4 Day Winter Horse Riding Holiday in Kiruna, Sweden
Mountain Horse Riding Holiday Sweden
Welcome to Ofelas Islandshästar for a great winter adventure in the north of Sweden with the best of activities. You get to go reindeer sledding, ride Icelandic horses, learn about the Sami culture, see reindeer, and drive a snowmobile. You have local guides with you who are very familiar with the area and culture. During these days, you also visit the famous Ice Hotel. You will feel peace and quiet, and be much out in nature. Hopefully, you will see northern lights, reindeer, moose and other animals. What you will experience when you visit Kiruna is both genuine and exciting.
Key Information
- Rider Weight Limit: 198 pounds / 90 kilograms
- Horse height range: 130-150 centimeters
- Tack: Icelandic/English tack
- Horse Breed: Icelandic Horses
Meet the instructors
Read more
Highlights
- Riding lesson on the first day
- Snowmobiles with outdoor lunch
- Northern lights tour on horseback
- Sami culture, reindeer sledding, and Ice Hotel
- Icelandic horses with equipment
- Swedish and English-speaking guide
- 3 nights accommodation with daily meals
- Airport pick up and drop off
Skill level
- Beginner
Styles
Accommodation
Facilities
- Sauna
- Kitchen
If you want to live close to nature, have animals, like moose, outside your window, and experience the silence, this is the place for you. Ofelas has two houses for rent at the horse farm, one with three bedrooms, a common kitchen, and two bathrooms (for one to six people). You can buy your own food in Kiruna and the kitchen is fully equipped. They also have another house to rent at the farm for one to four people with one shared bathroom.
You can book horse activities and snowmobile tours with Ofelas (book in advance). There is also a sauna at the river bank. You can, on your own, take a walk in the forest and on the river, go skiing, try the “kick” or walk with snowshoes. It is also possible to order meals if you do not want to cook by yourself. You can rent winter clothes if needed. You can get to Kiruna by bus during the summertime.
Program
Sami culture and reindeer sledding are focused on getting to know more about Sami culture, living, meeting reindeer, and trying reindeer sledding. That is not just a long reindeer sleigh, so you can check what is written in your itinerary. During this week, you stay overnight in a house on a small horse farm with double rooms, a shared kitchen or living room, and a bathroom.
The farm is beautifully located, close to the Kalix River west of Kiruna in a small village. You will be served local specialties, like game and fish. Most of the activities you will do from Ofelas Islandshästar farm, but for some of them, you will need to go by car, and the activities are probably done in another order than in this program and the group is asked to always have to respect the winter weather. Arrival latest 3:00 p.m. to do the activity on the first day.
Riding experience
Prior riding experience is not necessary but you must be in good physical health. This ride is suitable both for you with riding experience and for you who have never been riding before.
Daily itinerary
Day 1: Arrival - riding class
After transfer to the farm, you start with a riding class in the afternoon to get familiar with the horses and the tölt. You will eat a three-course dinner together after. Outside the window, you will hopefully see moose and northern lights.
Day 2: Snowmobiling - Northern light riding
You will go snowmobiling, two persons on each snowmobile. You learn how to drive a snowmobile that day and have outdoor lunch prepared over an open fire. In the evening, you have then a riding tour in the dark looking for northern lights and spend the evening in the goahti (Sami hut) around the fire eating dinner.
Day 3: Reindeer sledding tour - visit icehotel
You will have a reindeer sledding tour including lunch where two persons are sharing a sled. That is the old way of transportation for Sami people in this area and you will learn about Sami culture and life. In the afternoon, you visit the famous Ice Hotel, have dinner at the restaurant and in the evening you come back to the farm.
Day 4: Forest riding tour - departure
You will go for a shorter riding tour in the forest and your guide will bring you to the airport or railway station.
Animals
Right now, Ofelas Islandshästar has about 25 Icelandic horses at the farm, a few are privately owned. The stable cat, Lunar, also lives there, as well as two goats and four dogs. During the winter, Ofelas Islandshästar also gets quite a lot of moose there.
The Ofelas Islandshästar Team
The company has been run by Kerstin Nilsson and Mats Blind-Berg, since 1997. Jenny Jansson and Sara Hansson work at the farm, they have both moved up there from south of Sweden. Usually, Ofelas Islandshästar has some extra employees during the high season.
Instructors
Mats Blind-Berg
Also called Matti, owner of Ofelas Islandshästar. He is from this area with roots in Girjas Sami community, and active in Sami politics and the work of the community. He likes photography when there is an opportunity for that.
Kerstin Nilsson
Kerstin is an owner of Ofelas Islandshästar and comes from this area. She is a qualified handicraft teacher from the beginning and educated in the Sami language, has also the “riding teacher 1” education. She has the roots in Leaváš Sami community and also has reindeer there.
Jenny Jansson
Jenny is from Arboga and has been working here for quite many years, she also lives in Puoltsa. Has a tourism education and has been riding Icelandic horse for a long time. She has her own horse at the farm, Skriða, and a Finnish sami dog called Ira.
Location
Ofelas Islandshästar is located 25 kilometers west of Kiruna in the direction of Nikkaluokta with a fantastic view of the mountains and Kalix River. In wintertime, they have the northern lights and during summer, the midnight sun.
Puoltsa
The farm is located in a small village called Puoltsa (Buolža in Sami). It is between Kiruna and Nikkaluokta, next to the riverbank of the Kalix River. Ofelas Islandshästar has had the business since 1997.
Distances
- Kiruna, 25 kilometers
Food
Traditional food in Sámi is meat and fish supplemented with herbs and berries. Reindeer and moose meat is an important ingredient in Sámi cuisine, usually smoked to last longer when you are out in the mountains for many weeks. Other local specialties in this area are fish from the river or mountain lakes. Berries and herbs are also important ingredients, like cloudberries, blueberries, lingonberries, Angelica, meadowsweet, etc.
Salt and flour were bought so you could bake bread. Fish and meat were eaten either fresh, salted, smoked, dried, or conserved differently. The Sami cuisine still looks the same but with new dishes and outside influences. Reindeer and moose meat, Arctic char, Whitefish, cloudberries, blueberries, lingonberries, Angelica, and Mountain Sorrel are common in Sami cuisine. Coffee cheese was made from reindeer milk and, later, also from goat and cow milk. Lots of new exciting things are happening with the development of Sami cooking today.
Food restrictions
Ofelas Islandshästar provides any special diet if you require it, like no lactose, gluten-free, or vegetarian, just remember to inform them in advance. Guests must provide information about food restrictions in good time.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Coffee
- Tea
- Soda
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Vegetarian
- Gluten Free
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
- Lactose Free
- Other dietary requirements on request
Things to do (optional)
Dog sledding
Now and then are coming guests who think that dog sledding is included in the program, but it is an extra option. Check your information so that is clear that it is an extra option and not included in the price. Also, they need to book dog sledding in advance. It costs 3000 SEK for two people per sled including lunch.
- Riding tour (1200 SEK)
Icehotel
Ofelas Islandshästar always visits Icehotel. If you want to book a night at Icehotel as an extra option, it needs to be done in advance.
What's included
- Activities in the program
- Full board meals(dinner 1st day-breakfast 4th day)
- 3 nights accommodation
- Guide (Swedish-, English-speaking)
- Warm outdoor clothes
- Horse with equipment and helmet
- Airport pick up and drop off
What's not included
- Airfare
- Personal expenses
- Additional activities
- Extra meals and drinks
- Alcoholic drinks
- Single supplement fee (1800 SEK)
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Kiruna Airport
19 km
Transfer included
Arrival by airplane
Here is some information about traveling to Kiruna this winter:
As normal, there is the SAS and Norwegian flying Stockholm-Kiruna (Norwegian just Fridays and Sundays Nov-March).
Direct flights:
- Paris - Kiruna: Air France Saturdays 21th of Dec-8th of March
- Köpenhamn - Kiruna: 12th of Dec - 30th of March Thursdays and Sundays
- Düsseldorf - Kiruna: Eurowings Saturdays 1st of Feb-22nd of March
Arrival by bus
From Kiruna Airport (KRN), there is a shuttle bus to Kiruna city center. You can also arrange a transfer service with Ofelas Islandshästar at an additional cost of 400 SEK per person. Ofelas Islandshästar normally picks up at the time of your arrival but if the flights are close to each other, then you may have to wait for the next flight.
Arrival at the latest is 3:00 p.m., so you can do the activities on the first day. You can get to Ofelas Islandshästar by bus from Kiruna during summertime. Kindly arrive at Nikkaluokta fjällstation, it usually departs twice a day during high season. For more information, please send Ofelas Islandshästar an inquiry.
Arrival by train
You can book train tickets to Kiruna. Between Stockholm and Kiruna, there is a night train without change. From the train station, there are free shuttles to the city center.
Arrival by taxi
If you would like to arrive through a taxi service, please send Ofelas Islandshästar an inquiry for more information
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 16.94% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 7 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookHorseRidingHolidays.com. All major credit cards supported.