Day 1: Flights, arrival and introduction
You will fly into Alta where a taxi will be waiting to take you to Karasjok Base Camp for dinner. You will spend the night in one of the beautifully designed and constructed log cabins.
Day 2: Acclimatisation to the Arctic
After breakfast you will be given your winter clothing, what you choose to do for the rest of the day is then entirely up to you. Any dog lover will simply adore being part of the husky farm here at Base Camp but there’s a lot more to do besides cuddling the puppies. You can try snowshoeing, kick sledging, a visit to the National Sami Museum, the Sápmi Sami Visitor Centre or the Norwegian Sami Parliament.
If you can’t wait to see the wilderness then you could take a snowmobile trip, a reindeer safari or a practice outing with the dogs. All payable activities payable locally.
Day 3 – Safari to Gardin Mountain Cabin
This morning you will learn how to manage and care for your team and your guide will ensure you are equipped with all the essential sledding skills you will need.
Once the sleds are packed you’ll head away from Base Camp following a steep incline onto the neighbouring plateau. It’s wild, windswept yet wonderful in these wintery uplands and you can’t fail to be impressed by the sense of remote isolation as the willing dogs race towards your wilderness cabin accommodation.
Day 4 - Safari to Mollisjok Mountain Cabin
Your journey continues across the endless winter landscapes high up on the plateau. There are very few, if any landmarks and it must be so easy to get lost in this unforgiving terrain. Be grateful that you are in the excellent hands of your guides and his trusty GPS (although we suspect these guys could do the trip blindfolded). Your overnight base is another wilderness cabin which can only be described as being “in the middle of absolutely nowhere”.
Day 5 – Safari across Lake Jiesjavrre
Today’s trail takes you across Finnmark’s largest Lake Jiesjavrre offering endless views in every direction. Again, it’s that sense of being in a vast, untamed space that is so inspiring. By now, you and your team should be a finely tuned unit and you’ll be getting to know each dog’s own special character. You’ll spend the night in the Jotka mountain cabin.
Day 6: Journey’s end and the Alta Igloo Hotel
Heading North West you’ll get your first views of the Arctic Ocean and the fjords. You deserve a pat on the back because most people only get this view from cruise ships. You’ve taken a far more remarkable and fascinating route across some wild terrain. Finally, this evening you’ll arrive outside the amazing Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel where you’ll spend the last night of your holiday.
Day 7: Departure, transfer and flights
After breakfast a taxi will arrive to take you back to Alta Airport for your flights home. What a journey!
Karasjok Log Cabins and Husky Farm
Nestled in the woodlands just 6km from Karasjok (the Sámi capital) is the base for some of the best dog sledding safaris in the world. To cap it all, we work with the acknowledged “Master” of Scandinavian mushing.
The site combines some unique log cabins and a husky farm that is home to approximately 50 sled dogs. It’s a very special place and, with only eight cabins, one that only a few people are privileged enough to enjoy. Each log cabin has been individually designed to combine comfort with traditional Sámi decor. It’s difficult to describe them as each one is different. The images here and on our website portray them best.
Here’s a measure of the effort that has gone into each. When out mushing, your host sees a piece of wood that would make a coat hanger, a shelf, a lamp stand, anything really. He uses his GPS to pinpoint its location and then picks it up next time he’s passing and fashions it into something both useful and remarkable. Lampshades made from bird feathers, comfy seats and dining tables hanging by ropes from the ceiling, reindeer skin stool covers and much, much more. Everywhere you look there is something that reflects living here in the Arctic.
Each hand built cabin has sleeping facilities for between 2 and 6 people with some having a lounge area, a kitchenette and most, a log fireplace, shower and toilet. Cabins are allocated on a first come, first served basis so book early if you prefer to not share washing facilities. Your meals are taken in the main building and there is a sauna and an outdoor hot tub with a lovely scenic view.
Karasjok Wilderness Cabins
On safari you will stay in wilderness cabins. Some of the cabins can be basic (no electricity or running water) but they are all comfortable and cosy, especially once dinner is cooking and the fire burning. Sleeping arrangements are generally in dormitory style areas. The cabins are usually so remote that there is little or no light pollution creating the best possible chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis.
Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel
This hotel recently won a national award for Design Excellence across Norway yet it remains completely uncommercialised with only 30 bedrooms. The hotel has a different theme each year and all of the rooms are uniquely designed around this. In 2010 the theme was water and the sculptures and lighting portrayed this fantastically well.
The whole hotel measures approximately 2000 square meters and is kept at a temperature of between -4 and -7 degrees. At night you sleep on an ice bed, covered with reindeer skins wrapped up snug in arctic graded sleeping bags which are recommended for use in temperatures down to -30!
There is a warm and a cold restaurant for you to choose between, both equipped with a full bar. Alternatively you could spend your evening in the outdoor hot tubs gazing at the sky hoping for the Northern Lights to appear. Don’t worry; the sauna is warmed from 7am and we highly recommend this as a way to start your day!
