Northern Lights Winter Swedish Lapland

Day 1: Arrival in Luleå – Brändön Lodge

After arrival at Luleå airport, you will be met by your host who will take you on a guided transfer to Brändön Lodge. The first afternoon is well spent checking in, getting to know us, and relaxing.

A delicious 3-course dinner awaits you in the restaurant in the evening.

After dinner, your guide will take you on a guided northern lights sled tour. A two-hour search for the northern lights where your nature guide will teach you about the fantastic natural phenomenon and the science behind it. In this activity, you sit in a snowmobile-drawn sled filled with reindeer pelts and blankets. Our guides drive the snowmobiles that are pulling the sleds as we search for the Northern Lights. We head out across the frozen sea. On the way, we will stop regularly and the guides will inform you about the local nature (including sea, forest, and wildlife) as well as their arctic lifestyle. We will also stop to make a fire in the snow to boil tea, coffee, or chocolate and wait for the Aurora to appear in the sky.

Dinner is a 3-course meal in the Brändön Lodge Restaurant.

Overnight Cabin Brändön Lodge FB

Day 2: Brändön Lodge

Closeness to nature is part of our daily life and today we will spend some time together discussing the forest and the nature that surrounds us. We will give you some tips on how to live and stay safe in the arctic region in our 1.5-hour Dogsledding tour.   In the afternoon, you can relax, take a walk or consider one of the many optional activities available.

Dinner this evening will be part of an outdoor activity where we head out on an Aurora Hide Away Dinner.  A candlelight dinner, somewhere out on the frozen arctic sea. This evening experience starts with a snowmobile sled transfer from your Lodge. On arrival at the Aurora Hideaway, you will be introduced and offered a drink of your choice. Wine, beer, or a warm drink. Your guide will then serve a hot steamy soup as your first dish. The stove in the Aurora Hideaway has a sparkling fire roaring and the candles and tealights create a magical atmosphere. You now have a chance to go outside to look for the Northern Lights or just enjoy the absolute silence and the stars in the sky. The guide prepares the main course over the outdoor fire. A relaxed evening is finished off with dessert and tea/coffee before returning to your Lodge. The Aurora Hideaways are small “restaurants” that we move around in the archipelago with our snowcat. We choose the best places possible depending on wind, weather, and ice conditions for each evening’s event. Snowshoes are brought on the tour so that you can go for a short walk while the guide prepares your meal.

Overnight Cabin Brändön Lodge FB

Day 3: Journey to Arctic Retreat

Today we will enjoy a guided tour via the Gammelstad World Heritage Village on our way to Arctic Retreat.

Arctic Retreat is a beautiful and very small-scale log cabin retreat on the banks of the Råne River. Here you will check into one of the three cabins and enjoy a fantastic lunch and dinner. In the afternoon we will take a snowshoe hike through the local forest along the river.

In the evening you will be able to look for the northern lights from the deck of your cabin or perhaps from your private Jacuzzi.

Overnight in a cabin at Arctic Retreat, FB

Day 4: Arctic Retreat

On our second day at Arctic Retreat, we will spend the day on one of several optional activities including:

• Cross country skiing
  Snowmobiling
  Horse riding
  Ice fishing

Lunch and another fantastic 3-course dinner are again included.  In the evening dinner will be served at the restaurant. After dinner, we will check regularly to see if the lights have come out. At Arctic Retreat the view to the north is very dark and we will see them from the retreat if they are out.

Overnight in a cabin at Arctic Retreat, FB

Day 5: Transfer to Sapmi Nature Camp

Our transfer guide will meet the guests at the Arctic Retreat for the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Sapmi Nature Camp. We will take a little longer however as we stop in Jokkmokk to visit the Ajtee Sami and Mountain museum. We will arrive mid-afternoon and spend the rest of the stay settling in and getting to know Lennart our Sami host and moving into one of five glamping style Teepee tents.

This is a deep dive into Sami Culture. Overnight in a Lavvu Deluxe or Standard Lavvu Teepee at Sapmi Nature, FB

Day 6: Sapmi Nature Camp

Today will be a day with Lennart exploring the mountain area that is their traditional reindeer herding lands.

We will visit a reindeer herder and his reindeer. The reindeer usually spend the winter in an area about 15-20 minutes’ drive from the camp. We will spend about 2-3 hours visiting the reindeer and learning about the industry and working with the reindeer.

Overnight in a Lavvu Deluxe or Standard Lavvu Teepee at Sapmi Nature, FB

Day 7: Icehotel

Waking to a new day by the Luleå river and after enjoying breakfast we will transfer to the Icehotel. Here you will check in for your first night in a cold Art suite or Deluxe suite or if you are not so brave a warm Kaamos hotel room.

This evening we have arranged a special dinner for you. The 5-course Ice menu.

After dinner, you will have time to walk down to the frozen river and we hope enjoy your final view of the Northern Lights. If not you can pop into the Icebar while you wait for them to come out.

Overnight in 1 x Kaamos Superior room, Icehotel, FB

or

Overnight in 1 x Deluxe Ice Suite, Icehotel, FB.

Day 8: Journey home from Kiruna

After breakfast your transfer will be arranged at a suitable time to take you to the Kiruna airport or train station for your journey home.