THE ROUTE

We’ll meet at Stockholm (airport where we’ll board the overnight sleeper train for the journey north, beyond the Arctic Circle, to the outskirts of the 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. This is where our trek begins. 

 

After a short section through old birch forest following the Padjalenta trail, we branch off and climb toward a high valley system, 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 leading us past an old Sami wood and turf house. As we head deeper into the park the mountains rise up on either side, in places reaching 2000m, hanging glaciers still remain in the high corries which dominate the 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 than before, as we cross moraines carried down by the numerous glaciers which hang above. Just beyond the col, a gorge leads away from the valley and takes us up into the mountains toward the highest part of our route, the summit of Vássjábákte, which commands views of the whole of the mountains to the west, and the plains to the east. From here we pick an intricate line down the rocky southern flank of the mountain to reach the plateau below.

 

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. We’ll either follow the trail north to reach our final boat crossing, or continue into the old-growth coniferous forest to the east, before turning north to eventually reach the same place. The short crossing brings us