Arctic Circle Dog Sled Expedition in Sweden - Winter Activty Holiday

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 12 reviews.

Wayne Harvey

ARCTIC CIRCLE DOGSLED EXPEDITION

Written February 2013
An incredible week spent in the Arctic with feet like ice blocks but a smile that spans the latitude representing the Arcticle circle itself. Great fun, incredible scenery and a real sense of working with the dogs and being somewhere unlike anywhere else.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
There were many but surprisingly none involved the amazing Northern Lights we experienced. For me it was the sense of pure joy and serenity spent each day sledding along behind the dogs through one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever experienced. In particular the night mushing to the Sami lodge with chasing the setting sun as it sank below the tree line casting an orange hue over the otherwise white and green landscape, beautiful.
What did you think of your group leader?
Jan, a big burly German with great sense of humour, great patience and a genuine and obvious love of his dogs and the environment. His passion for the region is infectious. His passion for his dogs laudable. He never molly-cuddled us but never left us to sort things out if we were clearly struggling, the right combination for a guide in my book.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Socks, socks and socks!!!! Hot damn my feet were cold on the days it was approximately -28 degrees and were exposed on the lakes and rivers. Foot warmers that go next to your sock base layer would be a good shout in taking the icey edge off. Also don't bother packing more than 2 changes of clothes for the 5 days you are out, you'll not use them - just swap layers around. Snacks are probably not needed as the amount of meat you eat and the soup at lunches will keep you going all day (the caveat there being unless you are a vegetarian - not much in the diet for you folks I'm afraid, although the guide and places you stay will try and accommodate where they can).
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Smile, chill out, keep warm and don't be too concerned when that strange content smile covering your face freezes in place!
Brian Skelton

ARCTIC CIRCLE DOGSLED EXPEDITION

Written February 2013
What a Fantastic Holiday I really enjoyed it.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The Dogs are Fantastic I fell of a few times but that did not matter. When the sled tipped over and I managed to hang on I shouted to the Dogs to wait they looked around at me as if to say OK.
Seeing the Northern Lights was very special as well.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our Leader for the trip was Yan a German Man what a Great Man so nice and very helpfull as well. He knows his Dogs very well.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
My advice would be to make sure that you take Hand and feet warmers with you. Make sure that you pack plenty of warm clothes to take with you.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
I will be going on another Holiday with Exodus soon.
Mike McCarthy

ARCTIC CIRCLE DOGSLED EXPEDITION

Written February 2012
A well thought out trip which was worth doing for anyone looking to get away from their hectic lifestyle to one of the most serene and idyllic landscapes in the world. It basically gives you 4 days of sledding throught the most calm and peaceful landscape in the world as well as the opportunity to see the Northern lights and the ice hotel on the same trip.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Getting to see the Northern lights was my highlight, Incredible to see and lying own in the snow for 10 minutes as they just drift by was a once in a lifetime moment.
Seeing the dogs getting hyper in the morning was also a lot of fun as they are just mad to get going.
Seeing the Ice Hotel was also interesting.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our group leader was Jan, the owner of the local organisation white trail adventure. He went out of his way to make this an incredible trip and everything from the accomodation and fires to the food was brilliant. The food was always well cooked and there was plenty for everyone.
He was very hands on with the group and helped anyone strugging and always stopped to let everyone catch up as well as randomly stopping to check that the dogs were okay.
All in all he made the trip really enjoyable and would highly recommend the white trail adventure company to anyone.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Make sure you bring the headtorch and extra batteries, also something to read as it gets dark pretty early, there was power sockets in the suomi village on the 2nd night sleding so there is the opportunity to recharge electrical items.
You also really do need to either like dogs or at least be willing to put up with them as they are pretty hyper in the mornigns once they are about to be harnessed.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The trip notes were a bit vague about clothing requirements for the freezing temperatures. All you really need is loads of baselayers and a good hat and balaclava to wear while sledding, You`ll only really get cold when your not sleding so the standing around before you sled is when you need to be warm.
For people hoping to see the Northern lights, it does appear to be completely random when they appear, we saw them on our 2nd night but didnt see anything after that.
Hugh Hacking

ARCTIC CIRCLE DOGSLED EXPEDITION

Written March 2011
If you're looking for a break from reality then this is surely the right trip! It's an amazing journey of the senses that will keep you fascinated the whole way. Seeing the Northern Lights, meeting the Sami people and disappearing into the Arctic wilderness with a team of dogs all make for an experience not to be missed!
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The fresh snow sparkled like a billion diamonds in the clear morning sun after it had been snowing the previous day. Gliding through this jaw-dropping scene on a dog sled, with the crisp air in my face and just the sound of the patter of my dog team's feet in the soft snow rates as one of those few moments that I'll remember forever.
And the dogs - they are so amazing and wonderful. Their friendliness and ability went beyond my wildest imaginings. I loved every second with them. They found their way into my heart and I felt really sad when I finally had to say goodbye to them.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our leader was Milo? (pronounced Milosh), an absolute dog sledding expert. He participates in dog sled races and completely understands the dogs and their needs He has also spent a considerable amount of time with the Sami, is on good terms with them and knows a good deal about their customs. Most importantly he was great with our group, showing patience and offering to help whenever one of us had some difficulties. Our group was a diverse bunch and I believe he was instrumental in getting us to bond and have a huge amount of fun. One of the memorable moments was when we were in the sauna at the first camp and two of us expressed an interest in running to the creek for a dip. Well Milo? said that he would join us in support and so off the three of us went for a rather refreshing dash to the creek and back!!!
In summary, I couldn't have wished for a better leader.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
If you are a dog lover this trip is a must - if not, don't go! You will spend a lot of time with the dogs and will handle them and care for them. In the end you will probably pretty much smell of them!
In terms of fitness and strength: you definitely don't need to be a super-athlete or stong, but a reasonable level of fitness will make the experience more enjoyable because you will be active most of the day.
Be prepared for basic, shared, accommodation. The cabins are nice and warm but toilet trips require a visit to an outbuilding and if you want to wash you'll be doing it outside. The only exception is the night spent in the Sami town, Ovré Soppero, where you can have the amazing experience of having a good wash inside the sauna!
This is very much also a group experience and you will need to pitch in and help with the cooking, washing up, feeding dogs, getting wood and other chores that need to be performed. Our group was great and I found the group experience very rewarding.
Exodus provides excellent equipment but I would suggest you take thermal underwear (top and bottom), some form of mid-layer and a fleece tops and some comfortable trousers to wear under the overalls. Definitely take some polartec gloves to wear inside the mittens provided and to use when doing things that are not so easily done with mittens - such as harnessing the dogs. I also took 3 pairs of thick winter socks with 3 pairs of liner socks. Don't skimp on the quality of your socks. Your feet are likely to be the coldest part of you and most easily get damp. I come from a warm climate and I was very glad that I had a good down jacket, a balaclava and a thermal sleeping bad inner. I didn't need the running shoes that I took along and found the boots provided sufficient for the whole trip. You should definitely take a good head torch with spare batteries.
If you enjoy a drink in the evening then I would definitely suggest taking some vodka, or equivalent, along. The evenings in the cabins were great fun and some shared drinks definitely added to the experience.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Don't be put off by the cold. I travelled from temperatures 40 to 50 degrees warmer than we had during our trip and I was fine! If you have warm clothing you will be fine.
Take a good digital camera with spare batteries and space to take lots of pictures! You will have lots of great picture moments.
Don't be surprised if you start thinking about going back!!
Lastly, I travelled all the way from Cape Town and I was really impressed with Exodus. Every little detail was taken care of and the whole experience was slick from the moment I decided to book right up to my return.
Linda Still

ARCTIC CIRCLE DOGSLED EXPEDITION

Written March 2011
A very unique holiday, very enjoyable indeed, just wish we had been able to leep to the itinerary as described in the brochure.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Being able to cope with no electricity, and no running water and sleeping with a bunch of people I didn't know!!
What did you think of your group leader?
Jan was very young, however I admired him for taking over the business. He now just needs to tighten up ship a little. He also needs to discuss the days activities more with the guests so that we know exactly what is happening.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Just check out the itinerary - we didn't sleep under canvas or do the latter half of the trip - i would have liked to have known this. Bring a balaclava and lots of layers they really are essential.
Jeremy Johns

ARCTIC CIRCLE DOGSLED EXPEDITION

Written February 2011
Stunningly pristine winter scenery and a chance to experience some really Arctic temperatures in the company of your team of Husky mates.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The sheer excitement of the dogs when they sense that we're about to move off in the morning. At this point all conversation stops as there is no point. You can't hear yourself think. They really love their job.
Seeing a spectacular display of the Northern Lights, which, although not the mystical, life-changing experience others have sometimes made it out to be, was pretty impressive.
What did you think of your group leader?
Jan. Bit of a star really. Unflappable, great sense of humour and a good cook.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
It was quite nippy. During the week it averaged about -35C during the day (mid-February) and certainly went to -40C, probably significantly below, during the night. Our trip had to be re-routed because they were forecasting temperatures of –50c at one of the wilderness camps which is too cold for the dogs to sleep out in the open. However it didn’t spoil the fun.
Probably helps to like dogs ... you'll have to help with feeding the dogs, cleaning the lines, harnessing and unharnessing the teams, breaking up fights, putting out extra straw when really cold etc. You will get all sorts of mess on your gloves (but it's OK because it just freezes and falls off). Personally I think I enjoyed working with the dogs just as much as the sledding.
You cannot have too many socks ... or gloves .... or handwarmers!
Goggles/sunglasses didn't work at those temperatures ......... fogged up and then froze
As for spare/clean clothes and washing I suspect not too many people ventured out of their base layers during the week. I know I didn’t! … and the suggestion that anyone might want to take a sauna was generally greeted with incredulity!
Sleeping bags provided were fine.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
This is a really worthwhile trip. The scenery was stunning and I think we had wall-to-wall sunshine in a cloudless blue sky for five days. However, the real stars are the dogs.
Catherine Clarke

ARCTIC CIRCLE DOGSLED EXPEDITION

Written March 2010
An amazing holiday from start to finish. Made to feel welcome and comfortable throughout the trip.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Crossing a frozen lake in the dark with the only sound being the swish of the sled and the Northern lights dancing in the sky around us. Wow- it doesn't get better than that.
The frozen vodka cocktail at the ice hotel to celebrate a fantastic trip!
What did you think of your group leader?
Kent was brilliant. He made us feel comfortable and confident throughout the trip. He felt more like a friend than a guide. It was great fun to spend the week with him. It's clear that he looks after his dogs really well and he knows them all by individual traits. We were well looked after too, the food was good and as a veggie, I was really impressed that Kent went out of his way to cook special meals for me.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Remember a good headtorch, you will be travelling by moonlight- which by the way is a magical experience.
Take some sweets/chocs to share at night- Kent has a real sweet tooth!
Water bottles not great - froze within 10 mins of being out on the sleds. However breaks in every trip where Kent makes a brew!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Initially had doubts about fitness levels for this trip. However, not a problem. Loved every minute of the trip from feeding the dogs in the morning to settling down in the cozy wilderness cabins at night. Thought this would be a once in a lifetime experience, however, would now love to go again!
Don't worry about the cold- invest in some warm base layers, a buff, liner gloves and thick socks and you'll be fine. We coped with -30!