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hanneso
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Wilderness Camp, Lapland
This was perhaps the single most satisfying experience of all my travels... ever.
Coming from South Africa, snow is a rarity. But experiencing -20 Celcius temperatures as soon as you get off the place, is like entering a different world. The Wilderness Park experience entails driving snowmobiles to a remote camp between the Kaitum and Kalix rivers, where you will find a variety of huts, a restaurant, and a sauna waiting for you. The sauna is brilliant - we ran outside and dived stark naked into the snow, only to dash back and sauna again. The restaurant is great too, with typically Laplandish food, such as reindeer meat, which is very tasty.
After a cosy night in your thermal pajamas and sleeping bag, you then spend a day driving your snowmobile through nature, covered in a beautiful white blanket. A nice touch was meeting some people from the Sami tribe, who shared their lifestyle and beliefs with us, as well as some food, including Lingonberry juice.
As a guest of Volvo, I have no idea what this trip costs, but I would not hesitate recommending it to anyone, no matter what the price.
For more information visit www.visitlapland.com.
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hanneso
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LKAB iron ore mine
Perhaps visiting a mine is not the most glamorous of things to do during a holiday, but the LKAB iron ore mine in Kiruna certainly will raise your eyebrows. It is claimed to be the world's biggest underground mine. Probably the most startling thing is that the tour bus drives straight into it and descends a full 500 metres using underground road networks that will make a James Bond villain weep.
Once you're down there, you are taken on an information-loaded tour about the history of the mine and its surroundings, as well as the nature of the current operations.
It is quite sad, however, to notice how nature has taken a back seat to the mine. The town of Kiruna is said to exist only because of the mine, so when it says "jump", the town asks "how high?". Because of the underground mining, some parts of the town will soon start to sink in, necessitating the entire town to be moved! It is a project that will start soon. When you're down there, you'll be told the costs of this operation - it is huge!
There is also a restaurant deep down in the mine, and as you sit there drinking your coffee, you can see a huge bucket of ore shoot up to the surface. And finally, the underground museum may be small, but it was most certainly the highlight for me - anyone with an interest in history is likely to agree.
Overall, however, I would not put a visit to the LKAB mine as a must-do when you are in Kiruna, but if it is part of your tour schedule, then don't fear, it has its moments.
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annatravel
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Nordic lights
It is possible to see this nature-wonder in Sweden. Go to the extreme north of the country. Kiruna is the biggest city in the North, so it can be the right choice. There are regular flights from Stockholm Flynordic offers good prices. It was surprisingly cheaper then anywhere else to rent a car at Kiruna airport. I would highly recommend it. If you want to see the Nordic lights, you will need to arrive some day in November-February. Sweden has a real winter and in this period and location (145 km north of the Arctic Cirlce) it is extremely cold (It was -40-50C degrees during my trip in January) to walk arround for long distances or to wait for a bus.Anyway I still think that as far as public transport is very well developed and scheduled in Sweden, it shouldn't be a big problem in Kiruna (in case you don't drive). The cars gives the mobility to drive around outside of the city.
As I've mentioned the temperature already and I would like to particularly note that if you think that just a standard winter jacket will do, you are underestimating the cold. Get some special heat-keeping underwear and a ski suit with a face mask will be the best.
When you are all equipped it is much more comfortable to enjoy the mysterious Nordic Lights.
There is no guarantee though that even during the mentioned period you will be able to see it. Check the forcast for the clear (I can't say sunny, because there are polar nights) days. Clouds prevent the scenery and you won't see anything.
Also it is much better to go a little outside of the city lights (don't worry, Kiruna is not so much illuminated, only the small lights for practical reasons) in order to have the better view. Frozen lakes are really great for these purpose.
Nordic lights can have different colors and intensity, sometimes they are more green, sometimes more purple and red, and they vary in duration (from minutes to hours) In any case this is an unforgettable experience in Lapland, Sweden.
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