Laponia
Sweden · Lappland · 500 m
Description
Laponia is a world heritage site listed twice over, for the land and for the people on it, which is unusual and is the point. Nine Sami communities still herd reindeer across an area the size of Wales, and four national parks sit inside it, of which Sarek has no roads, no huts and no marked paths and is the emptiest place in Europe that anybody walks into on purpose. Padjelanta has a trail and cabins. The visitor centre at Stora Sjöfallet explains the herding year, which is the part outsiders usually miss and the part the double listing is actually about.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 3 to 10 days (optimal 5 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: July – August
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Laponia World Heritage Site (UNESCO)
- Naturum Laponia visitor centre at Stora Sjöfallet
- Sarek National Park, roadless and unmarked
- Padjelanta trail and its mountain cabins (July - September)
- Sami reindeer herding across the nine communities
- Muddus old growth forest and its bogs
- Kungsleden section through Stora Sjöfallet
- Akkajaure reservoir and the Ritsem boat
- Stora Sjöfallet waterfall, dammed but visible
- Jokkmokk winter market, four centuries old (February)(Day trip)
- Ájtte Sami museum in Jokkmokk(Day trip)
- Moose and bear of the Laponia forests
- Northern lights over the wilderness (September - March)