4 Day Winter Horse Riding Holiday in Kiruna, Lapland

Accommodation

Check-in Time:

15:00

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

You have local guides with you these days, 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 Sweden with Ofelas Islandshästar is both genuine and exciting.

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

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. Ofelas Islandshästar provides any special diet if you require it, like no lactose, gluten-free, or vegetarian, just remember to inform them in advance. Traditional food in Sámi is meat and fish supplemented with herbs and berries.

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. Ofelas Islandshästar must get the information about food restrictions in good time. During a week, you will have 17 meals so they need to plan in advance. Please let them know what you want upon booking.

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

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

Things to do (optional)

Riding tour (1000 SEK)

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 2700 SEK for two people per sled including lunch.

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. It costs 3500 SEK per person for double room and 6200 SEK per person for single room.

What's included

Riding lesson
Snowmobile with outdoor lunch
Northern lights tour on horseback
Sami culture, reindeer sleding, and icehotel
Short riding tours
3 nights accommodation
Daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner

What's not included

Airfare
Personal expenses
Additional activities
Extra meals and drinks
Alcoholic drinks
Single supplement fee (1650 SEK)

How to get there

Recommended Airports

KRN

Kiruna Airport

19 km

Transfer available for additional US$ 40 per person

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

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)

There's a night train Stockholm-Kiruna also.

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

Airport: Kiruna Airport Airport transfer available: Kiruna Airport (US$ 40 per person) Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.

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.

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