Sweden walking holiday, the Padjelanta Trail
| country: | Sweden |
| trip type: | Moderate walking holidays |
| departures: | 2008: 10 Jul, 30 Jul, 29 Aug |
| price: | From £995 (8 days) excluding flights. Includes accommodation (2 nights hotel, 4 nights mountain huts, 1 night Sami Tepee), airport transfers, professional local guide throughout, helicopter transfers, Entrance to Ajette museum & meals per itinerary |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This 7 day hiking holiday takes you to Laponia, a UNESCO world heritage region rich in flora, fauna and traditional Sami culture.
In north Sweden, directly on the Arctic circle where the summer nights are bright and there are few daylight hours during winter you’ll find the UNESCO world heritage region of Laponia. There are four national parks here, including Europe’s largest, plus a number of nature reserves. Dramatic glacial areas to the west, ancient virgin forests, large mountain lakes and flower covered meadows make this a spectacular and unique place for outdoor activities.
The wildlife is rich with bears, wolverines, lynx and even wolves. In addition, Laponia also contains a rich cultural heritage. It was the combination of majestic scenery and a living Sami culture which led to UNESCO choosing the area as Lapland’s world heritage site in 1996.
This 7 day hiking holiday takes us to an elevated plateau west of Sarek’s high alpine summits, to the Padjelanta National Park. Padjelanta means “the higher land” and is the summer home of the Sami people who bring their huge reindeer herds here to graze. The landscape is fairly flat and open, especially compared to the alpine Sarek National Park on its eastern border, and mainly consists of rolling hills with a few higher peaks. Almost all of the park is situated above the tree line, but the diversity of the flora is extremely high nonetheless. Over 400 different plant species have been catalogued in the area.
As there are no roads in this area, access to the park is by helicopter. Once on the trail, accommodation is in simple “Lapp” huts. These communal huts make room for every traveller who needs a roof over their head, so it’s an ideal opportunity to make new friends! The huts have no electricity, no tap water (this comes from the local streams), wood heated stoves and outdoor bathrooms. As this is a communal style trip you will be expected to help out preparing meals and washing up. On one night there is a chance to experience sleeping in a traditional Sami Tepee.
On the first and last nights in Jokkmokk accommodation is at the hotel Jokkmokk, beautifully located on the shores of Lake Talvatis. The last day of the trip is spent exploring the town of Jokkmokk. Entrance fee to the Ajtte museum of Sami culture is included.
In north Sweden, directly on the Arctic circle where the summer nights are bright and there are few daylight hours during winter you’ll find the UNESCO world heritage region of Laponia. There are four national parks here, including Europe’s largest, plus a number of nature reserves. Dramatic glacial areas to the west, ancient virgin forests, large mountain lakes and flower covered meadows make this a spectacular and unique place for outdoor activities.
The wildlife is rich with bears, wolverines, lynx and even wolves. In addition, Laponia also contains a rich cultural heritage. It was the combination of majestic scenery and a living Sami culture which led to UNESCO choosing the area as Lapland’s world heritage site in 1996.
This 7 day hiking holiday takes us to an elevated plateau west of Sarek’s high alpine summits, to the Padjelanta National Park. Padjelanta means “the higher land” and is the summer home of the Sami people who bring their huge reindeer herds here to graze. The landscape is fairly flat and open, especially compared to the alpine Sarek National Park on its eastern border, and mainly consists of rolling hills with a few higher peaks. Almost all of the park is situated above the tree line, but the diversity of the flora is extremely high nonetheless. Over 400 different plant species have been catalogued in the area.
As there are no roads in this area, access to the park is by helicopter. Once on the trail, accommodation is in simple “Lapp” huts. These communal huts make room for every traveller who needs a roof over their head, so it’s an ideal opportunity to make new friends! The huts have no electricity, no tap water (this comes from the local streams), wood heated stoves and outdoor bathrooms. As this is a communal style trip you will be expected to help out preparing meals and washing up. On one night there is a chance to experience sleeping in a traditional Sami Tepee.
On the first and last nights in Jokkmokk accommodation is at the hotel Jokkmokk, beautifully located on the shores of Lake Talvatis. The last day of the trip is spent exploring the town of Jokkmokk. Entrance fee to the Ajtte museum of Sami culture is included.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival. Arrive in Lulea met upon arrival and transfer to JokkMokk, just north of the Arctic circle. Overnight in the Hotel Jokkmokk. (D) |
| Day 2: | Jokkmokk - Kvikkjokk - Staloluokta. Meet our professional guide and travel westwards by bus from Jokkmokk to the mountain village of Kvikkjokk where the road ends. Time to board the helicopter and fly over the mountains to Staloluota in the heart of Padjelanta. This settlement by the Virihaure lake is the starting point for our hike north on the Padjelanta trail. Virihaure is often called the most beautiful mountain lake in Lapland. Overnight in mountain hut. (B,L,D) |
| Day 3: | Staloluokta - Arasluokta. Today is a short (10km) hike to the Sami summer village of Arasluokta. Along the way we have wonderful views over the mountains and lake. In Arasluokta we will meet the Lanta family who live here during the summer months and get a glimpse into the everyday life of a reindeer herding family. Overnight in mountain hut. (B,L,D) |
| Day 4: | Arasluokta - Laddejakka. Our hike continues through billowing mountainsides with an 11 km walk to Laddejakka. For those feeling energetic there is the option of climbing one of the mountaintops to get a scenic view over the National Park. Overnight in mountain hut. (B,L,D) |
| Day 5: | Laddejakka - Kutjaure. Leaving the big lakes behind us, the Kutjaure Sami village is the destination for today. After a 16km hike the Utsi family awaits us with traditional food and accommodation in Sami Tepee like tents. Here is the chance to Sauna with a view over 3 national parks. Afterwards take a wash or a dip in the lake. Overnight in traditional Sami tent. (B,L,D) |
| Day 6: | Kutjaure - Vaisaluokta. Today is the longest hike, a full 18 km taking us over the mountains down to the big lake of Akkajaure. Here the Padjelanta trail ends with a boat ride over to the village of Ritsem where we will spend the night enjoying the view of Akka, the mountain known as the “Queen of Lapland”. Overnight in mountain hut. (B,L,D) |
| Day 7: | Ritsem - Jokkmokk. Transfer back to Jokkmokk by coach. Jokkmokk is famous as the center for quality Sami handicrafts and has many artisans. Entrance fee to the Ajtte Museum of Sami culture is also included. The museum tells the story of Sápmi, the land and the people, of life and survival in a demanding climate and environment. In the evening we will have a farewell dinner in the Hotel Jokkmokk with a slide show from the trip. Overnight in the Hotel Jokkmokk. (B,L,D) |
| Day 8: | Jokkmokk - Lulea. Transfer by coach to Lulea to connect with your flight home. (B) |
how this holiday makes a difference
 On this holiday, we use a local operator who is committed to responsible tourism and working to market the tour with the Swedish responsible tourism label Nature's Best. The tour uses locally owned restaurants, shops and transport and the operator shops for the tours locally.Participants are given information about the area beforehand including Sami culture and reindeer herding, how to behave when meeting local people, and good environmental practice e.g. leave no trace. You will follow the marked trails most of the time and carry out our waste instead of leaving it at the huts. The cabins don’t have any electricity and you have to get your water by yourself in the creeks. Group size is maximum 12 participants to minimise disturbance to the environment and every day community life, and the operator is only permitted 6 trips a year. The operator has good connections with the local people in the area. All the guides are local; some have the Laponia guide education and some are Sami. The Sami organisation Badjelánnda Laponia Turism is an economic organisation with around 40 individual members/owners /reindeer keepers, part of the local Sami organisations. The organisation runs the mountain huts inside the national park along the Padjelanta trail which goes through (or nearby) the Sami summer settlements in this area. The purpose of the organisation is to: Almost every mountain hut in Sweden is owned by STF, the Swedish Tourist Organisation with its base in Stockholm. The income that they get from the huts does not go back to the local area and the hutwardens are 99% from other parts of Sweden. This makes the Badjelánnda organisation unique: the huts are run by the locals and the whole idea is to increase the economic and cultural value for the Sami in the region. So the visitors/hikers who walk the Padjelanta trail and stay in the huts do really support the locals very much. The hut fee goes directly to work possibilities for the locals. The information about the culture is also given directly from the "source"! We believe in Fair Travel Trading, and adhere to the principles of Green Globe 21, for which Nigel Gifford OBE, FRGS and Founder, is the advisor on adventure travel worldwide. We support a variety of charities that strive for better conditions for staff who work in ‘off the beaten track’ tourism. In the Indian sub-continent and South America we help to provide better conditions for porters, and the protection of indigenous peoples in remote and fragile places such as rainforests and the sub-polar regions. All our trips are operated and planned in line with PATA and Green Globe 21 principles. We expect our clients to be committed to sustainable tourism and we offer you the chance to contribute to Climate Care, from £12 per person. |
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