Experience · Swedish Lapland

Husky sledding

Standing on the runners of your own sled behind six howling, ecstatic huskies, silence falling the second they launch — dog sledding is winter's great conversion experience.

Best forAdventure seekers · Wildlife & nature · Photographers
In October1°C · 14 rainy days
Ideal stayA day within a 4–5 night Arctic trip
Approx. flying time~10h 20m from Los Angeles

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Happens around Kiruna, Sweden — nearest airport Kiruna (KRN).

CurrencySEKSwedish krona
LanguageSwedish
Local time14:031h ahead of the UK
PlugsType C / FBring an adapter
Drive on theRightOpposite to the UK
Dialling code+46

The experience

Standing on the runners of your own sled, six dogs stretched out ahead and nothing but birch forest and frozen lake in front of you, is a very different proposition from riding as a passenger. Around Kiruna the terrain is open and the light in midwinter arrives as a long pink smear along the horizon rather than a sunrise. Trips range from a couple of hours to multi-day runs between wilderness cabins.

Give the region four or five nights so a sledding day sits alongside aurora hunting, a night in the ice-built rooms at Jukkasjärvi and time in Abisko, which has some of the clearest skies in the Arctic. December and early January bring polar night, atmospheric but very dark; February and March offer strong light and reliable snow. Cold here is serious rather than picturesque.

Ideal stay: A day within a 4–5 night Arctic trip
The vibe: Dark, glittering, seriously cold

From our guides

Around Kiruna, operators run everything from two-hour tasters to multi-day expeditions between wilderness cabins, and mushing your own team beats riding as cargo by miles. December to March is the season; book a morning slot for the pink Arctic light. The dogs accept your affection as rightful tribute.

Featured in Ten winter adventures beyond the ski piste

Make a trip of it

Driving your own team

Most operators around Kiruna train you to mush rather than ride, with a guide leading. It requires balance and a firm foot on the brake, nothing more.
Overnight expeditions

Multi-day trips run between simple wilderness cabins, with you feeding and harnessing the dogs. It is the version people talk about for years afterwards.
Abisko National Park

A rain shadow keeps skies here unusually clear, and a chairlift climbs to an aurora viewing station above the valley. The park is roughly an hour from Kiruna.
Jukkasjärvi ice rooms

The village on the Torne river rebuilds sculpted rooms of river ice each winter, open to visitors during the day as well as overnight.
Kiruna's moving town

Mining subsidence is forcing the whole town centre to relocate, with historic buildings physically transported. Few places make industrial history this visible.
Sami culture

Reindeer herding families around Jukkasjärvi and Nikkaluokta run visits that explain husbandry, joik singing and the pressures on a working herding life.

Getting there

Fly to
Kiruna (KRN)

The airport is on the doorstep.
Then
To Kiruna

Under 15 minutes by taxi or airport bus from Kiruna (KRN) into town. The overnight train from Stockholm is the scenic alternative, taking around 16 hours.
On the ground
Getting around

Kennels lie in the forest outside town and operators collect you from your accommodation, usually a 20 to 40 minute drive. Trips range from two-hour tasters to multi-day runs between wilderness cabins.

Public transport: Local buses link Kiruna, Jukkasjarvi and Abisko, and the Arctic railway runs on to Narvik. Everything else is arranged by the operators.

Flights

Los Angeles Kiruna, Sweden

Flying from

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Roughly 10h 20m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

Check dates and prices

Pick your departure date, then your return.

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Flight times are estimates; prices open on Google Flights.

When to go

Daytime highs run from about -9°C in January to 17°C in July. Driest in March and April and November; wettest in July, with rain on about 17 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

October1° · rain 14 daysCold and often wet.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis).

Where to base yourself

Wilderness lodges, cabins, mountain stations and a few functional town hotels, plus the seasonal ice hotel. Self-catering is common and useful given restaurant prices.

Best base overall
Kiruna

The airport, the supermarkets and most kennel pick-ups are here, and the town centre has moved to a new site, so check which part your hotel sits in. Industrial rather than charming.
Find stays in Kiruna
Best for couples
Jukkasjarvi

The riverside village of the ice hotel, twenty minutes from Kiruna, with sled tours leaving from the door. Cold rooms are a novelty best enjoyed for one night, and dining options are few.
Find stays in Jukkasjarvi
Best with children
Abisko

A mountain station on the lake with reliable clear skies, easy snowshoe trails and family rooms. Facilities amount to essentially one place to eat, and you arrive by train.
Find stays in Abisko
Quietest
Bjorkliden

Further along the line towards Norway, a tiny ski settlement with cabins, huge silence and little else. Splendid for aurora watching, hopeless if you want a choice of anything.
Find stays in Bjorkliden

Worth knowing before you book: The season runs December to March and the aurora weeks sell out early. Book the sled tour before the flights, since morning slots go first.

Search everything else in Kiruna by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.

Or see everything in Kiruna

Good to know

Season: Sledding runs roughly December to March, depending on snow. Late in the season brings long daylight, and early season brings darkness and the best aurora odds.
Clothing: Outer thermal suits, boots and mittens are provided. Wear wool base layers, bring a buff for your face and leave cotton at home entirely.
Aurora: Book two or three nights of chances rather than one. Clear, cold and away from town lights is the formula, and Abisko improves your odds considerably.
Getting there: Kiruna airport connects through Stockholm, and the overnight train from Stockholm to Abisko and Narvik is a fine, slow alternative.
Alcohol: Sweden sells spirits and stronger beer only through state-run shops with limited hours, and they are scarce this far north. Plan ahead or do without.