My first trip to Sweden really opened up my eyes to the
beauty of Lapland. Coming at the end of the Summer on the cusp of the lovely
Autumnal ‘Ruska’, meant that the weather was still warm and the hazy days
seemingly went on forever (they had just had their Midnight Sun period).
Camp Ripan
Camp Ripan was the first destination for our trip and
the first place I tried reindeer. Jo informed me that I had been very spoilt as
it was some of the best reindeer she had ever tried, so my first taste may
well have been my best ever! Delicious it was though, served with mushrooms and
berries which are plentiful here. Camp Ripan was a lovely a lovely place to
stay and with its homely chalets, it is the ideal base for families.
Lappeasuando
I found Lappeasuando to be lovely, welcoming and hospitable.
Jo and I were treated to the biggest bowls of pasta we have ever seen, before
Barbara (the owner) showed us all around her wonderful little lodge. With only
eight rooms, the accommodation offers a real personal touch and the rooms were
cosy and inviting.
Barbara took us by boat (in winter this would of course be
by snowmobile across the frozen water!) to visit the wilderness camp which was
pretty impressive (Ray Mears does wilderness training here) and would offer a
wonderful vantage point from which to view the Northern Lights.
Abisko
At first glance Abisko was a fairly inconspicuous wooden
building and in the blazing sunshine it was hard to imagine what it would be
like covered in snow. However, upon stepping inside I could see why it
was one of our most popular winter destinations as it seemed to exude a warm
and welcoming atmosphere from the start.
Dick and Mina are wonderful hosts with a great sense of
humour and after showing us around we sat down to a delicious dinner. It was
here I tried smoked reindeer which was mouth-wateringly good and soon became a
firm favourite on my Scandinavian travels. We were joined also by Klas, one of
the hugely knowledgeable guides here, and Chad who runs the photography
excursions and taught us all about the best way to photograph the Northern
Lights. There is sadly too much daylight at this time of year to attempt to see
them, but come the winter Chad’s excursions are very popular and nearly always
successful.
Ice Hotel
At this time of year, the ICEHOTEL® is of course not built but we were
shown into the warehouse where they had constructed some of the suites for
those visitors who wanted to see them. I was amazed at the sheer scale of the construction
here with enormous blocks of Ice stacked high in the warehouse, all ready to
be carved into beautiful sculptures when the time was ready. The suites they
had set up were beautiful with carved swans and bears, it was amazing what they
could do with Ice. My favourite was the huge sand-timer they had constructed in
the middle of one block. It was difficult to imagine a huge hotel made of snow
and ice built on the shores of the river, but after seeing the creations so
far, I imagine it will truly be a sight to see.
Tarendo
We spent a few days at Tarendo, getting to know the new
owners Margareta and Ingemar who were incredibly welcoming and enthusiastic
about their work here. As a family run hotel, it exudes a welcoming and homely
touch and its location on the banks of the river offers wonderful views across
the surrounding wilderness landscape. They maintain ties to the nearby village
and local Sámi
population ensuring this a genuine experience that allows you to really get to
know the local people of Lapland.
Dawn Rawlings
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