Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [252]
Getting There & Around
Arvidsjaur Airport (0960-173 80; www.ajr.nu) is 11km east of the centre and has frequent connections to Stockholm-Arlanda (three daily Monday to Friday, one or two Saturday and Sunday, two hours). At the time of research, there was talk of adding a direct connection between Arvidsjaur and Hemavan airports.
Länstrafiken Norrbotten bus 45 goes daily between Gällivare and Östersund, stopping at the bus station on Storgatan. Bus 200 runs daily between Skellefteå and Bodø (Norway) via Arvidsjaur. In summer the Inlandsbanan train can take you north to Gällivare (Skr336) via Jokkmokk, or south to Mora via Östersund (Skr582).
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SORSELE
0952 / pop 3,000
Sleepy Sorsele, on Inlandsbanan, has the small but sincere Inlandsbanemuseet (www.grandnordic.se; adult/child Skr20/free; summer) at the train station. The adjoining tourist office (140 90; turist@vindelalven.se; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, noon-5pm Sat & Sun) can arrange activities including fishing and canoe tours. Sorsele has all facilities, including a bank, supermarket and public library (with internet access).
Pensionat Holmen (536 40; www.pensionatholmen.se; Strandvägen 33; s/d Skr475/680) has five simple rooms in a house on a residential street. The owners can arrange fishing excursions (Skr550 per day).
The Inlandsbanan train stops here, and bus 45 runs daily on the Gällivare–Jokkmokk–Arvidsjaur–Sorsele–Storuman–Östersund route.
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TÄRNABY & AROUND
0954
There’s a lot to see and do around Tärnaby, especially if you have your own transport. However, even if you don’t, the cycling is great and the bus coverage decent. Plant yourself here and spend some time skiing, hiking, fishing, stalking wildlife, checking out Sami villages and traditional holy sights, exploring caves, paddling canoes or just driving around and admiring the view, depending on your interests and the mood of the weather gods.
The tourist office (104 50; www.tarnaby.se; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun mid-Jun–mid-Aug, 9am-5pm Mon-Fri rest of year) is on the main highway through the village, the ‘Blue Road’ (Blå vägen). It has free internet access, coffee and helpful staff. You can buy maps, fish licences and snow-scooter licences here, as well as arrange tours and activities.
Sights & Activities
A good way to start your visit is to hike to the top of Laxfjället (820m) for perspective-shifting views of the surrounding lakes and mountain ranges. The best approach, if you have wheels, is to drive up to a car park (follow signs to Laxfjället off E12 on the south end of town; it’s the turn-off for the camping ground) and hike the remaining 1km to the top. Otherwise, there are a number of approaches, the most direct being a straight line underneath the ski lift up the hill.
For a longer hike, try the Laisaleden trail, which starts out along Drottningsleden. To catch the trail, follow signs to a turn-off 15km north of the Tärnaby tourist office along the main road; there’s a parking lot with signposts to the trail at the top of the hill.
For anyone interested in Sami culture, it’s worth going out of your way to visit Atoklimpen (information 0954-104 50), a holy mountain that has been the object of worship from the nomadic society’s early days. Evidence of sacrifices, camping and reindeer herding are scattered across the area; a 3km trail leads up to the top. Near the car park (off Rd 1116) is a peat hut and a small cottage. A Sami couple built the hut in 1920 and the cottage in 1925, at a time when the Sami were forbidden to build permanent structures; the ensuing debate over the cottage helped to change the law. The surrounding area still serves as a reindeer breeding ground.
Mountain biking is a warm-weather activity growing in popularity in