Kungsleden: the King’s Trail in Lapland

Intermediate to good skiing ability. Good stamina and physical fitness are required. The technical demands are not particularly high in good snow conditions, but it is best to be confident in all conditions, as the weather changes very quickly and conditions can become challenging at these latitudes. Daily stages involve 4 to 6/7 hours of skiing, with some elevation gain (up to +400m).

Version with luggage transport:
Luggage is carried by snowmobile (a bag weighing no more than 8 kg per person), usually driven by Pär Henrik, a Sámi reindeer herder. Please note: snowmobiles are only permitted for authorised users or specifically designated companies. The route therefore remains wild and very remote.
Your guide will provide you with a 30 L waterproof bag, which will be your transported luggage bag during the expedition.

Version without luggage transport:
No luggage transfers. You carry your belongings throughout the expedition. A pulka sled can be hired locally.
On the morning of day 2, we can leave our town clothes and other belongings at our accommodation in Kiruna; we will collect them on the evening of day 7 when we return from the expedition.

Transfers are by taxi between Kiruna Airport and the town centre, by train from Kiruna to Abisko, and by bus from Nikkaluokta to Kiruna.
If you wish, you can take a snowmobile taxi between the Kebnekaise mountain hut and Nikkaluokta (at your own expense, payable locally). This allows you to skip the 15–20km through the Laddjuvaggi valley. You can wait for the rest of the group in the warmth of the lovely building in Nikkaluokta, which is open to the public (food and souvenirs are available).

From 5 to 12 participants.

8 days, 7 nights, 6 days of skiing.

Departures are possible in February–March.

Guiding

A French Nordic skiing instructor with a state-recognised qualification.

Snow conditions

Snow cover at mid-altitude elevations can sometimes be unpredictable. This is first and foremost a trekking trip: if there is insufficient snow on some sections of the route, our trips will still go ahead. Remember to bring walking boots.

Accommodation

In a hostel or with local hosts in Kiruna, and in mountain huts along the King’s Trail. The huts along the King’s Trail all belong to STF (Svenska Turist Föreningen, the Swedish organisation that manages the huts) and are exemplary facilities in this very remote region.

With no running water (mainly because of freezing temperatures) or electricity, these mountain huts have dry toilets outside (you will need to take your down jacket!). Water is drawn from the nearby lake or river (the water is very pure), and wastewater is disposed of carefully. Firewood is always ready when you arrive, and the fire has almost always been kept going by the skiers before you. You will need to replenish the firewood supply before leaving to keep this system working; everyone leaves the hut as they found it on arrival. This system is unique in Europe: there is always a warden to manage skiers' arrivals, and some huts (Abiskojaure, Alesjaure and Salka) even have a small grocery shop. These huts provide duvets and a bed for everyone; the kitchens are very well equipped with gas and cooking utensils. The huts are divided into several units, which generally allows each group to have a cabin to themselves.

Some huts even have saunas (Days 2, 3 and 5). They are ideal for recovering and recharging after a day outdoors in the vast snowy landscape.

Meals

Restaurant meals in Kiruna on Days 1 and 7. The other meals are prepared together in the huts; everyone’s help is welcome! Some huts have small grocery shops selling everything you need for the trek.
Dinners on Days 1 and 7 are not included, but we will recommend a good restaurant where we can all have dinner together if you wish.

Please let us know about any food allergies when you book. We will do our best to adapt your meals.

Meeting point / End of the trip

Meeting point

On Day 1 at Kiruna Airport at 18:00 (or at the first accommodation).

End of the trip

On Day 8 at Kiruna Airport for the 10:40 flight (or at the final accommodation).

Around two weeks before departure, you will receive joining instructions specifying the meeting time and place, your electronic flight ticket, your guide’s name and contact details, and the address of your first accommodation.

Equipment hire

Ski hire: please contact us.

Flights are not included, but we can arrange them for you.

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips – on foot, by bike and on snow – to invite everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

As members of the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the sector adopt more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we focus on:

• Transparency in our practices and prices
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on every trip

We also share the values of the Traveller’s Ethical Charter, which encourages everyone to take simple steps to protect the places they travel through and make meaningful connections with the people they meet.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has held Travelife Partner status, an international label that certifies our responsible practices in environmental protection, ethics and sustainable management, both within our company and in our work with partners and the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a rigorous international certification scheme, recognises our practical steps towards responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in line with our sustainable development policy

Choose wide, sturdy Nordic skis with metal edges, either waxable or with fishscale bases, metal poles and suitable boots. Synthetic climbing skins are provided on loan.

• A lightweight sleeping bag/sleeping bag liner. The huts have blankets (not always available)
• A very comfortable backpack: 35 to 40 litres, large enough to hold a Gore-Tex jacket + flask + picnic lunch inside (it must have an adjustable hip belt). On the option without luggage transfers, you carry your belongings and a share of the food with you. Bring a larger backpack.
• A travel bag weighing no more than 8 kg (no suitcases). On the option with luggage transfers, your guide will give you a 30-litre waterproof bag to use as your transferred luggage during the expedition
• A very good pair of mountaineering mittens
• Warm gloves (+ silk liner gloves if you feel the cold)
• Cross-country skiing clothing (a ski suit or knee-length trousers, tracksuit bottoms, etc.)
• A Gore-Tex jacket or equivalent
• A fleece or a good woollen mountaineering jumper
• Gore-Tex or Micropore-style overtrousers (important for protection from the wind)
• Good hiking socks.
• A warm hat and a face mask (fleece or neoprene), or 1 balaclava for protection from the wind. Your face can freeze very quickly in windy conditions.
• Thermal underwear and full-length leggings such as LIFA, Helly Hansen, Odlo, etc., or other synthetic base layers, or, even better, wool (such as the Icebreaker range; wool stays warm and does not retain odours).

AVOID COTTON as it retains moisture and makes you cold!

• A pair of gaiters
• An insulated flask (at least 1 litre)
• A head torch (+ spare batteries and bulbs)
• A pair of sunglasses (high protection)
• Downhill ski goggles (very useful for protecting your eyes in blizzards, wind or snow)
• Sunscreen (high protection)
• Toilet paper
• A small toiletry kit
• A camera with a protective cover for cold conditions
• A Tupperware-style plastic container for your picnic lunch, with a knife, fork, spoon, plate and bowl
• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, aspirin, Elastoplast, gauze, Biogaze, 2nd Skin dressings, Arnica pellets… (Quite a list! But rest assured, the first-aid kit often comes home untouched after your week of skiing).
• A whistle

A group first-aid kit is provided.

Our tip: If you enjoy wine, it is best to pack 1 bottle in your bag, as it is impossible to find locally (or prohibitively expensive)!!!

Sweden is in the European Union, but has not adopted the euro as its currency.
If you need Swedish kronor (SEK), check the current exchange rate before travel.

Before leaving for Sweden, it is best to obtain some local currency, as you will not really have an opportunity to exchange money once you arrive (things are always a little rushed at the airport, and you arrive late). Remember to order your currency from your bank well in advance! This makes things easier… but exchanging money at the airport on arrival is just as good value!

The Sámi (Lapps)
Sámi is the language spoken by the Sámi, a minority living in the northernmost part of Scandinavia. There are between 70000 and 100000 Sámi, but only a small proportion of them speak the language. Most Sámi speakers, numbering around 10000, are concentrated in northern Norway (the Finnmark region). There are approximately 17000 Sámi in Sweden, of whom around 7000 are proficient in the Sámi language. Most Sámi live in the northern towns of Kiruna (2,500), Gällivare (1,800), Jokkmokk (900) and Arvidsjaur (700). Around 1,000 Sámi live in and around Stockholm, but most of them do not speak the language.

Sámi is a Finno-Ugric language, closely related to the Baltic Finnic languages (such as Finnish and Estonian). According to a widely accepted theory, Sámi and the Baltic Finnic languages derive from a common ancestral language. Proto-Sámi is thought to have developed from this ancestral language around 1,000 BC and to have remained uniform until approximately 800 AD. It is then believed to have branched into different dialects.

There is no single Sámi identity, but rather a range of local identities connected to the local language variety and the territory where it is spoken. Other markers of identity include kinship and territory.

In economic terms, reindeer herding in certain areas, known as reindeer herding districts, is one of the group’s main activities. These districts are shared among the Sámi families to whom they traditionally belong. Residents must continue herding reindeer to remain part of such a district. There are roughly forty Sámi districts of this kind in Sweden. Nowadays, people are less inclined to do this type of work because it takes between 400 and 500 reindeer to establish a profitable herd. Hunting, fishing and handicrafts are the Sámi’s other traditional activities. Difficult economic conditions have led to substantial migration among Sámi communities. Two patterns of migration have been observed: on the one hand, Sámi have moved to small urban centres within their home region; on the other, there has also been (and continues to be) significant migration to coastal towns in the regions of Norrbotten and Västerbotten, and to the large metropolitan areas of southern Sweden.

The traditional Sami region (traditionally called Sami) covers a vast area stretching from the east coast of the Kola Peninsula, across the northernmost districts of Finland, through inland Sweden, and into the interior and along the coast of northern and central Norway.

The first contacts with Scandinavians were probably established more than a thousand years ago. However, it was not until the period of industrialisation, which began in the late nineteenth century and continued into the twentieth century, that Sami culture began to undergo major changes, mainly as a result of newcomers settling in Sápmi. This immigration gradually had a profound impact on the Sami people’s traditional way of life and settlement patterns. Today, for example, there are only a few municipalities in Norway where the Sami form a majority, such as Kautokeino and Karasjok. There is also one municipality with a Sami majority in Finland, Utsjoki. In Sweden, the largest Sami population lives in Kiruna, where they make up only 10% of the municipality’s total population. However, despite these apparently low population figures, the northernmost parts of Norway, Finland and Sweden form the heart of Sami territory. It is estimated that more than half of the Sami live in Norway (approximately 35,000), around 17,000 in Sweden, 6,000 in Finland and roughly 2,000 in Russia. These figures are of limited reliability, however, as there has never been a Sami census.

The fundamental principles of the Swedish Constitution state that: “Measures should be taken to promote opportunities for ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities to preserve and develop their own cultural and social life”. This has led to concrete results, namely the establishment of the Sami Parliament, Sami language teaching in schools and legislation concerning the Sami population. However, Sami is not considered an official language in the full sense of the term, and Sami speakers generally cannot communicate with public authorities in their own language.

A Sami parliament (Sametinget) with 31 elected members was established in 1991. Anyone who identifies as Sami or has parents or grandparents who speak or spoke Sami can register on the electoral roll. The Sami Parliament’s main responsibilities are as follows:

• promote and encourage Sami cultural life
• oversee the use and transmission of the Sami language
• allocate government funding for Sami culture
• appoint members of the Sami schools board
• advise the Swedish authorities on Sami affairs

Members are elected by registered voters (who are still very few in number). Specific Sami parties take part in elections to the Sami Parliament (there are eleven different parties), but they do not play a significant role in local elections.

Sami literature has a rich oral tradition that is still alive today. Yoik songs, tales, epic narratives and legends form the roots of this tradition. As for written literature, Sami was first used in the 17th century. The first short story in Sami was published in 1912. In the early 80s, written Sami literature experienced a “breakthrough”, as a growing number of books began to be published, from poetry to novels. Although men were the pioneers of written literature, women now lead the way. Most Sami books are intended for children and young people.

The Sami language is used only in activities related to reindeer (hunting and herding), fishing and handicrafts.

Map at a scale of 1/100000
Fjallkartan, BD6, BD7, BD8

You can order these maps from L’Astrolabe in Paris, for example, from Le Vieux Campeur or from your favourite bookshop. They are also available locally in Sweden.