Hiking Sarek (An Englishman's Guide)

Sweden's mountains ('fjallen') rise from the deep boreal forests of Dalarna and run without pause for a 1000 miles to the lonely northern border stone of Treriksroset. For the main it's unblemished wilderness though man's presence is marked, not least as these mountains are the home and work place of the Sami. There is arguably a center piece in this array of riches. For many one place that perhaps stands a little taller (with the greatest concentration of peaks over 2000 metres), a little more demanding (no real huts or refuges and a commitment of a week to cross) and a little harder to move through (no marked trails, glacial moraine and the toil of the Rapa Valley). Complete with a large concentration of the big boreal beasts (the Rapadalen is a redoubt for elk, bear and the wolverine) and you've a recipe for a memorable northern adventure. Sarek, the centerpiece of Laponia, is seen by many as the heart of Sweden's wilderness, if not the whole of Scandinavian Lapland.

Whether that's true or not is a matter for debate. Other parts of fjallen boast equally high mountains (Abisko and Kebnaikaise region), feel as remote if not remoter (Arjeplog Fjallen or Nasafjallen) or are home to more flora and fauna (Rogen, Tofsingdalen or Vindelfjallen). Norway and Finland could each claim their own wilderness areas. What's for certain is that Sarek, to many, is the finest mountain area in the whole of Sweden, if not Scandinavia. Consequently, it's reasonably popular. People graduate to Sarek after gaining experience elsewhere. In the core month of August you'll be likely to meet others, particularly around the 'cross-roads' of Mikkastugan where most tours converge due to Sarek's geography. But equally there are plenty of side routes and valleys which see few people. Sarek's status as an experienced hiker's 'must-do' is deserved, a combination of superlative scenario and a landscape and weather patterns that require solid back country experience. It has a reputation for tough and hugely rewarding hikes that see scores annually traverse it's deep glacial troughs and come back time and time again to explore it's compelling and lonely recesses.

Sarek is also surprisingly well served by transport connections so getting to the start of your walk shouldn't be too painful. In the main that's the legacy of infrastructure put in to serve the hydroelectric scheme at Stora Sjofallet. But even with that a Sarek trip requires a day or two minimum to pass through the surrounding wildernesses that frame Sarek. You need to earn your passage over the park boundary. Consequently a bit of time is a must to string together a route, I would say 10 days is the minimum for a trip through the park and surrounding areas, though a week could serve as a taster. But when something is so good why rush? One of the pleasures of Sarek is simply pitching the tent and just taking it all in. Equally, a bit of slack in a schedule is a good idea. Sarek has a reputation for it's weather, on average one day out of every three will see some form of precipitation. Sarek sits above the Arctic circle and is not too far from the Atlantic which serves up deep depressions (the park's shape can exaggerate storms, some western valleys, such as Routasvagge channel weather systems and can offer more testing conditions than other parts of the park). It's common to have to deal with some pretty grim weather (no worse though than a tasty day in the Scottish Highlands) and a spare day or two to sit a storm out in your tent can be an idea.

But Sarek shouldn't been treated as a destination in isolation. It's a single component of wilderness designated as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Laponia (click here for map) is an expansive area of national parks and nature reserves that seek to preserve the landscape as much as for it's beauty as for it's part in Sami culture. Sarek is ringed by other national parks and other 'unprotected' wilderness, a Sarek tour should be treated as an opportunity to cross into other areas such as Padjelanta. The contrast between, say Padjelanta and Sarek, is marked and the two together provide different tastes and textures in a single trip. Alternatively, there's a chance to experience and utilise the world famous Kungsleden. It's a useful tool to make some quick miles and penetrate Sarek's eastern flank and the stunning Rapa valley (Rapadalen) or to aim for Sarek's south east corners via Parek. Equally, the trail of Padjelantaleden (map here) will spin you around Sarek's south and west offering numerous challenging and quiet routes in. And then if that's not enough for you Norway is not far, some of her mountains in the vicinity are of very different character and temperament. Just set your compass for the Nordkalotleden and it's southern terminus and you'll cross the border. If you packraft adventure then awaits across the huge Lake Virihaure and a chance to visit Norway's Rago National Park. Laponia offers Europe's largest area of protected land with a  total of 5,700 square kilometres (2,200 sq mi). Opportunities for quiet wilderness walking are limitless.

(A little more on Sweden's national parks here. More on the Kungsleden here and Padjelantaleden here. Roger Brown's site (here) is a good place to visit for info and a trip report on Padjelantaleden and Nordkalotleden).

So what are the practicalities of a Sarek tour ('tur' in Swedish and Norwegian)? Firstly there's mapping. Lantmateriet's mountain maps ('Fjallkartor' (plural) in Swedish) are the 'ordnance survey' standard (my thoughts on them here) and BD9 and BD10 will cover you for the whole of Sarek, Padjelanta and through to the Norwegian border(have a look here for the mapping quality and idea as to routes). These are fairly easy to get in the UK via the excellent 'Mapshop'. Swedish mapping has been modernised somewhat by Calazo. The survey is the same but these maps are considerably lighter and tougher as these use tyvek. The bonus additionally is that both BD9 and BD10 are on a single map (it's double sided, coverage here) saving weight and cost. The price is good too at Kr150 (about £14.50). The bad news is that I haven't found them in the UK and have bought them only in Sweden. Arguably once the Lantmateriet maps are in a map case there's little difference but given the option I would go for a Calazo. These are on sale in most Swedish outdoor shops (eg Naturkompaniet in Stockholm) and could be picked up before the immediate start of a trip at STF Saltoluokta and STF Ritsem (both have a reasonable selection of outdoor gear, more below).

Getting to and from the start and finish of your route will take a little time but shouldn't be too complicated or indeed expensive. One of the many positives of Scandinavia is a functioning and inexpensive public transport system. What's more it's 'interconnected' so you can get places without waiting around too much. Add to that some keen pricing on airline tickets to Scandinavia (book early mind) you can do a Sarek trip for well under £400 (assuming you plan in advance, snap tickets up when they become available and bring most of your own food from the UK (making the most of your baggage allowance)).

Getting to Scandinavia is no hardship at all from the UK. I favour Norwegian (here), they've shaken things up in Scandinavia of late and you can get to Stockholm from £35 upwards. SAS and British Airways fly there too. If you come out via Norway (I think that makes sense if you are flying back to the UK), both Norwegian and SAS fly from Bodo to Oslo where you can connect back to the UK. Again book early, but that flight if booked early should be fairly reasonable (I've just checked and seven months in advance I've been quoted £130 Bodo-Gatwick). Alternatively, you can return via Sweden. Stockholm is the obvious way out, a train will get you there or you could connect via the northern airports of Lulea, Kiruna or Gallivare.

But once you are in Sweden what determines where you go and how do you get there? I consider two elements determine a Sarek trip; the amount of time that you are prepared to invest in it and your entry and exit points.

There are arguably five of these entry/exit points. Saltoluokta, Suorva and Ritsem are the first three. Lying to the north of Sarek these three points are served by the road to Gallivare, a consequence of the huge hydro-electric scheme at Storasjofallet (still controversial to this day but the infrastructure that serves hikers wouldn't be there without it). Suorva has the advantage of a 'dry' crossing of Akkajaurre whilst Ritsem demands a boat journey to Vaisa or Anonjalme to connect with Padjelantaleden and whatever way you might wish to enter Sarek (such as Kisuris, a favourite spot of mine). Saltoloukta means a boat journey across this same stretch of water from Kebnats (this should be your bus/car destination). 10 minutes in the STF boat (both water journeys from Ritsem or Kebnats are enjoyable, they'll set you back around Kr200 or £19 though) from Kebnats and you will head up the short trail to the STF lodge at Saltoloukta. Here, you've got the chance of a good lunch (the bus from Gallivare arrives approx 11 am, lunch 12pm) and use of the shop for any last minute needs or indeed fuel.

I am very fond of Saltoloukta myself (see why here), the food is good and having a shop at your trail head which sells a decent selection of gear (from clothes to stoves to food to maps to fuel) can help. Suorva has the advantage of getting across Akkajarre by yourself, nearby is a shop selling food (expensively). Ritsem, at the western end, is another large STF complex. It's functional at best but the shop isn't bad (getting fuel can be hit and miss, I passed through in August 2013 and they were out of meths - there's a second chance though at the STF huts at Vaisa or Ahkka) and there is some food available. Once you are on the boat you've a chance of some coffee at least. The Sami cafe at Anonjalme is certainly worth a visit!

Ritsem of course, as well as Kvikkjokk, offers the deluxe way to and from the borders of Sarek and the entry point of Staloloukta. 'Fiskflyg' (site here) run a shuttle service between Ritsem-Stalo-Kvikkjokk. A scheduled service ties in with the bus from Gallivare (see here for details in English). If you have the cash you can charter your own flight, there is though a fly ban over Sarek so you'll only get as far as the park border. Using a helicopter means you can get in and out to the Sami village of Staloloukta fairly quickly, covering a distance that took me around two days to walk in a mere 20 minutes.

Kvikkjokk is served too by the helicopter (here). This small village, lying to the south-east of Sarek, is an important junction in Sweden's trail network. Kvikkjokk sees the beginning of Padjelantleden and is the halfway point of the Kungsleden (6-10 days in either direction will put you in Abisko or Hemavan). It's served by a road which connects to Jokkmokk (a significant Sami town) and from there the rail network at Murjek. Importantly, there are some good services here including the STF lodge (not a bad one, home to the 'Mosquito Veranda' from where you can sip one of their single malts).

Getting to and from Ritsem/Suorva/Kebnats-Saltoloukta and Kvikkjokk is a combination of bus and train. By far the quickest way in is to Ritsem/Suorva/Kebnats-Saltoloukta with a sleeper train combination and bus. This sees a journey from say Stockholm on the sleeper to Gallivare. The bus will meet you here and after a couple of hours you'll be pulling up at Kebnats. If you heading to Suorva or Ritsem just stay on the bus a little longer. Bus details are here, however, I would advise booking your bus ticket when you book your train ticket. This is easily done on the SJ website (here) by selecting your ticket to cover the journey from Stockholm to Ritsem for example. The advantage of that is that if there is a problem SJ (the Swedish state railway) are legally bound to convey you to your destination as you booked from their website. This is useful, particularly, if returning from say Ritsem in order to meet the train to Stockholm in Gallivare. If there is a problem with the bus (say weather or breakdown) and you miss the train, it's SJ's job to get you back to Stockholm.

Getting to and from Kvikkjokk takes much longer as you have to transit and wait in Jokkmokk for a connecting bus to and from Murjek. This once took me most of the day to travel from Kvikkjokk to the station at Murjek. It did give me an opportunity to seriously damage a Chinese restaurant's 'all-u-can-eat' buffet in Jokkmokk. If you are 'time-poor' you may have to discount Kvikkjokk as the Gallivare route is more efficient.

Booking trains with SJ is easy online. The cheaper tickets tend to be released a couple of months before departure so play around with the site to work out when that might be. You've some options on the sleeper. I would ignore the seats and look at either the '6-berth' couchette or more agreeable (and expensive) '3-berth'. Prices should start at around Kr1000 or £95 including the bus. The big advantage is that the train's first stop out of Stockholm is Arlanda airport so you can skip the capital if you are flying there (which won't be the case if you choose Ryanair but that's your choice!). Swedish trains are good. Gallivare is reached at about 8.30 am, a distinct advantage say compared to Abisko (for the Kungsleden) which sees you grind out more hours on the train.

I've mentioned Staloluokta as a connection point. If you are not using the helicopter then it's 'shank's pony'. Stalo' connects to Kvikkjokk and Ritsem of course via Padjelantaleden. The route that I will suggest below sees another 2/3 day walk to Norway and the village of Sulitjelma. Here you can pick up an either the school bus or the 9 am bus and get to Bodo (and it's airport) via Fauske (where you can also connect with the Norwegian rail network). This way out rewards you with another element to your trip (I think the Nordkalotleden via Sarjasjaure is a great walk). The downside is that it's a long day's travel back to the UK, there's a wait in Bodo for the flight to Oslo (but Bodo is pleasant and you can admire iconic Lofoten).

I've always arrived in Sulitjelma the afternoon before. There's a good supermarket there so I have always had the chance to stock up (beer!) and pitch my tent in a small forest clearing just outside the village (perfectly legal in Norway). Two buses will get you to Fauske and then Bodo. Details here, you need to click on the PDF, page 147 shows details for 18-481 Bodø-Fauske-Sulitjelma (the bus passes through Sulitjelma, stand outside the supermarket on the main road - I favour the early 6.50 school bus). It's a good idea to have some Norwegian Kronor with you though I have paid in Swedish Kronor on the bus (its around Kr180, £17), you can get cash back at the supermarket. Perhaps confirm the bus in advance with the tourist office in Bodo who are very helpful.

Once you've an idea of your entry exit points then you can plan your route. There are guidebooks in Swedish and German but none in English. To be honest I think an experienced eye on the relevant maps is all you need. It's worth looking around on-line as there are increasing English language blogs describing routes and tours. I'll suggest primarily my 2009 route (see the PDF here) as it chooses Salto' as my entry point and I exited at Stalo' and then headed for Sulitjelma. I've also more recently walked into Sarek via Routasvagge which offered a much easier route into the center of the park than across from Stalo/Pietsaure. Such a route into the center (ie the cross roads of Mikkastugan) is described here. Both these trips took around 9 days, I could have moved a little faster on both but both routes were challenging in different ways.

(My 2009 tour by camp. Salto (start) - Pietsaure - Guordesluoppal - Bierrikjavrre - Alggavagge -Mielladno - Arasluokta - Sarjoasjahka - Sarjasjarre (Norway) - Sulitjelma.)

Alternatively, this blog here gives an excellent account of a similar route (though with some key variation) from Sulitjelma to Suorva. Certainly worth a look and a great function here in respect of the mapping and routes.

But there really are infinite options. Many routes are dictated by the large glacial troughs that separate Sarek's massifs and provide corridors into Sarek's heart (though of course if you're an alpinist then there's a dizzy array of route options outside of the valleys). To the west Sarvesvagge, Njoatsosvagge, Algavvage , Guophervagge and Ruohtesvagge. To the east following rivers westwards into the park, even with the possibility of a Sami boat at Sitojaure or Aktse. I've got my eye on the classic route up Rapadalen. This would mean a little time on the Kungsleden to get to Aktse and either chartering a Sami boat up the delta or the long hard hike though the bush before rising up into the center of the park itself. As my PDF mentions I was struck by Rapadalen when I walked the Kungsleden years ago. There is something about it and it's home to elks and bears. Additionally approaching Sarek from the south is another must do, a jaunt up the Kungsleden and then via Parek to the observatory at Parte. I've scratched around some of Sarek's valleys to the south on my 2012 summer trip and felt a real sense of remote wilderness.

I would suggest perhaps buying the maps when planning your trip and looking online. A good site, if a little old, is here. There is very good information in English on all the points I have mentioned above but usefully pictures of many many Sarek tours. It's a question then of matching the map to the areas which categorise the pictures and getting an idea of conditions on the ground.

Sarek's demanding, no doubt. It's the weather that can really dictate though how your trip pans out and that's down to luck. If you are a fit and healthy walker used to the Highlands then you shouldn't face too many surprises (that said Sarek is not a place for the novice, things can and do go wrong - I've included a picture of a young man below who went missing in nearby Padjelanta, I wondered whether it's the right thing to do - as a parent I can well understand his parents' loss - the point is please exercise care in these big spaces (more details here in Swedish in a poignant post on Utsidan)). Make sure you are well drilled in wet weather camping and your gear is freshly proofed. Vegetation can be more demanding to cross (I'm thinking of dwarf willow) and water courses can demand more care. Mosquitoes are an issue in Scandinavia but my experience of Sarek is that it's too high and well ventilated for them to be an issue. By mid-August they should be gone.

You will need good enough gear and food to live comfortably for your trip. That said you can pick up supplies at huts either on Padjelantaleden or Kungsleden. There is nothing in Sarek unless you can turn your hand to fishing (not uncommon for Scandinavians).

There's some enticing photography on the internet (a marked increase in English language sites over recent years). Worth visiting here and here (note no more packrafting in Sarek though, a ban has just come into force). For Swedish speakers 'Utsidan' is a good resource.

Finally, don't forget that Sarek is not the last word in Sweden's expansive mountain chain (picture below is from Arjeplog Fjallen, I was entranced by them as I passed through this summer, they lie around 5 days walk to the south of Sarek), however, you'll be arguing with passion after a Sarek tour as to Sarek's place in any shakedown of the world's best hiking.

God Tur!