SwedenTrip Planning

Planning Specific to Swedish Trips

Sweden is a country rich in opportunities; from the Arctic beauty of the North with its midnight sun, to the castles of the southernmost province Skåne with its more continental flavour. The largest Scandinavian country, Sweden stretches from latitudes similar to the north of England right up to the Arctic Circle and beyond. It is also a land of relatively large areas of wilderness, with huge forests and thousands of lakes with simple log cabins scattered along the shores. The famous, and original, Ice Hotel is in the village of Jukkasjarvi next to the Torne River and a short drive from the regional centre of Gallivare, where we will be based. Apart from the fantastic skiing here you can try to build an igloo, go dog sledding with huskies, snowmobiling on a snow scooter or skidoo, or take a typical Scandinavian sauna – a great location for winter activities of all kinds. Further south are the cosmopolitan cities of Malmo, Gothenburg and Stockholm, as well as hundreds of tiny picturesque islands off the Baltic coast.

Gällivare is 100 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, in the middle of Lappland on the roof of Europe with the same latitude as Alaska in the west and Siberia in the east. You can’t go much further north, yet the Gulf Stream with its warm winds make the climate surprisingly mild.
Unpolluted, healthy, unspoilt environments have become ever more in demand. At Gällivare you can experience total freedom and quiet, and listen to a silence you did not know existed!

A Rift Valley Adventures Ski trip to the Gallivare region of Sweden not only offers a great ski experience but so much more from being above the Artic Circle. Other snow activities such as building igloos (and sleeping in one for the game!), visiting local people like the Satmi with their reindeers as we learn about their culture and viewing the northern lights. The beauty of the Gallivare region and the Dundret Ski complex is that there is so much more to do that just ski.

Perfect Destination for Student Group

The following are just some of the attributes that make this trip perfect for a student group:

Group, Staff and Support

All of our trips are fully hosted by Rift Valley Adventures staff where the Group Leader has international qualifications in Wilderness First Aid, Snow Skiing, Group Safety, Risk Management and other qualifications together with many years experience of operating student trips.

Excellent local guides

They are all highly knowledgeable and passionate about Sweden, with an intimate knowledge of the Satmi people, wildlife and everything Scandinavian.

A balanced itinerary

Skiing is great fun, but we realise that students can be easily ‘skiied out’. This is a school holiday trip after all, and, whilst we make sure that there is plenty of skiing there will be time to shop, relax, visit the local people and engage in fun snow activities such as igloo building, dog sledding, watching the 90m Ski Jump, and we also ensure that there is adequate time for exploration of the Gallivare region including a visit to the famous Ice hotel.

Skiing

Dundret is a family and student group skiing resort and ideal for beginner to advanced skiers. With options to ski down hill or cross country, snowboard or try snow blades - there is a skill for everyone to practice and perfect.

Food

Travelling with Rift Valley Adventures we will experience the vast array of wonderful food that is available in Sweden. All meals are included in the trip price and we endeavour to give you flexibility in deciding what to eat. An example of what you may expect is
Breakfasts: these are Scandinavian in style including: tea or coffee, porridge, yoghurt, muesli, cheese, ham, and breads (flat pita style or rye).
Lunches and Evening meals: menus might include reindeer meat soup with cheese and bread or sandwiches, meatballs, reindeer stew, salmon, sausage, Swedish hash, and cooked vegetables.
Vegetarians: If you are a vegetarian please advise us when you book. A meat diet is the norm in Lappland; although vegetables are included, they are not necessarily a meal in themselves. A vegetarian should expect a fairly limited choice.

Weather

Temperatures should remain below 0°C for the whole season, however recent years have had some unexpected fluctuations, both warmer and colder. Lowest temperature in 2004 was -40°C and the warmest was +8°C, just a few weeks apart. Generally you should expect much colder temperatures in December and January, around -25°C, as the days get longer the temperatures rise to around 0°C point by April.

Daylight hours
As we are inside the Arctic Circle, from 01 December to 07 January the sun remains just below the horizon during the day. But it is not dark - there is plenty of reflection from the snow - expect 4-5 hours of daylight. At the end of January daylight hours increase to 6-7. In February there are 10-11 hours, and in March/April 15-17 hours.

Northern Lights
The stunning Aurora Borealis are one of nature’s most awe-inspiring sights, and seeing them hover above us on a cold winter’s night is an experience never to be forgotten. Scientists will tell you the Northern Lights occur ‘when solar wind particles collide with air molecules in the earth’s atmosphere, transferring their energy into light’. They can be seen as far south as Scotland, but the best locations for sightings lie in a wide ring that more or less follows the Arctic Circle; think Iceland, Greenland, North Norway, Sweden, Finland, Canada and Alaska. The ‘season’ runs from October to March. Within this window the slightly better months are October, February and March. During periods of high solar activity (not forecastable) they can often be seen every night, but the sky has to be clear of cloud cover, and you need to be away from other light sources. Displays can vary in intensity – from a greenish-yellow glow moving gently around the sky, to a spectacular multi-coloured show dancing across the heavens. Sightings not only vary in intensity but in duration too, from just minutes to sometimes hours. Typically, over a weekend in the north you probably have a 30-40% chance of seeing the some activity. On a weeklong stay you have a very good chance of seeing full-blown aurora, and have an average to good chance of seeing the most spectacular light show on earth at its best.

Accomodation and Transport

Dundret
The main building - Björnfällan - houses a restaurant, sauna, pool and ski hire with a shop for the basics and souvenirs. We use comfortable cabins adjacent to the Hotel on a quad share basis. They are spacious, warm and comfortable. The cabins are located adjacent to the lift system, so you can put on your skis or snowboard right outside the door. All cabins are heated and equipped with a small kitchenette, TV, phone and bathroom with shower and WC.

Trains
These are first class trains with all the amenities of a good hotel.

Transport
Road transport is by private mini/midi-bus and Swedens roads are excellent.

Travel Safety

We are a responsible tour operator and for us the safety of our student clients and staff is of paramount importance. We would not run any trip that we did not consider reasonably safe. Should the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise against travel for any reason, we will contact the school to discuss alternatives. We check on a very regular basis with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and with our staff on the ground, and we follow their advice very closely.

Responsible Tourism Policy

Tourism can be a real help to local communities, providing income, positive cultural exchanges and a financial incentive to protect their natural environment. Ours is a 'total approach' to responsible tourism, covering everything from the way we plan and operate our trips to the practices of Rift Valley Adventures as a company. Rift Valley Adventures trips are designed to allow a high degree of economic benefit to the local communities; we buy local produce, eat local food and use local services, thus ensuring that as much money as possible is retained within the local economies and the host communities. With our responsible tourism policy we are continually reassessing our trips, trying at all times to ensure that they are socially, economically and environmentally sound.

Physical Rating

This is a skiing trip after all! Expect to get the heart rate up as you shoot down the piste and if you opt to try cross-country skiing expect the rating to go up to 5! You may be required to carry your luggage on and off trains and buses, to the hotel cabins etc. The itinerary may include easy paced snow shoe walks to sights near Dundret.

Culture Shock Rating

Sweden is a first world country with first world amenities, but expect to sample local food from the Satmi people and try new activities, like sleeping in an igloo! (optional)

Passports and Visas

Visas must be arranged before you travel. We will assist in obtaining visas for all students and staff booked onto the trip who require them. Please see attached list of countries that require visas.
• All African nationalities require a visa.
• Visa costs are $45 per person.
• Passports must be valid for a further six months from date of the commencement of the trip.
• Please ensure entry permits are up to date when departing and arriving in Kenya.

Health and Vaccinations

Please have a valid Yellow Fever certificate as this may be requested at Immigration in Stockholm. There are no other specific health requirements for this trip. However, you should consult your doctor for up-to-date medical travel information about Sweden before departure. We recommend that you carry a basic First Aid kit (The Rift Valley Adventure Group Leader will carry a comprehensive first aid kit) as well as any personal medical requirements. A medical form must be completed together with the booking form.

Money Exchange

In September 2006 the rates were Sweden: US$1 = 7.20 SEK (Swedish Kroners) but obviously it's changed.  Check with your bank, newspapers or currency conversion sites on line.  The easiest and safest way to carry money is a credit card. There are many ATMs (which accept both Visa and Mastercard) throughout Sweden and these are also accepted in nearly all shops and restaurants. Some banks will also allow cash advances on the card. Cash in the 3 major currencies (Euros, English pounds and US dollars) are easy to change. We recommend taking some cash for emergencies, but please take into consideration the safety issues of carrying only cash.

Spendy Money

As this is a fully inclusive trip including 3 meals each day you will need to allow enough money for the following:

• Snacks
• Shopping
• Drinks
• Optional activities

Please also make sure each student has an additional US$50 to be used as an "emergency" fund when students have spent all their money shopping and need to pay for telephone calls, laundry and room service bills at hotels, ‘forgot to renew my entry permit to Kenya’ and other situations. The money will be held by the Rift Valley Adventures trip leader and refunded to students at the end of the trip.

Responsible Travel

We believe strongly in low impact or rather positive impact tourism at Rift Valley Adventures. Broadly speaking this means that we try to minimise the negative aspects of tourism on the local cultures and environments that we visit and highlight the positive aspects.

What to take

Lots of warm clothes particularly woollen, fleece and windproof items. We encourage students to carry their luggage in a medium to large size soft bag. Hard suitcases are not generally recommended for Rift Valley Adventures travellers! It is also important that your bags can be locked, as on the trains and aircraft your luggage will be stored separately from the group. The smaller your bag the better, for when it comes to travelling its usually only the smaller bags that will fit into the storage areas. If your bag does not fit in these areas then often the only place to put it is on your seat. So to get maximum comfort, pack small and light, but do not forget those warm clothes! Do not fret if you have no winter and skiing clothes, as there will be opportunities to purchase and hire clothing. We suggest the following:

• Wind/Water Proof outer layer
• Wind/Water proof pants
• Fleece Jacket
• Fleece or track pants
• Thermal top and bottoms
• Woolen Jumper or warm fleece jacket
• Warm socks
• Balaclava or warm head wear
• Warm boots/shoes for walking around cabins/hotel in snow
• Gloves for skiing
• Gloves for general use
• Good UV A & B Sunglasses for Skiing
• Sunscreen
• Normal daily clothes

Essential Equipment and Clothing
Bearing in mind that temperatures vary from month to month, but are not always predictable, you need to pack to allow for very cold temperatures. Apart from your main luggage, we recommend that you bring one small rucksack for skiing and to carry personal items such as camera, water, hat, sunscreen etc.

Note on temperatures below –30؛C.
Whilst we do not expect temperatures to be this extreme please be aware that contact lenses can freeze, as can water-based creams / moisturisers in very low temperatures. Camera Batteries usually stop working in low temperatures, so take spares.

Sample Check List

Health requirements arranged
Money: travellers cheques/cash/credit card
Money pouch
First aid kit
Day pack to carry your personal needs during the day
Alarm clock/watch and torch/flashlight
Warm clothes
Ear plugs can be useful
Lock for your bag
Swimming costume
Small pillow (inflatable type for and train and bus trips)
Sunglasses

Safety

Many national governments provide a regularly updated advice service on safety issues involved with international travel. We recommend that you check your government's advice for their latest travel information before departure. We strongly recommend the use of a neck wallet or money belt while travelling, for the safe keeping of cash and other valuable items. Teachers and Rift Valley Adventures staff will be responsible for carrying students’ passport, air tickets, travellers' cheques, spare cash etc. Leave your valuable jewellery at home - you won't need it while travelling. A lock is recommended for securing your luggage.

Note that Rift Valley Adventures has the authority to amend or cancel any part of the trip itinerary if it is deemed necessary due to safety concerns. Your leader will accompany you on all included activities.

A Couple of Rules

Normal school rules will apply throughout the trip and illegal drugs and alcohol will not be tolerated on Rift Valley Adventure trips. Possessing or using drugs and alcohol not only contravenes the laws of the land, but also puts the rest of the group at risk. Rift Valley Adventures philosophy of travel is one of respect towards everyone we encounter, and in particular the local people who make this region the special place it is.

Alternative Trips – Please note that we can design a unique Ski trip for your student group anywhere. Please contact our head office at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Trip Cost

A fees per student depending on flight costs and activity options. Inclusive of:

• Fully Hosted trip by Nicholas Miller
• One free teacher for every 11 paying students
• Return International Airfares for students, teachers and Rift Valley Adventures staff
• Travel Insurance
• Air Taxes (please note that taxes constantly change)
• Accommodation and 3 meals a day
• All skiing charges, activities, entry fees and charges as listed in the itinerary

Not Included
• Entry Visa
• Spending money
• Optional activities
• Hire charge for ski clothing (jacket, pants, gloves)

Important Note - Please Read

The information in these Trip Notes is given in good faith, and covers the average range of conditions likely to be found on this trip. Where differences exist in the information between these Trip Notes and our current brochure, the Trip Notes are the correct version and supersede the brochure. In remote destinations abnormal conditions can prevail at any time, and all adventurous holidays can therefore be subject to unexpected changes; in order to enjoy them you should be prepared to be flexible where necessary.