“Experience riding through the mountains”
5 Days Biellugis Trail Horse Riding Holiday in Kiruna, Sweden
Ofelas Islandshästar, Puoltsa 1057, 981 99 Kiruna, Sweden
Sweden Family Horse Riding Holiday
To choose a longer tour with Icelandic horses is a perfect way to see the mountains! You'll get to know the Icelandic horse, have an adventure, be out in nature, sit around a campfire, learn about the Sami culture, and sleep in a Sami tent (lávvu)! The main things will be the horse, riding, nature, weather, and food, a long way away from stress. This tour is for you if you want to ride up in the mountains with great views, near nature in an area where very few people are. This is also for if you do not mind helping out with camping chores and if you don't mind being without luxury to experience the natural way of being out in nature!
Key Information
- Rider Weight Limit: 198 pounds / 90 kilograms
- Horse Height Range: 12.8 - 14.8 hands
- Tack Type: Icelandic/English tack
- Horse Breed: Icelandic Horses
Meet the instructors
+1
Highlights
- Horse riding for 3 whole days
- Ride up in the mountains with great views
- Approximate daily riding time: 5 to 6 hours
- Experience sleeping in lávvu, a Sami tent
- Daily full board meals will be served
- 4 nights accommodation
Skill level
- Advanced
Styles
3 days with instruction in English
The organizer also speaks: Swedish
Group size: 2-10 participants
Airport transfer included:
Kiruna Airport
Accommodation
Check-in Time:
15:00
On your first night, you will sleep in Ofelas Islandshästar's farm and in both nights during the rides, you will be camping and stay in a Sami tepee (lávvu) where you will sleep in sleeping bags around a fireplace. In the tepee, you can make a fire if you want to. During the tour, there will be an extra horse carrying the food and other things but everyone carries her/his own personal things in saddlebags on their own horse. For washing yourselves, use the clean water in the mountain creeks. It is good if you have some experience in camping.
The food you'll cook together over a fire when you are outdoors is exclusive specialties from this area, for example, reindeer meat and fish prepared in a traditional way. On the tour, you'll help each other with the horses and with camp chores. Sometimes, you'll need to lead the horses when the terrain demands it. Because you are riding in a mountain area, Ofelas Islandshästar sometimes has to change the route because of the weather.
On your first and last nights, you will stay in Ofelas Islandshästar's horse farm with double rooms, shared kitchen/living room, and bathroom. The farm is beautifully located close to the Kalix River, west of Kiruna, in a small village. 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.
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 don’t want to cook by yourself. You can rent winter clothes if needed. You can get to Kiruna by bus during the summertime.
Program
Mostly, you'll ride in pathless terrain and on small tracks so you'll get to know the sure-footed Icelandic horses. You can ride in different tempos depending on the terrain. Ride on the bare mountain, in swamp areas, and in the forest. On the first day, ride through the forest, over swamps, and up to the bare mountain.
You'll get a horse which suits you. Ride on the south side of the Kalix river and arrive at the overnight place in the afternoon. After breakfast on the next day, ride a day tour over the bare mountain with a fantastic view. Finish the riding on day 3 in the afternoon at the same place where you started the tour and from there, travel back to the farm by car.
On some of the tour days, go west to Ratekjokk where you will sleep in a cabin and on day 3, have a day ride or ride to Ratekjokk. Then, leave the horses there and cross the Kalix river by boat and then with a car, go back to the farm (can also be ridden in the other direction). You'll ride about 15-25 kilometers every day. The Icelandic horse is a strong horse but not very big so the rider's maximum weight should be 90 kilograms.
Ofelas Islandshästar will lend you a riding helmet. A list of equipment will be sent to you when you book the tour. If you need extra accommodation and transfers, you can book it with Ofelas Islandshästar at an extra charge. On the first day, meet with Ofelas Islandshästar in the morning at the farm for shared transportation to the starting point. To get to the farm, you can come via a bus or car.
The food is exclusive specialties from this area, for example, reindeer meat and fish. On the tour, you will help each other with the horses and with camp chores. Sometimes, you'll need to lead the horses when the terrain demands it.
Riding experience
Multiple years of riding experience is required; you can control a horse in open terrain and have good physical health.
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.
Sara Hansson
Sara grew up on a farm in the south of Sweden and have always been close to animals and nature. She studied a program called “nature guide” at Umeå university 2012-2014. The autumn after that she started working there. Her dog is the black and white Border Collie Loka.
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
During this trip, daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included. Reindeer and moose meats are 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 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 in a different way. 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 the Sami cuisine. Coffee cheese was made from reindeer milk, later, also from goat and cow milk. Lots of new exciting things are happening with the development of Sami cooking today.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Tea
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
What's included
- 3 whole days of riding
- Use of a horse with equipment
- Engish and Swedish-speaking guide
- Daily full board meals (From dinner on Day 1 until breakfast on Day 5)
- Helmet use
- All transfers needed within Kiruna
- 4 nights accommodation
What's not included
- Airfare
- Personal expenses
- Extra meals and drinks
- Alcohol (Sweden has strict rules for buying and serving alcohol so Ofelas Islandshästar can't serve alcohol. You can bring alcohol with you there.)
How to get there
Recommended Airports
KRN
Kiruna Airport
19 km
Transfer included
Arrival by airplane
Please arrange your flight to arrive at Kiruna Airport (KRN). From Stockholm, there are direct flights to Kiruna, they take approximately 90 minutes and are run by SAS and Norwegian.
Arrival by train
At SJ’s website, you can book train tickets to Kiruna. Between Stockholm and Kiruna, there is a night train without change.
Airport: Kiruna Airport
Airport transfer included: Kiruna Airport
No additional charges. 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.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookHorseRidingHolidays.com. All major credit cards supported.
86580
Similar Horse Riding Holidays you might like
Why choose BookHorseRidingHolidays.com
Largest Selection
Friendly Customer Service
Offers for every budget
Best Price