Kiruna Cultural Tours: Top 5 Experiences to Book

If you’re thinking about visiting Kiruna, which is way up in Swedish Lapland, and are hoping to get a feel for the place, like its history, its people, and its traditions, then this article could be really helpful. Kiruna has very special tours that, in a way, act like bridges to a culture that’s pretty different from what lots of people might be used to. From chilling out at the world-famous Ice Hotel to connecting with the Sami people, there are actually different tours that can make your visit truly remarkable.

1. Meeting the Sami: A Cultural Immersion

First off, there’s this chance to learn about the Sami people, who are Lapland’s original inhabitants. The Sami have a pretty special bond with the land up there, plus they’ve managed to keep a unique lifestyle for, like, thousands of years. Now, on Sami cultural tours, you can hear their stories firsthand. Apparently, guides who come from the Sami community usually run them. So you might get to hear about reindeer herding, which is, in some respects, quite essential to their way of life. Or maybe how they make handicrafts. And, as a matter of fact, how they keep their language and customs alive. Many visitors found it super moving just getting to spend time with the Sami. It sounds like this tour isn’t just about watching. Seemingly, it’s also about respectfully sharing a bit of their existence.

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2. The Ice Hotel Experience: More Than Just Ice

Then there’s the Ice Hotel. It’s basically an icon that a lot of folks recognize. At the end of the day, this hotel isn’t your typical place to stay. Every year, it’s newly made completely out of ice and snow from the Torne River. Actually, a guided tour gives you the opportunity to check out the special architecture and find out about how it’s created. Plus, nearly almost all tours include info on the artists from all over who help make each room something different. Honestly, you’ll get to stroll through these icy rooms. You can see the ice sculptures and find out about the hotel’s impact on making sustainable design better known.

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3. Kiruna City Tour: Past, Present, and Future

You could take a city tour, too. This is more of a look into how Kiruna grew. To be honest, it was first created because of the iron ore mine. So a tour covers the story of the mine, plus the move of the whole city since the mining apparently is affecting the land beneath it. You know, guides share things about the architecture. Also, things about the people, plus what’s supposed to happen next for Kiruna. So, it provides some idea of how a town has adapted, especially as it’s faced with big changes.

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4. Aurora Borealis Viewing Tour: Chasing the Northern Lights

Then there are tours where you go hunting for the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis. People think of it as super magical when lights dance across the sky. Kiruna happens to be just a little under the Aurora Oval, actually, which is where you often get to see these lights. Tours usually go out to places away from town that are very, very dark, which, arguably, makes the lights appear brighter. Plus, the tour people might tell stories about what people thought these lights meant back in old times. So there is the pretty cool sight plus tales to go with it.

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5. Dog Sledding Adventure: Mush Through the Arctic

Going dog sledding seems really special, too. It lets you experience the area kind of how people used to, which is with a pack of very excited sled dogs. That means you travel through the snow-covered country behind a team of huskies. So in a way, you see scenery that not everyone does. And, honestly, you might feel linked to ways people lived way back. Usually, the tour guides are really good with the dogs, plus they care a bit about showing guests how important these animals are. Dog sledding in this setting really helps people to, sort of, bond with animals. But also to maybe find quiet, calm moments in really wide-open spaces.

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