Have you ever dreamt of a white snowy landscape, hords of reindeers and a real life winter wonderland? Well, welcome to Swedish Lapland. Situated in the north of Sweden this is the place where all your winter dreams can come true. I have just arrived back home after a press trip to this beautiful area with Heart of Lapland and the community Friendcation SE. There are several beautiful places to visit when in the north of Sweden, and we visited some of them on this trip.
I will never forget this trip. It is something about the arctic nature, the silence outside and the friendly people. Traveling to Swedish Lapland (this time to Tornedalen) reminded me of all the beauty we have in Sweden. And it reminded me to keep exploring our country.
Camp Torne Valley Experience
Meet the reindeers and enjoy a local lunch in the Sami cot with Camp Torne Valley Experience. Even for a Swede this is an exciting experience, especially if you are from the middle or south of Sweden, since reindeers only is common in the north of Sweden. We were greeted by the reindeer Tarzan and the 7 months old baby Torsten at the camp. We had some warm cranberry juice seasoned with cinnamon and cardamom to start with and then we went for a little walk in the woods with the reindeers. The surroundings here are just magical, it is quiet and the snow lights up the area. Afterwards we enjoyed a warming reindeer stew with bread by the fireplace in the Sami cot. Read more about the reindeer activities at Camp Torne Valley Experience.
Frevisören Camp & Resort
Enjoy a good nights sleep and amazing food at Frevisören Camp & Resort. The camp is situated in Kalix muncipality, near the water, and we stayed in their lovely beach cabins. The restaurant serves amazing Swedish dishes paired with great wine. We tried the reindeer filet with red wine sauce which was delicious. We also had the chance to try floating, a form of ice bathing but with suits on so you don’t get wet at all. A really cool experience! Afterwards we had a glass of champagne and some tartlets with Kalixlöjrom, whitefish roe, a local delicacy. At Frevisören Camp & Resort you can try all kinds of activities like dog sledding, snowmobile safari and join a trip on a Polar Explorer Icebreaker. Read more about the activities.
Kukkolaforsen
Have you ever smoked fresh fish by the fireplace? If not Kukkolaforsen is the perfect place to try. This picturesque fishing village, on the border to Finland, will have you wanting to stay there forever. The fish “sik” or whitefish is in focus here and if you come during the right season you can fish a lot of it in Torne Älv. The north of Sweden and especially the hotel att Kukkolaforsen is known for their sauna rituals, they have no less than 15 saunas! So this is the perfect place to sit back and relax. Read more about Kukkolaforsens activities.
Huuva Hideaway
Pia and Henry owns this magical place called Huuva Hideaway in Övertorneå. We were greeted there with big smiles and we were not only served an amazing dinner with reindeer tartar and local fish, but we also had the chance to ride the “spark” down to the sauna. And of course there was a hole in the ice, which was made for us to ice bath in. Starting off with some hot sauna and ice bathing we definitely enjoyed the warm dinner afterwards with great company of the hosts. Unfortunately we didn’t have the chance to stay for the night at Huuva, something I really wish to do in the future because the lodging was so nice and homey. Read more about Huvva Hideaway.
Lapland Guesthouse
Lapland Guesthouse is really something unique. This magical place is situated in Kangos in Pajala municipality and Johan who owns the place has really created something special. From the big Viking cabin, to the cozy bar and the random red telephone booth outside on the courtyard. At Lapland Guesthouse you become part of the community, you meet other guests and you sit down together and share experiences. You also sleep like an ice queen! The guesthouse has different kinds of housing, both cabins and rooms.
Our group also had the pleasure to try ice driving in quads! Racing around the icy path just minutes away from the guesthouse. I never thought I would try to drive Mario Kart, Swedish Lapland style, but here we are! I definitely recommend this activity. We had so much fun and it is very unexpected since not many places offer this kind of activity.
There are so many more activities at the guesthouse too. You can try everything from ice fishing and blacksmithing to meeting the huskies and looking for the northern lights. Read more about Lapland Guesthouse.
Jockfall
The waterfall Jockfallet was one of my favourite experiences from this trip. This massive waterfall is just stunning. It is the biggest waterfall in the Kalix river. The village is called Jockfall and the restaurant and cottages that we visited is just minutes away from the waterfall. You could actually hear it from the cottages, very soothing. During the summer the main attraction is the salmon fishing. If you’re interested in fishing salmon this is the place to be! Actually Jockfall is open all year around, because there is always something to do like hiking, cycling, ice fishing and snowmobile tours. Read more about Jockfall.
Norrbottens Destilleri
We finished off our trip with a visit to Norrbottens Destilleri in Töre. This multi award-winning gin craft distillery is using everything available in the Swedish Arctic nature nearby to create unique tastes perfect to enjoy as it is or in a cocktail. The distillery started of small, but can now be found at top class restaurants like Aira and Brasserie Astoria, and at Systembolaget of course. Read more about Norrbottens Destilleri.
Coming back home
Coming back home to Stockholm after this trip has not been easy. After four days of gorgeous nature, peacefulness, fun activities and great company I was not ready to sit on the jam-packed subway again. I think this kind of trips is cleansing for the soul. You get more grounded and take the time to appreciate what this country actually offers. It was amazing to meet all these entrepreneurs and to understand that you can build with what you have, and also be grateful for what you have. I think that is something that people in the bigger cities might have forgotten. I am so grateful for this trip, for the chance to meet so many inspirational souls, both in the Friendcation group and at the different activities and lodgings. I’m already longing to travel back to Swedish Lapland.
Isabelle Wallin 