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Dog-sledding has been a pastime and way of life in parts of Sweden for centuries, particularly within the Sámi culture of Swedish Lapland. If you’re visiting between December and March, you can seize the opportunity to try this exhilarating activity for yourself as a team of huskies leads you through the region’s untouched wilderness.

You’ll first get the chance to meet the dogs and their experienced musher, who’ll demonstrate the skills needed to navigate the sled and its team of four huskies. You’ll then have the opportunity to take the reins yourself as you glide through forest along a designated track.

Choose to head out for a morning or spend a whole day out with the dogs, including a wilderness lunch cooked over a fire.

After being picked up from your hotel, along with a small group of others, you’ll take an hour’s drive deep into Lapland’s remote, wild landscape. Between December and March, this region is blanketed in snow, creating ideal conditions for dog-sledding.

On arrival, you’ll meet your experienced musher-guide, who’ll introduce you to each of the huskies, briefly describing their varied personalities and what makes them so well-suited to pulling sleds. They’ll tell you more about the heritage surrounding dog-sledding in this region of Sweden. You’ll also learn the techniques required to mush a dog-sled, each of which is pulled by a team of four dogs.

Those aged 12 and over who feel confident enough can then take the reins of their own dog-sled. Or, if you’d prefer, you can ride as a passenger with your guide. As you glide along a set track through snow-covered forest, the cold air awakens your senses and trees pass by in a blur of green. You can also marvel at how the dogs instantly change their movements according to your commands, their excited barks echoing back to you.

If you’re spending a whole day dog-sledding, you’ll pause for lunch in the wilderness, cooked over an open fire. Otherwise, you’ll return to base ready for the drive back to your hotel.