A great trip made even better in the 2009/10 season by a new lodge and management. Excellent range of activities and although it was extremely cold (-30 to -15) this was actually quite enjoyable and we rarely felt cold. The food was excellent, much better then previous descriptions because of the new lodge (we were the first guests), new management and new cook. Accommodation at new lodge was also very good.
- What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Getting the dogs ready for sledding. Getting 30 dogs ready in the cold who are all hyper excited was an amazing experience. We took lots of pictures but the sound of the dogs was even more amazing.
Although we had no direct view of sun it was actually very light during the day period because of the reflected light.
1st full day - built 1 1/2 igloo's. It was really good as we built two different types but ran out of time to finish one.
2nd day - dog sledding, overnight in winter camp which has limited electricity but is warm and comfy.
3rd day - dogsledding then overnight at Ice hotel - make sure reception know that you are supposed to get a tour
4th day - cross country ski-ing - we had some initial issues with the size of boots versus bindings so the lodge are going to work on the problem
5th day - snowmobiling - we saw reindeer, moose and birds on the trip thanks to the tour guide.
- What did you think of your group leader?
We did not have a single leader. The lodge staff and management we saw every day and they were all very friendly with excellent English. The lodge staff were very responsive so just talk to them if you want to know anything.
Each activity had a different leader and we met an interesting variety of people.
The advantage of this is that we got to meet and talk to some very interesting guides including a woman who owns her own sledge dog team but works part time as a truck driver, another guide used to work as an archaeologist, the third was a Sami reindeer herder who taught us how to use snow mobiles and he had an amazing eye for spotting wildlife.
- Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Clothing tips – the lodge supplied boots, overalls, hat, outer mittens and balaclava were all great. The overalls were quite bulky so it was good to have one cold weather outfit that you could wear to the main lodge restaurant or in the ice hotel ( I would not take the lodge overalls to the ice hotel as you are rarely outside and restaurants are quite smart).
I would recommend taking the following clothing: several pairs of thick socks, two sets of leggings, one thermal and maybe one thinner pair for when it is warmer or you are ski-ing. Several t-shirts including one thermal, some with long sleeves, some short sleeved so you can adjust for level of cold and activity. Two levels of fleece, one light micro jacket and then a thicker outer fleece layer. Scarf, balaclava and woollen/fleece hat. This plus the lodge supplied boots and overalls were enough to keep us warm. In fact sometimes we were too hot in our outfits.
Gloves were the main issue mainly because it was so cold. I would bring a waterproof glove with fingers for when you need to use your fingers, unless it is too bulky, it will then fit into your lodge-supplied mitten. The combination of the two for me was enough. If you are worried about the cold you could bring a thin pair of inner silk gloves as well. The dog sled instructor recommended bringing woollen mittens to wear inside the lodge supplied outer mitten. The lodge supply balaclavas but I would recommend bringing your own.
In the lodge area you only need casual clothes as you only have to travel short distances from the rooms to the restaurant and sauna.
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
Northern lights - they appeared for a short period on one night at 11pm but we missed it because we were in the ice hotel. If they appear it should be between 7 & 11pm, we then organised a regular watch but never saw them again.
Do not bring any extra food like I did, as you will end up not eating it, as the lodge-supplied food is so good. Except for breakfast every meal was different, good selection, very tasty and interesting. The Swedish biscuits were also a revelation.
Camera batteries perform poorly when it is really cold so take spares or a re-charger (your room has power sockets).
The Ice Hotel was disappointing at the very beginning, Exodus had arranged a tour for us but the hotel management missed the instruction so were sent from pillar to post for the first hour, so make sure when you check in that the receptionist knows that you are supposed to have a tour.
You do not need to bring a Thermarest or sleeping bag unless you really want to use your own or maybe want to sleep in your own igloo.
The evenings can get quite long as you finish relatively early (in December) so take something to do in the evenings like books, cards or games. The lodge has Wi-Fi and you have mobile phone reception throughout the area.
Also consider spending a few days in Stockholm before or after the trip. You can see a lot of the city in 1-2 days.
from 14 reviews.
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