Round trip in Sami land 8 days
8 days.
Our most popular tour. We travel from wilderness lodge to wilderness lodge. 25-50km /day. Spectacular scenery from valleys to open barren land with low birch trees up to the Arctic tundra. We meet the Sàmi reindeer herders in their daily life on their winter pastures. Accommodation the night before and after the tour on Engholm Husky design Lodge.
A reasonable level of fitness, concentration and a sense of balance are the key attributes needed. You will have your "own" sled and responsible for 4 -6 dogs. For participants who have a experience with dog sledding, it is common to drive single dog team. With participants without previous experience of dog sledding, we normal start out the first day to driving a tandem team with 2 sleds and 8 - 10 dogs. You share a dog team with a partner or the guide. The guide and participants decide together whether it is best with double or single team. It is very easy to disconnect the sleds from each other so that there will be two single teams.
Detail program
Day 1: Program start with dinner at 19.00. Then your guide will give all information regarding the tour.
Day 2: The morning is spent provision of snowsuits, boots and other equipment. Organizing the teams of huskies and learning the basics of caring for your team and driving the sleds. The long sled-tour starts directly from the Lodge. . After a steep climb up to the mountain plateau we are mushing over a hilly stretch, crossing lakes, marshes and a stretch of barren land to Gardin mountain cabin.
Day 3: We reach the mountain plateau and tundra, a fascinating landscape where your view is endless. Here the landscape is scanty and windswept. In the evening we will arrive at Mollisjok mountain cabin. It is a "jewel" located right in the middle of nowhere on the plateau.
Day 4 The tour continues southwards on the river and we are passing two remote settlements. The Sámi people that live here get their outcome mainly from fishing. We finish the day at Soussjavre mountain cabin at the other end of a big lake.
Day 5: The area is a important winter pasture for reindeers. Sometimes it is possible to see large reindeer-herds. We end the night at Baeivasgiedde wilderness cabin, which is situated next to the river in a beautiful pine forest. We spend two nights here.
Day 6 This day will be memorable. We do a day trip to a winter settlement for Sámi reindeer herders who pursue their livelihood here on the winter pasture. You will be picked up in the morning by the herder with his snow mobile and transported in the sled to the reindeer herd.Usual we may spend the whole day together with them and join their daily life with their reindeers and get insight in their way of living and herding.
Day 7 A long stretch back to Karasjok. We follow the river. If we are lucky, we may see moose, as it usually stays in the valley during wintertime. Dinner gathered in the warm atmosphere is waiting for us at Engholm Husky Lodge. We have a cosy wood heated sauna and outdoor hot tub ready on request for those tempted! Maybe with northern lights above.
Day 8: The program end at breakfast. It's worth considering whether to stay some extra days for interesting activities as lodge guest before and after the tour.