During this winter adventure, Horses of Taiga offers you a real adventure in the wilderness, three rides on Icelandic horses, dogsledding, encounters with reindeer, as well as local and traditional food at every meal. The whole experience is certified by Nature's Best Sweden, the Swedish label for ecotourism.
Daily itinerary
Day 1: Arrival
Arrival at Skellefteå airport in the afternoon. Horses of Taiga will pick you up and drive you to your accommodation, the lovely campsite of Rännudden. You settle into your cabin for the week and have a relaxing first evening. Dinner is served in a small restaurant.
Day 2: Wilderness exhibition and first ride in the snow
Breakfast at the camp. They pick you up in the morning for a whole day in the beautiful village of Svansele. You will start with a guided tour of the biggest wildlife exhibition in Sweden. Your guide’s tales accompany you along the twelve thematic rooms. You will know everything before you get to see it for real during the activities. After the tour, you will enjoy a nice lunch around the fire, cooked from the most local products.
You then head to the farm where you meet fluffy Icelandic horses, prepare them for the tour, and get to know a little more about their specificities. When everyone is ready, you take directly the direction of the forest for a two-hour ride. Tölting in the snow is a unique feeling. After the ride and a warm drink, they drive you back to the camp where you will enjoy a nice dinner.
Day 3: Full-day ride
Breakfast at the camp. Today, you spend the whole day with the horses. You drive to the farm, pick the horses, pack your lunch in the saddle bags, and get everything ready for the ride. You ride through snowy landscapes, between frozen lakes and hopefully spotting a few animals. Reindeers, mooses, and foxes - you never know who you can meet on the way. You stop by a lake for lunch and make a warming fire. Then you take the road again with fluffy companions. Dinner and night at the camp.
Day 4: Dog sledding and meet the reindeer
Breakfast at the camp. In the morning, you drive to the kennel, in Åmliden. There you will meet Lena and her sled dogs. She will first give you all the instructions for the adventure. Then you will go for an exciting experience: driving your own dog team. You share a sled with another participant, so everyone gets to try driving as well as sitting in the sled. After this exciting adventure, you drive to the friend Börje, a reindeer herder.
He will serve you a nice warm lunch around the fire and tell you about the life and ancestral customs of his people, the Sami, who were once nomadic, traveling according to the movements of the herd. In the afternoon, you get the chance to observe the reindeer up close. Dinner and night at the camp.
Day 5: Snowshoe hike with a sleddog, moonlight ride
After breakfast, you drive to Jenny and Basti’s farm for your next adventure: a snowshoe hike accompanied by sled dogs. They will introduce you to their friendly dogs and show you how to enjoy the hike at its most. It can be a bit challenging, but the pace will always be adapted to the participants and the weather. A nice homemade lunch will take place in the forest or at the farm, according to temperature.
Later in the afternoon, you head back to the farm for a moonlight ride. There is no feeling like riding in the dark, letting your horse guide you through the night. The moonlight, pitch dark, or sometimes even northern lights - every weather condition makes this experience unique. After the ride, you warm up with a nice woodfire sauna and a warm dinner around the fire at the farm. You then drive you back to the camp for the night.
Day 6: Departure
Already the last day. After breakfast, they drive you back to Skellefteå where you can catch your transport towards home or your next adventure.
Riding information
- Level: Comfortable in all gaits and good physical condition needed
Important information
Winter in Lapland is quite demanding for the body. Thus make sure you are in a good physical condition when you come there. Walking, riding, playing outside in temperatures that can be from minus 10 to minus 30 Celsius degrees, and with heavy clothes on: your heart needs to be prepared. Children must be well dressed and they might not always be able to stay the whole day outside if the temperatures are low.