UKC

Anyone done part, or all of this route in arctic Sweden?
I'm currently thinking of heading that way in June/July time as a (slightly) less expensive alternative to Iceland trekking.
Thanks,
N

In reply to cousin nick:

yep. awesome! but dont walk around sarek, walk through...even more awesome

In reply to cousin nick:

Have done the majority of it, starting at Abisko, including summit of Kebnekaise, we were quite lucky with midges but have heard they can be a pain.
Even took climbing shoes for a bit of bouldering in the hours after walking.

Matt

In reply to cousin nick:

Hey

I did Nikkaluokta to Abisko on the Kungsleden including Kebnekaise last August.

We took camping gear and wild camped / stayed at the camp grounds (which are brilliant with saunas, eco loos, shop, etc).

It was a really awesome trip. Mozzies are a nightmare though - mozzie head nets are a must!

Do you have any specific questions?

R

In reply to cousin nick:

I haven't done the whole thing but been on various shorter trips on part of the trail. I did my first trip in winter which was great but camped and travelled a fair amount in the dark. I went back the following year in the July and was blighted by mosquitoes....
Well worth the effort though and a proper feel of somewhere remote.

In reply to cousin nick:

Done the first week (Abisko to Kebnekaise, incl the summit).

Gorgeous. Pretty easy walking.

Did it with my daughter. No mozzies.

Would love to go back and do the rest.

In reply to cousin nick:

If you like solitude probably wouldn't recommend it. Did Kebnekaise to Jokmokk last late August and it was hooching all the way - pretty much like a Lake District bank holiday every day - except with added bonus of mad numbers of mosquitos. However, I understand it can be quite variable (in both numbers of folk and mozzies) and I think we might have been a wee bit unlucky.

Last year however was unexpectedly and exceptionally hot - it was 30+ C every day we were on the trail with a merciless sun beating down in your eyes all day (we were going N-S). We'd gone equipped for the Arctic - and got Ibiza.

Still, all the locals were taken by surprise too - Swedish groups could be divided into those who staunchly sweated on with fixed grimaces in full Fjellraven heavy duty kit - and those who just went mad and stripped down to underwear. We passed several groups of older women hiking just in bra and knickers and drenched in citronella to keep the mosquitos at bay - all very Swedish. (And perhaps not much like the Lake District after all).

Flora and fauna is tremendous though - loads of stunning arctic plants and things like Elk blundering about. Perhaps worth it for that alone.

In reply to Colin Wells:

We went in late August last year and hardly saw a soul after leaving Kebnekaise base camp.

We saw a wolverine close up which was super cool

In reply to cousin nick:
June is way better if you're concerned about mozzies and crowds. There will be more snow around, especially higher/sheltered places. (Some streams will have decent snow bridges for easy crossings but take care)

Kungsleden, as you probably know, is a very popular hut based trek. If you want a more solitary experience take a tent and do a lot of detours/passes. Highly recommended and way cheaper than using huts.

My favourite areas are
Down south, Hemavan area, super easy acces and pretty spectacular setting
Sarek and west Padjelanta( Sulitelma) can't go wrong really. Pretty wild in places.
Nikkaloukta-Abisko via Vistadalen-Nallo or Tarfala and the three passes.

I've spent a couple of months in the region but not more than a handful of days on Kungsleden. If you're fit enough to carry a big pack and knows some basic navigation I would recommend you to do the same. Even if you don't want to carry full camping kit, please look for some of the smaller huts outside Kungsleden as well.

In reply to DanielJ:

Wow!
Thanks everyone for replies.
We're thinking of late June and going hut-based rather than camping (SWMBO prefers huts).
We are also concerned about mozzies since she generally reacts badly to insect bites.
Sounds like a great area tho'.
Will need to decide soon.
Thanks all.
N