airport from where we can organize a pick you up at 8.30 in the morning on day 1. The drive to Jokkmokk takes about 2,5 hours. We can also pick you up at any hotel in the center of Luleå if you prefer. See Add-ons for more info.

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. We also recommend you to have a valid travel insurance and check passport and VISA rules for traveling to Sweden.

Itinerary

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

– DAY 1 ARRIVAL JOKKMOKK AND PREPARATIONS (L, D)

Arrive Jokkmokk during the morning and get ready for a few hours outside. We’ll pick you up at Jokkmokk vandrarhem for an introduction tour just outside Jokkmokk. You will get a chance to practice setting up the tent and try out the skis and boots before the real adventure starts. In the afternoon we all help checking and packing group equipment and food for a week in Sarek National Park. There will also be time to pack your private bag and to get to know the other expedition members.

When everything is packed and ready we head back to Jokkmokk Guesthouse where you will have some time to check in to your rooms and have a shower before we enjoy dinner in the restaurant.

– DAY 2 THE ADVENTURE BEGINS (B,L,D)

Ready for the big adventure! We have breakfast at the guesthouse before we head west to Sarek National Park and Laponia World Heritage Site. We travel in minibuses for an hour or two to a hydropower dam where the road ends. From here we’ll continue in sledges behind snowmobiles for another hour before we get dropped off by the entrance to Rapa Valley. We pack our sledges, say good bye to our support team and start skiing in direction of Sarek National Park. After a few hours of skiing we set up our first camp by border to Sarek National Park and enjoy our first dinner together in the mountains.

Distance on skis: about 10 km, elevation gain/loss: close to 0, estimated time out skiing: 4h

– DAY 3 ENTERING SAREK NATIONAL PARK  (B,L,D)

We wake up to the sound of the mountain and have breakfast together in the restaurant tent. Leaving our first campsite, we aim for Nammasj, the small mountain guarding the eastern gate to Sarek national park. After about 15 km navigating through the Rapa delta we find a nice spot set camp for the night. We’ll have lunch on the way brought in thermoses and then cook dinner at camp in the evening.

Distance on skis: about 15 km, elevation gain/loss: +100 m, estimated time out skiing: 7h

– DAY 4 RAPA VALLEY (B,L,D)

We continue along the frozen Rapa River with the mountains growing bigger and bigger around us. The snow and weather conditions will decide our exact route and distance for the day. Before we enter the deep valleys of Sarek we discuss safety considerations for traveling in avalanche terrain and introduce you to your safety equipment.

Distance on skis: about 15 km, elevation gain/loss: +150 m, estimated time out skiing: 7h

– DAY 5 EXTRA DAY (B,L,D)

All our winter expeditions in Sarek national park have a planned extra day to give us the flexibility to respond to weather and snow conditions.

– DAY 6 THE HEART OF SAREK NATIONAL PARK (B,L,D)

We wake up in middle of Sarek, surrounded by high peaks and miles away from civilization. We are now close to where the Rapa River is born and will follow the river west crossing the predator square before we climb north to Bielavallda, a plateau on 800 meters above sea level.

Distance on skis: about 12 km, elevation gain/loss: +200 m, estimated time out skiing: 7h

– DAY 7 SKIING OUT OF SAREK NATIONAL PARK (B,L,D)

We’ll ski around Äphar with its dramatic peaks and continue through a narrow passage to a chain of lakes. Our last camp will be by the border between Sarek and Stora sjöfallet National Parks.

Distance on skis: about 15 km, elevation gain/loss: close to 0, estimated time out skiing: 7h

– DAY 8 ARRIVING SALTOLUOKTA MOUNTAIN LODGE (B,L,D)

We ski out of the national park circling the volcano shaped peak Sluggá. A snowmobile will take us the last stretch to Saltoluokta mountain lodge where we finish the expedition with a well-deserved sauna and a three-course dinner in the restaurant.

Distance on skis: about 8 km, elevation gain/loss: +50/-150 m, estimated time out skiing 4h

– DAY 9 DEPARTURE SALTOLUOKTA (B)

We have breakfast in the restaurant before a snowmobile will take us the last 4 kilometers to Kebnats where the minibus is waiting. After one or two hour drive we arrive Jokkmokk bus station where we will drop you off. Have lunch in one of the restaurants in Jokkmokk and get ready for your journey home.