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Feb - Mar
Drive your own team of dogs through Lapland landscapes and stay overnight off-grid.
Beginner
Moderate
A Little Luxury
From
£2,850
(USD $4,474.50)
Deep in Swedish Lapland
Dog sledding through the wilderness, snowshoeing, backcountry skiing, snowmobiling, and spa sessions – this Lapland trip has it all.
The highlight is an overnight dog sledding expedition where you drive your own husky team to a remote cabin and become part of the pack. Learn to mush, shout commands, and navigate hills. The dogs do most of the work but your help is definitely needed!
Stay in an eco-hotel with organic locally sourced food, then spend one night off-grid. No experience needed, just turn up ready to try it all.
An Active Agenda
No Hidden Costs
Drive your own husky team to a remote wilderness cabin
A beginner-friendly trek through snowy landscapes, then an introduction to backcountry skiing
A half-day guided ride through Lapland wilderness
Sauna, hot tub and ice bathing
Snowshoes, skis, poles, expedition overalls, winter boots and headlamps
Four nights in an eco-hotel, one night in a wilderness cabin, one night in a city hotel
Breakfasts, packed lunches, three-course dinners and expedition meals
Wilderness guides for all activities and your Gutsy Girls host
Pick-up and drop-off at Umeå Airport or train station
Activity Overview
Spend 24 hours with your own husky team on an overnight expedition, learning to work together as you race through Lapland wilderness to a remote cabin. Get to know your team and learn their body language, as well as how to harness them and set up your sled.
It’s back to basics when you reach your cabin – it has no electricity or running water, but is cosy and warm.
Your dogs also come first and you’ll make sure they’re fed and settled before sorting yourself out.
Wake up the next morning to dogs howling with excitement because they know it’s time to get moving again; by now you’re part of their pack.
Activity Overview
Love hiking? This is the winter version. Strap snowshoes onto your boots and walk on top of snow instead of sinking through it. The wide frames distribute your weight so you can explore snowy backcountry that’s usually off-limits.
New to winter sports? No problem – this winter activity needs no technical skills, unlike skiing or snowboarding. A local guide will take you through Lapland’s powdery, untracked snow.
What’s included:
Activity Overview
Backcountry Nordic skiing will challenge your balance as you slide across unmarked landscapes and gain speed on small slopes.
These aren’t your typical cross-country skis either. Instead you’ll try skiing on traditional wooden skis which have a lot of personality.
You’ll spend two hours sliding across snow with a guide who knows the terrain and will teach you how to stay upright. Most of the time at least.
What’s included:
Activity Overview
Time for some serious speed. Share a snowmobile with another Gutsy Girl and take turns tearing across frozen lakes and snowy terrain for three hours.
There’s no gears to worry about, just accelerate and go. We’ll start slowly while you get comfortable, then let you loose where you can really open it up.
No driver’s license? No problem, just ride as a passenger and enjoy the rush.
What’s included:
Activity Overview
Heat up in the sauna, soak in the outdoor hot tub, then shock your system with an ice bath.
The heat melts away every ache, then the ice bath hits you with an adrenaline rush.
What’s included:
The Destination
Your Adventure Starts Here
Land in Umeå and transfer to your eco-hotel in Granö, around an hour away. Settle into your room and get the lowdown on the week ahead.
Meet your group over a three course dinner.
Take a walk around the village and get kitted out in your winter gear, then head out for your first backcountry ski. It's a gentle two hours for beginners, flat along the frozen river before you loop out onto Granö Island.
Lunch back at the lodge, then warm up in the sauna and cool off with an ice bath.
Dinner at the hotel restaurant. Don't forget to also keep an eye out for the Northern Lights if the sky is clear.
Strap on your snowshoes and head into the wilderness. You'll cross the frozen Ume river, follow an old mill stream and read the snow for animal tracks, stopping to build a fire and cook lunch out on the trail.
Enjoy lunch around the fire. Then hike back to the lodge to warm up in the sauna and take an ice bath.
Three-course dinner and the evening is yours.
Three hours on snowmobiles, covering distance through the snowy countryside. If you have a driving licence, you can drive. If not, ride as a passenger.
Lunch at the lodge, then the sauna, hot tub and ice bath. The rest of the afternoon is yours to rest, explore the hotel grounds, or prepare for the expedition tomorrow.
Your final three-course dinner at the hotel. Make sure you pack up the kit needed for your expedition.
Pack up and have breakfast, then transfer to the husky kennel. Meet your dog team and learn all about this special breed. Then run through the safety briefing and harness up.
Take the reins and drive your own team of Alaskan huskies. After around two hours on the sled you'll reach a wind shelter by the creek to build a fire and stop for fika.
Carry on through the forest and across frozen lakes to the island cabin, arriving as it gets dark. Settle the dogs, get the fire going and cook dinner. It's off-grid out here, with no electricity or running water, so there's nothing to do but snowshoe on the lake, watch for the aurora, and sleep in the warm cabin.
Wake in the cabin, feed the dogs and have breakfast, then harness the teams for a run back through the forest, stopping for a campfire lunch on the way.
Arrive back at the kennel for a last fika, then say goodbye and thank you to your dogs. Transfer to Umeå and check into your hotel. You can explore the city for the rest of the afternoon, or chill out in the hotel.
Celebrate with a farewell dinner at a local restaurant in the heart of Umeå.
Take your final photos, grab any last-minute souvenirs and the get the transfer to the airport.
Rest & Refuel
For four nights we'll stay in an eco-hotel, with sustainably built rooms and individual cabins tucked away in the forest. It is a sustainable paradise with geothermal heating, eco-friendly materials, and all the comforts you’d expect, without compromising on nature.
One night you’ll stay in an off-grid wilderness cabin. This is cosy and clean, but there is no electricity or running water and the toilet is in an outhouse.
For the last night we’ll head back to the city and stay in a comfortable hotel in Umeå before our flight home the next day.
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Seriously good three-course gourmet dinners with organic ingredients sourced by local hunters, farmers and foragers. Think top restaurant-quality food in the middle of nowhere. Dinner in the cabin is simpler, but just as hearty. Breakfast and lunch at all accommodation is sorted too.
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Book now
The Essentials
| Accommodation |
A Little Luxury Our main base is an eco-hotel, with sustainably built private and twin rooms and individual cabins tucked away in the forest. One night is spent off-grid in a wilderness cabin with no electricity or running water and an outside toilet. It is close quarters in there: wooden bunks, some of them wide enough for two, so you may end up sleeping side by side with another guest. Own duvet each, and it is warm. On the last night we’ll stay in a comfortable city hotel before our flight home the next day. Eco-Hotel
Off-Grid Cabin
|
|---|---|
| Food |
All meals are included, from dinner on arrival day to breakfast before your journey home. If you have a severe food allergy, please get in touch before you book.
|
| Fitness Level |
2
Moderate A run of different winter sports keeps things varied, but learning new skills in cold conditions takes more out of you than the same effort at home, and that adds up across consecutive days. One night is spent in a wilderness cabin with no electricity, an outside toilet and shared sleeping quarters, so an easy-going attitude to basic conditions helps as much as physical fitness. If you are comfortable being active most days and back-to-back movement does not faze you, you will handle this well. You'll Need To Be
|
| Skill Level |
1
Beginner No experience needed for any of the activities. The huskies know the trails, the guides know the rest, and you just need to show up ready to learn. |
| Packing List |
Below are a few specialist items you’ll need or might have to invest in before your adventure. You can also hire cold weather clothing for this trip. For the full packing list and hire details, see the trip guide. We Provide
You'll Need
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| Travel |
The meeting point for this trip is Umeå Airport. For alternative routes and travel information, please see the trip guide. |
| Not Included |
|
| Trip Code |
SWEGRADOG |
The Answers
There are no direct UK flights to Umeå, so you need to fly to Stockholm Arlanda first, then take the domestic connection. Our transfer then picks you up from Umeå airport or the central train station to make the short drive to the hotel.
Flights:
Transfers:
This trip is beginner-friendly. The huskies are seasoned professionals who know these trails better than you know your commute. Our guides will teach you how to work with the dogs, covering everything from reading doggy body language, to making sure you can steer. What matters is being ready to learn something new and getting comfortable with huskies who are way more excited about this than you are.
You’ll be active every day for a week, but we’re not conquering Everest here. Think 5-6 hours of outdoor activities daily, including a night in an off-grid wilderness cabin with no running water. If you can handle consecutive active days and don’t mind the cold, you’ll manage fine.
We provide all the technical gear: overalls, winter boots, thick mittens and headlamps for the expedition, as well as skis, poles, and snowshoes for the skiing and snowshoeing part of the trip.
You can also rent a complete winter clothing bundle (polar boots, thermal jacket, thermal trousers, gloves) for £65 if you don’t want to buy expensive kit for one trip.
Yes, you can rent a complete winter clothing bundle to save buying expensive kit for one trip.
This costs £65 and includes:
Expect -10°C to -20°C, sometimes colder. Swedish cold is dry, so it feels less brutal than the damp UK winters. Your eyelashes will freeze (it’s part of the experience), but when you’re moving and layered up, you’ll be surprised how manageable it is.
During the dog sled expedition you’ll spend a night in an off-grid wilderness cabin. It’s as basic as it sounds – no electricity, no running water, an outdoor toilet, and sharing sleeping space with your group. It’s rustic but cosy, and it’s the only way to stay in remote locations that no one else can reach.
Please note that train timings for 2027 have not been released yet so transfer timings are subject to change.
Arrival day transfer:
Umea Airport at 16:20
Umea Central Station at 16:35
Departure day drop off:
Drop off at Umea Airport: 11:30
Umea Central Station: 11:45
The transfer runs on schedule and can’t wait – think of it like a train. You can book any flight that gets you there in time, but if yours is delayed, you’ll need to arrange your own transport. That’s why we strongly recommend travel insurance that covers delays and missed connections.
Yes, there’s a high-speed train between Stockholm Central and Umea Central that takes approximately six hours. Our transfer will pick you up from Umea Central at the set time. There’s also an overnight train to Vindeln, about 20 mins from the hotel, but you’d need to get your own taxi between Vindeln and the hotel.
Sweden has very high levels of animal welfare and strict regulations around keeping groups of dogs. We’ve worked with our partners in Sweden to identify the most well-cared for and suitable kennels to host our dog sledding activities.
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