This limited edition Christmas break not only gives you great chances of seeing the northern lights in their full glory, but also the best outdoor activities the Arctic has to offer!
Immerse yourself in a magical winter wonderland in Lapland this December, where a series of impeccably crafted and unforgettable adventures await you in the untouched Arctic wilderness.
Embrace the opportunity to meet Santa Claus and his reindeer while basking in the captivating spectacle of the northern lights casting their enchanting glow over the snowy landscape from the mountain’s summit.
Location
Sweden
Duration
4 Nights
Available dates
Dec
Price per person (excl. flights)
from £2,000
Overview
Highlights
- 4 Nights at Máttaráhkká Northern Lights Lodge
- Lodge Room based on a Full Board Basis and including Arctic outer clothing
- Aurora 360 Hot Tub
- Aurora Chase
- Husky Dogsledding Adventure
- Decorating the Christmas Tree and Santa Visit
- Visit the Ice Hotel
What’s included
- 4 Nights at Máttaráhkká Northern Lights Lodge
- Lodge Room based on a Full Board Basis and including Arctic outer clothing
- Aurora 360 Hot Tub
- Aurora Chase
- Husky Dogsledding Adventure
- Decorating the Christmas Tree and Santa Visit with Reindeer
- Visit the Ice Hotel
A note on flights
While flights are not included in the holiday price, our team will happily provide a quote and arrange them for you. Simply ask one of our Travel Experts for details of the available options.
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1
Enjoy your first evening in Lapland by indulging in a trio of delights: a hot tub, a sauna session, and a delectable dinner at the lodge.
What better way to relish one of nature’s most awe-inspiring wonders—the Northern Lights—than from the cosy confines of a rooftop hot tub, affording you a panoramic 360° view of the night sky!
Tonight is dedicated to unwinding and savouring the local culinary delights. You’ll be treated to a sumptuous three-course dinner, ensuring that as the night draws to a close, you’ll depart feeling utterly relaxed and poised for a restful night’s sleep, following a day filled with travel adventures.
Don’t forget to keep an eye outside for aurora activity.
Day 2
Experience an entire day of thrilling and expertly-guided snowmobile safaris through the stunning Lapland landscapes.
On snowmobiles, we ascend beyond the treeline to reach the pinnacle of Lapland’s viewpoint. Here, we immerse ourselves in a bit of tradition by trying our hand at ice fishing. We’ll even brew some coffee over a crackling fire and indulge in Swedish fika, making the most of this magical moment.
Your journey continues down to the serene taiga forest, where we pick the perfect Christmas tree. Once the tree is selected and loaded onto the sled, we savor a cup of glögg (Swedish mulled wine) and pepparkaka (ginger cookies) before your return to the lodge. There, you’ll be treated to a two-course lunch prepared with love from the local kitchen. Your evening begins around a cosy fire in a tipi near the lodge.
After savoring a delicious BBQ meal, embark on a quest to witness the mesmerising northern lights. Depending on the weather and conditions, you’ll either search for the auroras with snowmobiles or take a minivan to Abisko, renowned for its prime viewing spots, ensuring a magical and unforgettable encounter with the dancing lights.
Day 3
After breakfast transfer to the kennel located in a picturesque river valley between Kiruna and Nikkaluokta.
Ylva Sievertsson whose kennel backs onto this pristine wilderness, runs very personal dog sled trips. As you will discover she has a very special relationship with her dogs and it is a thrill to visit her kennel and spend time with her dogs.
Once you arrive at the kennels, you’ll get acquainted with the dogs and receive detailed instructions about how to drive them. Help harness them before heading out into a location outside the major tourist areas where we can almost promise that you will enjoy pristine Arctic nature alone.
You will be out for around two hours, taking turns with your partner driving the team before heading back to base for a warming lunch in the traditional ‘Kota’ adjacent to the family home.
Note: Over the years we have had many guests advise that they would have liked to spend more time with Ylva. If the husky experience is one of the expected highlights of your trip then we offer options to extend this day.
Return and relax prior to Dinner. Suggest tonight is the night to upgrade to the sauna and hot tub and relax by the fire.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4
After breakfast, we gather to decorate the Christmas tree at the lodge. Once the tree is adorned, Santa and his reindeer await us in the traditional Sami tent (kåta), where he distributes gifts to everyone who has been nice. We also indulge in some delicious traditional Sami cuisine next to the crackling fire. After lunch, we visit the original Icehotel.
Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of the original Icehotel, sculpted entirely from snow and ice. Explore the mesmerising Icehotel 365, a groundbreaking concept that offers art suites designed by acclaimed artists from around the globe. Don’t miss the opportunity to sip cocktails from unique ice glasses at the ice bar.
As the evening unfolds, we celebrate Christmas Eve together with family and friends. Team Alex will prepare a traditional Swedish julbord (Christmas smorgasbord) for this special occasion.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5
Breakfast and at leisure until your airport transfer at the end of your action-packed Christmas break.
You have options to stay a night at the Icehotel, or perhaps take in Scandinavia’s capital city Stockholm on your way home.
Meals Included: Breakfast
We have an extensive Northern Lights Information Hub if you need further information
Covering popular topics such as:
Where You'll Stay
Máttaráhkká Northern Lights Lodge
We are proud to offer this small intimate lodge, run by one of our long standing partners, Andreas Mikko, for exclusive use by our clients.
This 7 room intimate lodge is situated in a super location on a slight elevation with magnificent views across the arctic tundra to the Abisko alps. The emphasis at the lodge is on two elements, Sami culture and ensuring you have the best chance of seeing the northern lights.
This small intimate lodge used to be a Sami handicraft centre until the owners had the idea to turn it into an exclusive retreat. With only 7 bedrooms and an open plan lounge and dining room, the emphasis is on relaxing in a cosy environment. The rooms have a downstairs en-suite room with a staircase leading to a loft sitting room.
If you are a group of 8 or more friends or family traveling together and wish to have the lodge privately please let us know. This is a great way of celebrating a big birthday or wedding anniversary
The lodge has a fabulous sauna and a very unusual northern lights hot tub on the roof where you can star gaze or hunt for the Aurora. (This carries an extra charge).
Other benefits of a stay here mean that you can snowmobile straight from your doorstep into the Arctic wilderness.
Evenings are focused on good food, relaxation and the Northern Lights so if you are looking for a ‘home away from home’ experience then look no further.
Enquire Now
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Reviews
See what our clients say
What a fantastic trip! I booked this for myself and my husband to celebrate my 40th birthday and it didn’t disappoint! Booking was simple and we were kept up to date with all the details from the office team in the UK.
From the moment we arrived at Kiruna airport all the staff we encountered were so friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. We opted for the upgraded room at the Abisko Mountain Lodge which I would highly recommend. The cold weather clothing which was supplied was fantastic and kept us really warm in the sub-zero temperatures. The dog sledging, snowmobiling and the Northern Lights photography were all superb and the staff leading the trips were really friendly and so knowledgeable. Even though we weren’t able to do the sky station trip because of the weather, there was a lovely alternative evening organised for us which included a traditional dinner and a walk to the lake where we were able to see the lights. The food at the lodge was also exceptional and showcased some lovely traditional dishes using Moose and Reindeer which were wonderful to try.
I would like to send a massive thank you to all the staff at The Abisko Mountain Lodge as well as the guides we used for our guided walks, dog sledging and snowmobiling. I’d highly recommend the trip, it was our first visit to Sweden and we would definitely return. Thanks again to everyone (including the huskies) who made it so memorable!
Carly Webster
This was a bucket list trip. The company are specialists and I’ve valued their advice. Everything from the when to go for the best opportunity to see the lights and equipment needed and provided.Our activities included, the Ice Hotel, night photo shoot, snowmobiling, guided walk and the sky station meal. All excellent and well run by knowledgeable experts and guides. The Abisko Lodge is warm comfortable and relaxing the food is excellent and the staff welcoming, friendly and very helpful. I would highly recommend if you’re looking for a different and exciting experience.
Jean Lavender
An amazing trip and excellent service provided by all involved. Great value for money too. Food was excellent. Accommodation was wonderful and the trips booked were outstanding. An amazing trip
David Watson-Cammock
We had five fantastic days in beautiful Iceland, as we had never been before Aurora Nights helped with everything and made the holiday so easy and stress free. We stayed at Hotel Ranga which was amazing, we very much enjoyed the tours and the guides were brilliant, very knowledgable and friendly. We will certainly be returning to Iceland and wouldn’t hesitate to book through Aurora Nights again, special thanks to Abigail as her experience and reccommendations made the trip even better.
Lauren Mitten
This vacation has without without doubt, has been the best experience we have ever had. The organisation from the minute we landed in Kiruna until we departed at the close of our trip was second to none. The transition between hotels was always seamless and punctual. Everywhere we stayed was beautifully clean and the meals were top quality. Every driver was polite, entertaining and very knowledgeable, furnishing us with invaluable information about Sweden and the activities in which we were to participate. The snowmobiling was wonderful giving access via our guide, to stunning panoramic views of the mountain whilst viewing reindeer in their natural habitat.
Our guide demonstrated how to use the snowmobile safely he was pleasant and informative. When visiting the reindeer on the Sami reservation; we found the brother and sister team who hosted lovely. Again they were so hospitable and helpful and feeding the reindeer up close was a wonderful experience.
They provided additional activities for us to try and we were treated to a traditional Sami lunch in their hut. They provided us with invaluable information appertaining to their culture and caring for their reindeer. The reindeer were in superb condition and happy in their environment. Similarly, when out with the dog sleds the experience was magical. Two hours of beautiful scenery, and frozen lakes, finishing with a one-on-one experience massaging the dogs. Magic! We were so impressed with the care that was placed upon ensuring the dogs were comfortable, well-nourished and so loved by their owners/handlers.
Now to the photographic experience. A large group of us were treated to a demonstration of how to operate some serious camera equipment with tripod. Each of us was loaned the camera and given assistance setting up the camera on a frozen lake in preparation for the appearance of the Northern Lights. We were taken to this lake on large wooden sleighs pulled by a snowmobile. We cannot speak too highly of the two young men who accompanied us on this experience. They could not do enough for us. They were there to offer assistance with our cameras throughout the two-plus hours we were on this beautiful lake.
They advised where to position the camera and when the Lights appeared, what a performance. We had a two-hour display of this most breathtaking phenomenon. We were so fortunate to be able to experience this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for which we are so grateful. We will never forget this memorable holiday and cannot thank you and everyone who assisted in making a lifetime dream come true. Karen & Andrew Adamson
Andy Adamson
We had a wonderful time! The food at the lodge was amazing and there were some great vegetarian dishes. I had the best beetroot I’ve ever had (beetroot tartare).
Everyone was really friendly and all the guides were good fun and very knowledgeable.
A special thanks to William and Petri who were really friendly and really added a personal touch to our trip. The activities were really well planned and we especially enjoyed the trip with the huskies. The area we were in is stunning and the lodge was very nice. We would definitely recommend this to friends and family.
Fiona Green
We had the most fabulous time and everything worked like clockwork. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and extremely competent. The food was excellent and the experiences, especially Husky Homes, were brilliant. We saw the aurora lights at the mountain top in Abisko where the photography tour will be an enduring memory of a wonderful time. I would very much recommend Weekend a la Carte as a proficient tour operator.
Mark Nicholson
1. Gourmet Cabins was excellent and Johan was a friendly and knowledgeable host. The food, cabins, hot tub and sauna were brilliant.
2. Dog sledge was a fantastic experience and we were given the opportunity to drive our own sledge
3. Snow Mobile – really got off the beaten track and into the spectacular mountains
4. Saw the Northern Lights twice in two days. There is no description that can really do them justice
Nigel Longton