Dog mushing in the taiga of Swedish Lapland

To go dog mushing in the taiga is a true winter experience. Great nature, sled dogs, Aurora and glowing campfires. The woodlands in Lapland offers real midwinter this time of the year with heavy snowcovered forests, iced lakes, fluffy snow and the Aurora Borealis that come into its own during the dark nights.

Together with our sled dogs, we work our way through the wintry landscape. Jokkmokk lays above the Arctic Circle and the low standing midwinter sun causes the sky to glow in beautiful  colours during the day. Here live many wild animals like elk, reindeer, red fox, hare, wolverine and a few resident birds that remain during the winter. The reindeers, elk and birds are the most likely to encounter but, we usually see many tracks in the snow from others.

We will spend most of the nights in small log huts and one night is spent in a canvas tent with wood stove. The huts are without electricity and running water and everyone helps with all the daily chores, from taking care of the dogs, fetching water and chop wood etc. Very few people travel in this area during this time of the year so we are likely to be alone. Just us, the sled dogs, nature and the wildlife.
Welcome to a true wilderness experience!

Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival to Jokkmokk

Welcome to Jokkmokk! Åsgård Hostel is located in the centre of Jokkmokk and here you will stay your first night. Check-in not earlier than 3pm. If you arrive earlier in the day, we can highly recommend a visit to the Ájtte, Swedish Mountain and Sami Museum in Jokkmokk.
We all meet, guide and participants, at Åsgård Hostel at 6pm for a joint dinner and review of the program for the coming days.

Day 2: Our dog mushing adventure begins

After breakfast we pick you up for car transport out to our husky kennel just outside Jokkmokk. Here you will be equipped with warm clothes and boots. After that,
you will get a lesson in how to drive a dog sled and how to handle the dogs.
The dog sleds get loaded with the equipment we need during the tour and then we all help to harness the dogs before our dog mushing adventure starts.
Today's journey goes to the beginning on the trails that we have closest to our kennel. Good trails that are easy for beginners. During the afternoon we will arrive to the tent camp, close to a small river. Everyone is helping to take care of the dogs.
We will stay in a large communal tent with a stove fired with wood. Sleeping in warm sleeping bags on camping mats and soft reindeer skins.

Day 3: From Lillforsen tent camp to Randikojan

From the river Appoälven we follow lake systems, marshes and old logging roads to the west. We travel beyond the wooded mountains that were our horizon during the first day. We cross large lakes with mile-wide views around us. 
Today's goal is a small log cabin by a small lake. Once we arrive, we make ourselves and the dogs prepared for the night. Water is brought from the lake by drilling hole in the ice, we chop firewood and fire in the stove to get the cabin warm.

Day 4: Towards Juksaure

Our journey goes further up the valley of the Pearl River (Pärlälven). Perhaps we stop for lunch next to the roaring river that, despite the winter cold, never freezes completely. Sometimes we are lucky to be able to see otter tracks and streamers that like to stay around open rivers in winter time. Today's goal is a small timbered hunting and fishing hut next to a small river. The daily chores with the dogs are now becoming a part of your everyday life.

Day 5: Laxholmen

This day we approach the mountains. We cross some large lakes overlooking far west. We enter an area that is periodically a mecca for migrating moose. Some winters we can see quite a lot of moose while other years they shine with their absence. Actually, we travel all week in an area that is regularly visited by these groups of migrating moose.
Today's goal is to reach a hut on the island of Laxholmen in Lake Karats. Here it’s wide and open spaces in all directions, perfect for viewing Aurora Borealis. Throughout the week, we are far away from villages and urban light pollution and if we are lucky, we can see incredible sights of northern lights in the sky.

Day 6: Back to Juksaure

We have reached our western outpost and turn back east towards Jokkmokk. During our journey back we stop at the hut by Juksaure for another night. Maybe we've seen something along the way the day before that we want explore a little bit more. Like all other days, we cook lunch out over an open fire.

Day 7: Return to Jokkmokk

Last day dog mushing and we're going all the way back to Jokkmokk. We'll get back to the trails we've been driving earlier, but maybe we'll decide to go for some other tracks as well. Weather and wind will determine more precisely where we travel. Our tour ends at home on our kennel in Skabram. 
After a short drive into Jokkmokk, a hot shower and a common closing dinner are waiting at Åsgård Hostel.

Day 8: Departure Day

After breakfast there is an opportunity to visit the Museum if you didn’t have time for that at the day of your arrival. Jokkmokk also has many nice giftshops with handicraft and jewellery etc.

Group size:

Minimum 2 persons maximum 4 persons.

Included in the price:

• Experience wilderness guide
• One dog team per person
  
• Warm jacket, pants, warm shoes, hat, gloves
  
• Sleeping bag and equipment for the tour
  
• Fullboard from dinner day 1 until breakfast day 8 (Typical Lapland and Swedish food)
  
• Accommodation,2 nights at Åsgård Hostel (part in double room), 4 nights in wilderness cabins, 1 night in tent
  

Not included in the price:

• Travel as well as transfer to and from Jokkmokk
  
• Travel insurance
  
• Alcoholic beverages
  
  

For Who?

Minimum age is 18 years old.

NOTE! A certain level of fitness is required.
Read: »What it takes to join this adventure

No previous dog sledding experience is required, but you must like animals and feel empathy for them.

Tour conditions:

In wilderness cabins we sleep on bunk beds in mixed room with both men’s and women’s. The wilderness cabins are heated with wood/gas and have no electricity or running water. In the tent we have a wood stove and sleep on reindeer skins in warm sleeping bags all in the same tent. Dry toilets are available at the cabins but at the tent camp we dig holes in the snow.

Location:

How to get here:

Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Note! We will manually review the booking to make sure that the minimum number of participants is reached to conduct the tour. We will confirm availability within the shortest possible time after we receive your order.
Until your booking is confirmed no payment or charges will be applied, and credit card details are held for security purposes only.