We’ll meet at Stockholm Arlanda airport where we’ll board the overnight sleeper train for the journey north, beyond the Arctic Circle, to the outskirts of Sarek National Park. In the morning we swap the train for a bus, before a short boat journey brings us to Saltoluokta Mountain Lodge. We’ll spend a relaxed afternoon finalising plans and packing, before dinner and overnighting at the lodge.

 

In the morning, a short boat ride and bus take us further up the valley, skirting the northern extent of the National Park. One last, short boat ride sees us deposited on the south-western shore of Akkajaure, where our trek begins. 

 

After a short section through old birch forest following the Padjelanta trail, we branch off and climb toward the main valley system which provides our route into the centre of the park. Ascending above the treeline, we’ll hike over open tundra, with occasional stream crossings. As we push further south, a poorly defined trail leads us past an old Sami wood and turf house, used duration the migration between summer and winter pastures.

 

As we head deeper into the park the mountains rise up on either side, in places reaching just over 2000m, with hanging glaciers still siting in the high corries which dominate our view. After several days following the main valley system, we begin an ascent toward Basstavagge, a narrow valley which cuts between two of the area's mountainous massifs. 

 

The ground here is much rockier, as we cross moraines carried down by the numerous glaciers above. Just beyond the col, a gorge leads away from the valley and takes us south into the mountains, toward the highest part of our route, the summit of Vássjábákte. The summit commands views of the mountains to the west, and the plains stretching into the distance in the east. From here, we'll carefully pick an intricate line down the rocky southern flank of the mountain to reach the plateau below, the crux of the trip.

 

A day hiking across the plateau brings us to Skierffe, the shearsided cliff which overlooks the Rapa valley and the Laitaure, one of the largest freshwater deltas in Europe. Just beyond Skierffe we reach the Kungsleden, Sweden’s well-known long-distance trail, and the first infrastructure we've seen for many days. The trail leads north, crossing a lake by boat, and after a couple of days, returns us to our starting point at Saltoluokta for well-earned showers and a comfortable bed.

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In the morning we retrace our journey back to Stockholm, first by boat, then bus, and finally back on the sleeper train.