Photo: Andy AndersonThe famous Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, outside Kiruna, has been a bucket list item from many travellers for about three decades now. Every year a new Icehotel is built from the ice from the Torne River and suites designed by artists from all over the world. These days you can visit Icehotel all year round. The Icehotel 365 is drifted by the natural cold in Jukkasjärvi during the winter. And all summer long, solar energy from the magical Swedish Lapland midnight sun keep the suites cold. icehotel.com
Photo: TreehotelFrom the start Treehotel in Harads has always been about great design, Sweden’s most well-known architects together with the Finnish/Norwegian architect Sami Rintala designed the six first rooms. Treehotel’s seventh room, called “The 7th room”, is a masterpiece of space among the treetops, designed by world-famous architects Snøhetta from Norway. The room is located ten metres up in the pines, and it has large panoramic windows facing north, and along with skylights in the bedrooms, they will allow guests to watch the magnificent northern lights. treehotel.se
Photo: Markus AlataloSituated at 1228 masl, the mountain station Låktatjåkko in Kiruna’s mountains hosts the highest post office as well as the highest bar in Sweden. You will find a great selection of Mackmyra, Sweden’s first whiskey, as well as a very cosy open fire pit to embrace after a day in the snow. Låktatjåkko isn’t anything fancy, it’s an old mountain hut, but the service, ambience, food and place itself is really something extra. And besides that – Sweden’s most famous waffles are served here. bjorkliden.com
Photo: Ted LogartGeunja Sámi Eco Lodge is a place out of the ordinary. At this eco-lodge, there’s no electricity or running water. Even with people there, the calmness of the place stands out. For 30 years, Mikael Vinka and his family have invited people to their home in Vindelfjällen. Today he welcomes a small number of guests to Geunja in Ammarnäs. One of the things about Geunja is that all the guests help out making food, doing dishes and tidying up – or with haymaking when it’s time for that. samiecolodge.se
Photo: Sapmi NatureBetween Gällivare and Jokkmokk, in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Laponia, reindeer herder Lennart Pittja promises a truly authentic Sápmi experience. The campsite, consisting of five lavvus – the Sámi word for tents in tipi style – has all the ingredients of glamorous camping, aka glamping. Also, meeting Lennart and learning more about the Sámi people of Unna Tjerusj (the Sámi community) makes for a great way to experience Sámi culture. sapminature.com
Photo: Carl-Johan UtsiIn the small village of Risudden, along the Torne River – on the border to Finland – is Arthotel Tornedalen. Gunhild Stensmyr was a curator for many of Swedens finest art museums and exhibitions. She got homesick one day and moved back to Tornedalen (Torne River Valley). She started restoring old abandoned houses and farms from her youth, and today, you can rent some of the smartest refurbished little houses in Risudden, decorated with many pieces from Gunhild’s own art collection. arthoteltornedalen.se
Photo: Carl-Johan UtsiArjeplog in the south of Swedish Lapland hosts several attractions, and one of the most popular of these is Silver Lodge. Arjeplog offers some of the best ice driving events in the world, being the testing ground for many of the most famous car brands. If you would like to try out how the horsepower in a new Maserati reacts to your driving temper or how a new Ferrari 458 behaves on the ice, Arjeplog is the place to go. silverresort.se
Photo: Eric BorgLogger’s Lodge is an almost square timber building in the middle of the forest down by the water near Harads in the municipality of Boden. The red house lights up the place like a Swedish dream in the sparse forest. The dominant feature inside the lodge is the fireplace in the middle of the room. This used to be a hut with beds along the walls where eight lumberjacks would live in winter as well as in summer, frying pork over an open fire. Today it is a private eco-luxury lodge for two, with 5 km to the nearest neighbour. This is the ideal location for privacy, silence and to experience the northern lights. loggerslodge.com
Photo: Andy AndersonAbout 150 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, by the Lainio River, you’ll find the village of Särkimukka with about 20 times more dogs than people. Four kilometres beyond the end of the public road in Kangos, Pajala, in the Torne Valley, you’ll find Pinetree Lodge. Beautifully surrounded by dense pine tree forests and just beside the lake Saarijarvi. Pinetree Lodge is owned and run by Johan Väisenen and Sara Ljunggren. They arrange all kinds of activities, dog sledding being their main focus. Here you’ll find everything you need for that perfect winter vacation. explorethenorth.se
Photo: Fredrik BromanSpecialising in photographic courses and inspiration tours, this glamping site is the perfect spot for budding photographers with lots of nature motifs nearby, opportunities for low light photography, etc. and the guiding hand by an experienced photographer and camp owner Fredrik Broman. The camp itself is an adventure; here, you can relax in the pristine environment, stroll around on the forest trails or on the frozen ice. Why not borrow a fat bike and head out in the snowcovered forest? aurorasafaricamp.com
