One of our personal favourites and a holiday that sells out every year. This 4-night New Year break is perfect if you are looking for a high-impact new year experience in a region famous for seeing the Northern Lights.
Back to Exclusive Northern Lights holidays in Sweden
Traditional Lapland New Year & Magical Aurora Chase
Máttaráhkká Northern Lights Lodge combines a desire to make sure you get to see the Northern Lights with traditional Sami Heritage. These fuse together to create a special energy and as the lodge only has 7 rooms this break offers a real ‘home away from home’ experience.
We have included a range of the best Arctic experiences with guides we have worked with for well over a decade. This is bound to be a New Year break you will remember for a very long time!
Location
Sweden
Duration
4 Nights
Available dates
Dec - Jan
Price per person (excl. flights)
from £2,000
Overview
Highlights
- Fabulous ‘ Home away from Home’ 7 Bed Lodge in excellent Northern Lights location
- Drive your own Sled Dog Team in pristine river valley setting
- Sami Introduction day with reindeer sledges and lunch cooked on an open fire in a Tepee
- Wilderness Snowmobile Adventure on private trails with views of Sweden’s tallest mountain
- Northern lights Snowmobile safari to search for the Northern Lights and toast in the new year
- Visit the original Icehotel
What’s included
- 4 nights Accommodation with breakfast
- Snowmobile Day Adventure in pristine wilderness with great views
- Drive Your Own Sled Dog Team in secluded River valley with wild moose in residence
- Sami Introduction day with Reindeer sled ride and lunch in tepee
- Northern Lights snowmobile Hunt to Guide’s vantage points
- Visit Original Icehotel and new Icehotel 365
- Meals as indicated
- Transfers
- Arctic Clothing Loan
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
Fly to Kiruna. Transfer to Exclusive Máttaráhkká Northern Lights Lodge. Welcome Dinner
On arrival, you will be met and transferred to the exclusive 7 room Máttaráhkká Northern Lights Lodge run by Andreas Mikko. There, you will have a briefing on your New Year Northern Lights holiday and be kitted out with your arctic clothing.
Settle in and after dinner relax by the fire in the lodge and enjoy a drink from the bar.
Day 2
Enjoy a full hot and cold buffet breakfast in the hotel / lodge prior to collection for your day time Husky Safari.
Ylva Forssén is one of a select group of accomplished female husky guides, who runs a lovely kennel in one of our favourite valleys near Kiruna. She has a very unique relationship with her dogs and it is always a privilege to spend time with her.
Your journey from the lodge to the kennel follows a scenic road that leads to Kebnekaise, Sweden’s highest mountain. During the car ride there are great opportunities to see moose, as this is their wintering ground. Once you arrive at the kennels get acquainted with the dogs and receive detailed instructions about how to drive a team. Harness the dogs and feel their excitement as you attach the sled. Head out into the frozen river valley where you will have opportunities to take turns in driving the team whilst making stops to take photos. The location is outside the major tourist areas and we can almost promise that you will enjoy the arctic nature peacefully.
You will be out for around 2 hours before heading back to base for a warming lunch in the family home.
Over the years we have had many requests for guests to stay longer at the Kennels, interact with the dogs and do another trip out into the magnificent countryside. If you would like to make a day of it please see the option of extending below.
To make it more exclusive we only take a maximum of 8 guests at a time.
This evening, enjoy a leisurely dinner or alternatively choose the private Hot tub and Sauna evening at the lodge. This special addition includes an hour private use of the rooftop aurora hot tub.
Day 3
Snowmobiling wilderness Trails. Visit the Original Icehotel. Dinner and Snowmobile Aurora Chase
After breakfast, Mikko, your snowmobile guide, will meet and transfer you to Máttárahkká Northern Lights Lodge for your adventure along one of his private snowmobile trails. The beauty of being based at Máttárahkká is that you can snowmobile straight from the front door!
Explore forests and frozen lakes where the chances of seeing reindeer and moose in their natural habitat are good. Continue your excursion up to Mount Eatnamvárri, a real vantage point from where you have spectacular views. Miles and miles of untouched wilderness stretch out before you on one side of the mountain and on the other side, Kiruna nestles between the Loussavaara and Kirunavaara mountains.
New Year Dinner
Enjoy a traditional 3-course dinner prepared with the finest local ingredients.
Northern Lights Chase on snowmobiles
After Dinner Mikko or one of his guides will take you out by snowmobile through the dark arctic night to a place where there is zero light pollution. You will be surrounded by mountains that are rising like mysterious shadows towards the night sky and drive the snowmobile through the snow-covered landscape with the stars above you. We will make several stops along the way, drink hot beverages and wait for the Northern Lights to show up and dance for us in the night sky. At the top of Mt. Ednavaara you have a 360-degree view over the mountain ranges around you. Toast the New Year in the arctic wilderness and below the magical Northern Lights.
Day 4
Sami Introduction day with Nils Håkan Enoksson. Visit the Original Icehotel
After breakfast at the lodge transfer to the Sámi village of Rávttas, 20 minutes west of the lodge to meet with Nils Håkan Enoksson. Nils Håkan can trace back his family roots several hundred years and has interesting insights into how life has changed in this period.
This experience will give you a glimpse of the traditional lifestyle of the Sámi people and affords the opportunity to get up close with Lapland’s most iconic creature – the reindeer.
During the visit you will have an opportunity to feed the reindeer and absorb the magical relationship between the Sámi and their most prized resource. Your visit includes a ride on a traditional ‘Reindeer powered sled’, the means by which the Sami people traversed the Arctic for centuries.
To end the encounter Hakan will invite you into his traditional Sámi lavvu (teepee) where you will be served a traditional meal around an open fire.
Visit the original Icehotel
This afternoon visit the original Icehotel as well as the revolutionary Icehotel 365. Admire the spectacular individual Art Suites designed by leading artists from around the world, take a cocktail in the unique ice glasses at the sculptured Ice Bar and peep into the Ice Chapel to see if a wedding ceremony is taking place! This is the original Icehotel featured in many television programmes and is still the best.
Return to the lodge to relax.
Day 5
Your Flight Home
After the New Year celebrations enjoy a leisurely start to the day and breakfast before a late morning transfer to the airport for your flight home.
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.
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
Please fill out the enquiry form below to receive a quote for this package.
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Reviews
See what our clients say
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
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
Superb holiday to Iceland, well organised, advice regarding trips informative and far exceeded our expectations (Glaciers and ice Cave) run by South Coast. Hotel Ranga is a lovely hotel, perfect to see Northern Lights (which we did see on our 3rd night), very comfortable, food excellent, staff helpful and informative. SouthCoast Adventure tour company were excellent, guides knowledgeable, and clearly very experienced.
Helen Middleton
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
My daughter and I had an amazing time on our trip, we didn’t want it to end! Everything went according to plan, each excursion was well organized and everyone involved with each activity, as well as everyone at the lodge was kind, friendly, positive and happy, which makes such a difference to your whole experience. The food at The Abisko Mountain Lodge was also incredibly good. Our room was large, comfortable and well-furnished. The bathroom too was also spacious and well-equipped. The outdoor clothing provided was of very good quality which kept us warm, and the staff members are happy to change items if they are not quite the right size for you. This is my second trip with Weekend a la carte and I’m sure there will be more as I have complete trust in them. I highly recommend Aurora Nights, it was fabulous.
Jane Ashworth
Dear Abigail, We have safely returned from Iceland and we wanted to say a huge and sincere thank you for all the plans that you put into place to make this one of the most memorable holidays we have ever had. It was simply beautiful each and every day. The cabin was idyllic and so cosy and warm. The tour guides were so knowledgeable and friendly and the scenery was breathtaking. All the arrangements worked so well and we will remember the trip for a long time to come.
Thank you once again.
Gillian Griffiths
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