Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [249]
There’s an interesting Sami church and handicraft outlet at Saltoluokta, and the Kungsleden trail Click here runs north and south from here. Stora Sjöfallet is now dry, due to the hydroelectric schemes, and many of the local lakes have artificial shorelines. Take the bus to the end of the road at the Sami village Ritsem, where there’s an STF lodge, and you can cross by ferry to the northern end of the Padjelantaleden. Ask for details, maps and road conditions at the tourist office, or at any STF in the area.
Sleeping & Eating
Gällivare Camping (100 10; info@gellivarecamping.com; Hembygdsområdet; sites Skr130, 2-/4-bed cabins from Skr300/450) This camping ground, now open year-round, shares a lovely riverside spot with the hembygdsområde (see left). Cabins are set up more like apartments, with excellent, modern facilities, and reception can organise activities including trips up Dundret to eat waffles under the midnight sun (Skr300 per person) or day hikes with reindeer as pack animals (Skr780).
Grand Hotel Lapland (77 22 90; www.grandhotellapland.com; Lasarettsgatan 1; s/d Skr1295/1675) This modern hotel opposite the train station has comfortable rooms, and its 2nd-floor dining room is apparently the place to meet for dagens lunch (Skr78). The ground-level pub is dark and cosy, with covered outdoor seating for summer.
Restaurang Husmans (170 30; Malmbergsvägen 1; mains from Skr55; 9am-9pm Mon-Fri, 11am-8pm Sat & Sun), close to the tourist office and behind Hotel Lapland, serves kebabs and salads, and in the evenings has a small dining nook where you can get Arabic food.
Getting There & Away
Regional buses depart from the train station. Bus 45 runs daily to Östersund (Skr465, 11 hours) via Jokkmokk and Arvidsjaur; bus 93 serves Ritsem (Skr204, three hours) and Kungsleden in Stora Sjöfallet National Park (mid-June to mid-September only); buses 10 and 52 go to Kiruna (Skr134, two hours); and bus 44 runs to Jokkmokk and Luleå (Skr234, three hours).
Tågkompaniet (0771-44 41 11; www.tagkompaniet.se in Swedish) trains come from Luleå and Stockholm (sometimes changing at Boden), and from Narvik in Norway. More exotic is the Inlandsbanan (0771-53 53 53; www.inlandsbanan.se), which terminates at Gällivare.
Return to beginning of chapter
JOKKMOKK
0971 / pop 5,600
An important town in Sami culture, Jokkmokk (Dálvaddis) has not only the definitive Sami museum but is also the site of a huge annual market gathering. Just north of the Arctic Circle, it’s a quiet little town that makes a good base for visitors to Laponia World Heritage site (Map); ask for information about the site at the tourist office or at the Ájtte museum’s information desk.
Started as a Sami market and mission, Jokkmokk has been home since 1605 to the Sami winter fair – a three-day event that attracts some 30,000 people and starts on the first Thursday in February – during which you can shop seriously for Sami duodji (handicraft).
The tourist office (121 40; www.turism.jokkmokk.se; Stortorget 4; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun mid-Jun–Aug; 8.30am-noon & 1-4pm Mon-Fri rest of year) can help with information and has internet access. There are banks and supermarkets in the town centre.
About 7km south of Jokkmokk you will cross the Arctic Circle on Rd 45. There is a cafe and camping ground at the site that sells cute but corny certificates to those interested in having proof that they have travelled this far north.
For daily weather reports and forecasts, call 0980-113 50.
Sights & Activities
The welcoming and illuminating Ájtte Museum (170 70; Kyrkogatan 3; adult/child Skr50/free; 9am-6pm mid-Jun–mid-Aug, 10am-4pm Mon-Fri rest of year) is the highlight of a visit to Jokkmokk; it’s Sweden’s most thorough introduction to Sami culture, including traditional costume, silverware and some 400-year-old magical