During my semester abroad we had the opportunity of travelling up north for 24 hours to the beautiful place called Kiruna. Kiruna is a winter wonderland, for an Australian it was an ample amount of snow to play with. Also, during the night you get to experience one of natural wonders in this world, the northern lights.
I'm not going to lie, the 24hour bus ride from Jonkoping was really difficult. I remember trying to not sleep the night before so that once l got on the bus, l would just pass out sleeping. This worked on the way up, however on the way back not so much. If you don't have the time l definitely recommend flying there, they do have an airport in Kiruna.
There is a variety of activities that l recommend visiting while there:
- Kiruna Mine - This is the largest underground iron ore mine in the world. It does sound relatively boring, however it's actually pretty cool. You take a long drive down and you learn about the history, processes and operations within the mines. There is a cute little museum at the end that you can explore. If you are in the area for quite a while l recommend seeing it, but if you don't have that much time, you won't be missing much if you skip it!
- Wilderness tour - This is a MUST! I will tell you now, definitely one of best experiences l've had. You first drive out of town in the middle of no where, where you meet your guide and you get introduced to the awesome snow dogs. You first go dog sledding which is an amazing experience, you will be surprised how fast they go. Then you get taken out 10km into the middle of nowhere for one night to experience the true wilderness. IT IS FREEZING. Please be prepared. The 10km snow mobile ride was at first amazing and then l was adamant that l had frost bite on my feet. During your stay in the wilderness, you stay in little cabins where you keep the fire going yourself (if you forget, you will freeze). You receive all meals while there, which are truly delicious. Bring some wine which you can enjoy while the sun is going down and then head out on the frozen lake to enjoy the northern lights. Also, during your stay you can experience cross-country skiing, ice-fishing and go exploring in the beautiful unknown.
- Ice-Hotel - A little outside Kiruna in Jukkasjarvi (approx 17km) however worth the little trek out. The Ice Hotel is just way to cool to miss out. The entire hotel is made of snow and ice blocks. It's a work of art. Each room is completely different to the other, each designed with some sort of theme. They even have a church thats attached to the hotel which you can enter (yes, the seats are made of ice). Inside there is also a bar that you should check out, image being served cocktails in ice-block glasses.
Overall, Kiruna is an amazing place to visit where you can experience that true winter wonderland. I genuinely felt like l got to experience swedish culture from the lapland region. If you plan on visiting Sweden during the winter season, definitely take several days to visit this city. Apparently it is quite a place during the summer season as well, especially for midsummer.
What is your winter wonderland?
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