The Northern Lights are one of the most spectacular natural phenomena that can be witnessed and the Swedish Lapland it is one of the best areas in the world to experience it. An aurora borealis is so different from anything else you might see: usually a green, but also blue, purple or red light that takes the shape of drapes, rays and arches and moves across the dark sky, sometimes for just a few minutes, sometimes for several hours. It is an unforgettable experience to sit around an open fire in the midst of the magnificent Lappish nature, surrounded by snow and darkness, and watch the Northern Lights dance on the great vault of heaven above us. Why not look for this truly memorable experience in small intimate oases away from the usual itineraries?
Unusual experiences in Swedish Lapland
1 Northern Lights glamping
The Northern Lights, best seen from September to March, occur most often in the auroral oval between the 65th and 72nd parallels north, making the whole of Swedish Lapland an excellent destination for viewing, from Abisko e kirun to the west, to Haparanda and the River Valley Make it to the east on the border with Finland.
In Abisko, where the sky is mostly cloudless, aurora tourism began 20 years ago and has since attracted large numbers of visitors from all over the world. If you want to go in search of the Northern Lights and experience the Arctic winter in little-known areas of Swedish Lapland, book a stay in small towns far from mass tourism, which all offer wonderful experiences in contact with traditions and nature. Together with the locals you share their Arctic lifestyle. Try the glamping in heated tents in the middle of the forest or sleep in designer igloos, in an 18th century estate, in cottages located directly on the frozen rivers or sea or why not book a luxury lodge just for you to relax in the silence of uncontaminated nature ?
2 Snowmobile tour
While waiting to go hunting for the aurora, you can participate in snowmobile tours or by dog sled in the snowy forest with lunch on an open fire, on a moose safari, try ice fishing in rivers and lakes, cross-country skiing, snow tours on fatbikes or snowshoes, get to know the Sami culture and see reindeer up close, or go out on the icebreaker Polar Explorer in the Gulf of Bothnia. After spending several hours in the cold, it is a pleasure to warm up in a wood-fired sauna before enjoying local specialties such as moose and reindeer cooked in different ways, whitefish, salmon, mushrooms and berries and last but not least the coveted whitefish caviar white. After dinner it's time to go out and look for the aurora, hoping for the luck of being able to admire it.
3 Sami tents and eco-lodges
An hour north-west of the Gulf of Bothnia, amidst the great forests and along Råneälven, one of Lapland's still unchanged rivers, you can experience theNorthern Lights and the Arctic lifestyle in two small and very suggestive accommodations.Aurora safari camp it is the world's first glamping site in an arctic winter climate and is inspired by camps in the African bush. To reach it, you travel the last stretch on a snowmobile through the forest and over the frozen river. Here you sleep comfortably lavvu (Sami tents) heated with wood stoves or in two brand new cone-shaped cabins with glass ceilings. In addition to taking part in various guided tours, you can borrow cross-country skis and snowshoes and wander around the snow-covered forest on your own. From the end of February there is also the unique opportunity to fly in a hot air balloon over the Arctic landscape!
In the same river valley is the small eco-lodge Arctic Retreat, certified by the Swedish ecotourism brand The Nature's best. It offers overnight stays in three beautiful log cabins – each with an outdoor hot tub where you can relax in the evening and, with a bit of luck, enjoy the Northern Lights. Those who want to learn how to photograph the aurora can join a night excursion with a photographer. Less common activities such as learning to sculpt from ice are also organised.
4 Lapland Guest house: red wooden houses on the riverbank
Another perfect place to spot the aurora is the area around the river Laino, in the far north of Swedish Lapland. Just outside the village of Kangos, 150 km north of Arctic Circle, the cozy is located Lapland Guest house, a collection of originals red wooden houses on the river bank. The rooms and common areas are individually designed with unique themes and most of the buildings were hand-built by the owner Johan Stenevad. Dinner is served in a traditional 700th century house, full of atmosphere. A memorable experience is the reindeer safari where you have lunch outdoors among them. In the evening, Johan takes you on an aurora hunt with a sleigh to a place near the river, where you sit comfortably around a live fire under the immense vault of heaven.
5 Sleeping in the red cottages
In the Torne valley, the mighty river that flows into the Gulf of Bothnia where the twin border towns of Haparanda (on the Swedish side) e Lathe (on the Finnish side), there is the ancient cultural village of Kukkola with its fishermen's huts, fishing museum and water mills. The Spolander family runs the lodge here at the rapids Kukkolaforsen with its pretty red cottages and recently built hotel rooms with a small terrace facing the river. During various frozen river activities, such as ice fishing and snowmobile tours, you cross the border several times between Sweden and Finland. Kukkolaforsen is also a paradise for sauna lovers with 14 saunas in the area, including the smoke one, typical for the Torne Valley. A true gastronomic experience to enjoy in Kukkola is the traditional cooking of whitefish. The fish is skewered on small branches and toasted over an open flame in the center of an ancient hut. Also, like in Haparanda, a double is celebrated here New Year, first on the Finnish side and an hour later on the Swedish side!
Lapland: see also
6 Sleep in a charming estate
Traveling along the river instead Kalixälven find several pleasant accommodations where you can live the Arctic lifestyle. Outside the town of Kalix and not far from where the river flows into the Gulf of Bothnia, there is the ancient charming estate Filipsborg herrgård, in an enchanting position above the river. Here you can relax in the hotel's historic rooms and enjoy local food traditions. In winter the family's reindeer can be found in the nearby forest, and you can accompany the owners to feed them. It's a very special experience to find yourself surrounded by hundreds of reindeer! Naturally, among the various activities offered, a midnight tour in search of the Northern Lights is also on the program.
7 Sleep in an igloo or a wooden house
Another memorable accommodation in the area is the Ice & Light village, five modern cottages directly on the riverbank, enclosed in an igloo-shaped shell, decorated with Scandinavian furnishings and large windows towards the river and the sky. If you want to experience a stay directly on the frozen sea, you can choose the comfortable houses at the Nordic Lapland resort which are located at the beginning of the archipelago of Kalix. After an unforgettable tour on an icebreaker on the Gulf of Bothnia or on a snowmobile on the sea, in the evening you go out on snowshoes in search of the Northern Lights, stopping to grill hot dogs in the midst of nature – a simple but tasty culinary experience, much appreciated by the locals.
8 Meet Sami and their reindeer
1,5 hours further north along the river Kalix having just crossed the Arctic Circle, it is found Jockfall, with its beautiful waterfall. Having been a fishing paradise only in summer (some of the best salmon fishing in Europe is found here), it is now opening up for winter wilderness experiences around the river by staying overnight in newly built cottages. Among other activities, meetings with i Sami and their reindeer and dog sled tours.
9 Husky sled tour
A half hour south to Upper calyx, you can stay at Grand Arctic Resort, and experience the atmosphere of a typical Lappish town. The hotel is located right on the frozen river, which invites you to go hiking or cross-country skiing. There is a wide range of activities to choose from, such as full-day husky safaris and Northern Lights tours on foot or by snowmobile.
10 All-inclusive accommodation in a lodge
If you are looking for luxurious accommodation just for you with an all-inclusive package, you can book an exclusive stay at Logger's Lodge, a private retreat for two to six people with 24-hour service. The lodge, located in the middle of the forest, 24 km from the nearest village, Harassed, best known for being the home of the tree hotel and of the little one hotel-spa Arctic Bath made in the Lule River, it was built in the late 1800s as a temporary home for loggers who transported lumber down the streams to sawmills on the coast. The package (minimum 3 nights) includes transfer from Luleå Airport, various winter activities, gourmet dinners and spa. The separate sauna building has floor-to-ceiling windows that create the feeling of being in the middle of nature. And with any luck, the Northern Lights will appear as you relax in the outdoor hot tub surrounded by snow.
Curiosities about Swedish Lapland
According to the Sami, the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, the Northern Lights were the souls of the ancestors and it was dangerous to tease the spirits by waving, whistling or singing beneath them as this could reveal the presence of humans to them, and anyone who caught the attention of the light could be kidnapped and raised into the sky.
How to Get There:
To reach most of the accommodations you arrive by plane or by night train from the Swedish capital, Stockholm, to Luleå, from where you continue by rental car or an organized transfer. Lapland Guest House it is instead closer to Kiruna airport.
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