All activities / Dog Sledding / Kiruna
Dog Sledding in Kiruna
The northernmost town in Sweden, a mining and gateway hub in Swedish Lapland ringed by frozen forest, fell and the Torne river. Kiruna and neighbouring Jukkasjarvi, home of the original Icehotel, are the base for husky sledding across the long Arctic winter, from November to April.
Why here
Kiruna is the hub of the Swedish Arctic and the natural base for driving your own team of huskies across a frozen wilderness of forest, lake and open fell. Around the town and neighbouring Jukkasjarvi, small family kennels run tours from a single afternoon to week-long expeditions, and the appeal here is that you learn to drive the sled yourself rather than just ride: standing on the runners, braking and steering a team of a dozen dogs through snow-laden spruce and out onto the ice. The season is long and dependable, roughly November to April, with deep cold, reliable snow and the northern lights often overhead on the evening runs. Multi-day tours push into genuine backcountry, camping or sleeping in wilderness cabins, feeding and harnessing the dogs at dawn, and covering real distance day to day. Jukkasjarvi adds the original Icehotel, rebuilt each winter from Torne river ice, as a striking start or end point. For anyone who wants the Arctic at the pace of a working dog team, deep in snow and silence, Kiruna is the place.
Best months
The dog-sledding season runs from about November to April, dependent on snow and ice; midwinter, December to February, is the coldest and darkest, with short blue-lit days and strong aurora odds, while March and April bring longer daylight and more comfortable temperatures for multi-day trips. Cold is the defining condition, often below minus twenty and colder on the fells, so operators supply thermal oversuits, boots and mitts. Tours run in most weather but can be shortened in storms. Beginners are trained before driving their own team.
Getting there & around
Kiruna has its own airport with direct flights from Stockholm, plus the night train, so it is one of the easier Arctic bases to reach. Kennels lie a short drive from town and from Jukkasjarvi, and most include transfers, warm outer clothing and meals; day tours suit a short stay, while three to seven-day expeditions need booking well ahead for the winter peak. Combine a sledding tour with the Icehotel, the aurora and a night in a wilderness camp. Bring warm base layers and a headlamp.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
Kiruna Husky
OutfitterKiruna Husky is a small family kennel owned by Sebastian Kamp, about 15 kilometres south of Kiruna at Kalixforsbron, with a pack of forty huskies. It keeps groups to between two and eight guests and runs morning and afternoon sled tours, northern lights drives, igloo overnights and a ten-day arctic survival expedition, with summer and autumn training tours on wheeled rigs. The kennel emphasises lifelong dog care, keeping its huskies from puppyhood through to retirement.
Lapland Sleddog Adventures
OutfitterLapland Sleddog Adventures is a husband-and-wife kennel run by Milos Gonda and Gaynor Leeper at Kurravaara, just outside Kiruna. It runs day tours and multi-day expeditions of three to seven days from November to April, with teams of twelve to fourteen huskies and nights split between a lodge, a cabin and a wilderness tent. Guests drive their own sled after training, and the small kennel is a repeat TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice winner known for its dog welfare.