What to do in the Arctic Circle－Abisko, Sweden? Dog sledding | Ice Fall | Lake Torneträsk
I had never thought about going to Northern Europe, not even within the Arctic Circle because it is quite expensive and freezingly cold. I would say I was totally wrong. (The expense will be shown in the end.) Surprisingly, it turns out one of my favorite trips.
About Abisko
Abisko is a village in Lapland, northern Sweden, roughly 250 km within the Arctic Circle, 37 km to the border between Norway and Sweden. It is a good place to go hiking, swimming during summer. As for winter, Auroras can be seen easily and frequently here. Besides, the population here is less than 100 people, which makes it the perfect place to enjoy Nature.
The whole journey to Abisko was an accident.
My friend Jackson asked me one afternoon before going, “Hey, I wanna go to Sweden. Join?”
And then I just went there without any hesitation. Though it took me the entire afternoon to deal with all tickets, I still couldn’t manage our itinerary properly.
On the next day, Jackson forgot to bring his passport and realised that at the airport. (Really wanna kill him)
Eventually, I took the flight to Stockholm alone.
My Itinerary
3/22–23 Stockholm
3/24 Abisko
Overnight train to Abisko » walk around the village
3/25 Abisko
Dog Sledding » Abisko National Park » Sauna in Abisko.net » Chasing the Northen Light
3/26 Abisko
Take a Stroll on Lake Torneträsk » Overnight train to Stockholm
3/27 Back to Prague
It seems to be 4 days 4 nights in Abisko, but literally, we only spent 2 and a half days in Abisko (32 hours on the train excluded). It was a bit short but I had so much fun and had done the activities I wanted.
What to do during the daytime?
There are a lot of activities to enjoy in Abisko such as snowmobile, dog sledding, ice fishing, ice climbing, hiking, skiing, visiting Abisko national park. Some people might take an hour train to Narvik, Norway. Most of the activities are not free except visiting the national park, hiking, skiing (provided by the hostel.) I used Abisko.net to book those activities.
I suggest arranging one activity in each morning and afternoon. The reason is that there is no bus in the village, it will be tiring to go anywhere by foot in the snowy days. If you want to go hiking or visiting Abisko National Park, it will take much time walking. Beware of your cell phone because it might shut down in the cold weather. Hand warmers and power banks are highly recommended to be brought with you. It is easy to get lost without google map in a totally white scenery.
What did I do in Abisko?
◊ Abisko Canyon and Ice Fall in Abisko National Park
Due to the wide range of the national park, I had only visited Abisko Canyon, which almost also took me 5 hours on a round trip. It was pretty difficult to walk in the snow so I got lost a bit.
Way to Abisko National Park－purely white
Although there were signs all the way, I still got lost.
I thought it’s not the Canyon since the snow covered all the things. Until I got closer to it, I started to be afraid of the depth of it. Eventually, I walked much more carefully to prevent falling down.
My first time seeing ice fall－How gorgeous it was!
You know how cold it was from my outfit－as I remember it was about -7 °C.
This small cave on the right was bombed to make the railway be built easier.
The full map of Abisko National Park Map
◊ Strolling on Lake Torneträsk
I was afraid to take a stroll on a lake since I had never walked on any lakes in my entire life. But I was convinced by some friends met in the hostel. They said, “helicopters can even land on it.”
The closest shore of lake Torneträsk is 15 minutes away from my hostel on foot. It will take 2 hours to cross the lake if you walk really fast. After we strolled and chilled for 3 hours, we found out that we had only accomplished the one-fourth of the whole distance. I think maybe because it was all in white so it was hard for us to make sure the direction. So, make sure you open the google map all the time.
Lake Torneträsk is surrounded by mountains. How spectacular!
The Lapponian Gate
Interesting grains.
We wrote some Chinese on the snow. It means “we make our whole way to the North.”
We made snow angels as well.
There were some snowmobiles passing by. You can see the lines on the snow.
Roasted chicken drumsticks after the stroll. (only cost 40 SEK/2 Kg)
◊Dog Sledding
You can choose to drive your own sled (Winterday Tour 1700SEK /per person) or by the coach (Dogsledding Experience 1600SEK/per person.) I chose the dog sledding experience at the end due to the lack of time.
From one of my friends’ experience, she thinks winterday tour is quite interesting but you might fall due to the lack of skill. It was a shame for me to not take that one, or I would like to try. However, sitting on the sled for 2 hours is also prettychill.
It is no need to wear too much on the chosen day because they will provide coats, boots, gloves.
Remember to take your beanie and scarf with you. The wind is quite strong, which makes you headache and your face might be frozen. (advice from a person who forgot them and felt freezingly cold during the tour)
A Swedish couple and I shared the same sled with 8 Huskies pulling us.
Sitting in the front is easier to take photos but it felt uncomfortable, or you must lay on the person behind you. Otherwise, sitting in the back is the most comfortable way to chill but, of course, difficult to take pictures.
Let’s Go!
The Lapponian Gate
There was break time in the middle of the tour. We went down to hug those Huskies to cheer them up. How lovely they were! Even one of them loved to follow me if I hugged the other Husky.
One of the smartest dogs in the world－They know how to cooperate with each other as a team.
I asked our coach, “How do you know where it is? because I think it looks really similar.”
She chuckled, “Because I have lived here for a long time.”
But I still cannot get it how not to get lost in purely white until now.
Last shot with my favorite husky. Sooooo cute >///<
How much did I spend for 4 days 4 nights?
Abisko double beds room 325 SEK/per
Abisko share room for 6 beds 250 SEK/per
Stockholm to Abisko Train 737 SEK/per
Abisko to Stockholm Train 638 SEK/Per
Dog sledding 1600 SEK
Food 240 SEK
Total 3790 SEK = 362.54 EUR (The most expensive one is dog sledding, but it worths.)
Though there are only 85 inhabitants, one supermarket, one restaurant, it is one of my favorite trips in my life. It is a place for you to enjoy Nature. Walking under sunshine, seeing the snow can be all the best moments there. Nevertheless, due to the little population, people are more connected with each other. We greeted every one if we passed by. Unintentionally, I start a conversation with another stranger. It originally should be supper for 2 people. Then it became a feast with sharing food from everyone. Lots of friends join in our trip and make consistent friendships and amazing memories.
Here, I can feel the most extraordinary passion and kindness, which makes me recall the memories in Taiwan.
On the other hand, Abisko itself surprises me so much. Aurora, ice fall, ice lake, and dog sledding－ I cannot experience these activities in Taiwan, Aurora in particular. It is tricky because I didn’t expect to see the Aurora here. At the moment I saw it, I was so touched to almost cry. No wonder why people go all the way just to take an eye on it in their life. How lucky I am!
Looking forward to seeing you from my next story of chasing Auroras, see ya.
