Today we will arrive in Kiruna, where our hosts will collect us from the airport or a nominated meeting location in the town centre. A half-hour drive brings us to our base for the trip: a riverside farm on the banks of the Kalix, one of Sweden’s last wild rivers. We will have time to settle into our rooms and take a tour of the farm before sitting down together for a relaxed welcome dinner. Our guides will brief us on the adventure ahead and kit us out with any gear we need so that we can repack in readiness for tomorrow’s trek. This is also our last chance to shower until day 6, so make the most of it!

This morning we’ll don our riding gear and head to the stables to groom the horses before the short vehicle transfer to the only bridge across the Kalix river. Here we will tack up, mount up, cross the river and officially begin our trek. From forest foothills to the bare mountain, this is one of our longest days in the saddle – around 23 kilometres (14 miles) – ending at our teepee camp, Biellugis. After tending to our beautiful, tough Icelandic horses, we will set up our communal teepee tent, help cook a campfire dinner, and soak up the peace of the mountains under the lingering northern light.

After a hearty breakfast at camp, we will brush and tack up our horses for a full day’s ride, with several route options depending on the weather and terrain conditions. Lunch will be stowed in our saddlebags and enjoyed at a particularly scenic spot en route. We will be back at camp in the late afternoon, with plenty of daylight left for reading, swimming, berry picking, relaxing by the fire, or even hiking up a mountain if you’re feeling energetic!

Packing our bags and loading up the packhorses, we will farewell Biellugis camp and forge a path down from the mountains, twisting and turning down into the birch forests lining the valley below. Eventually, in the afternoon, we’ll reach our one-room cabin in the tiny village of Ratekjokk. Once the horses are settled, we can unwind in a traditional wood-fired sauna or dip into the icy creek – the authentic Swedish way to shower and bathe!

Today we will ride a loop through the woods and marshlands around Ratekjokk, home to the Sámi people and their reindeer for countless generations. Our guides will tell us more about this fascinating culture as we ride. There are also glorious views back to the magnificent mountains we’ve traversed on our plucky little horses. The sauna awaits on return, followed by another relaxed evening at the cabins or exploring our surrounds.

Our final ride promises more incredible scenery and fascinating discoveries before looping back to the cabins in the early afternoon. Then it’s time to pack our bags and say goodbye to our trusty steeds. Our adventure is not quite over, though: it’s a 30-minute hike to the bank of the Kalix River, where a short boat ride will deliver us back to civilisation. After a short vehicle transfer, we’ll return to our hosts’ farm in time for one last dinner together.

After breakfast, we’ll farewell the amazing team who made this incredible week possible, and take a transfer back to Kiruna for our onward travels.

Transfers are available from Kiruna Airport or city centre (a central meeting location will be arranged). From Stockholm, there are direct flights to Kiruna taking approximately 90 minutes. These are run by SAS and Norwegian Airlines.

For environmental reasons, the hosts will try to co-ordinate pick ups as much as possible, meaning if you arrive quite early there may be some waiting time, but they will inform you of this.

On day 1, please ensure your flight arrives before 3pm. And on the final day, flights can be booked anytime after breakfast (11am or later preferred but not essential).