Husky sledding in Kiruna

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Husky tours around Kiruna run from kennels outside the town. Kiruna Husky works at Kalixforsbron, about 30 minutes by van from the centre. Lapland Sleddog Adventures is in the village of Kurravaara, a small family kennel starts from its home near the Icehotel, and Husky Tours Lapland keeps its dogs at Svappavaara, half an hour south. Jukkasjärvi Vildmarks Turer collects guests in Kiruna and in Jukkasjärvi. Almost every tour includes the transfer from your hotel or from a meeting point in town, so you do not need a car.

On a typical tour you spend some time getting dressed and meeting the team, then ride for an hour or a little more, and finish with coffee or a meal by the fire. Total tour times on the tour pages include all of this, which is why a 2.5-hour tour does not mean 2.5 hours on the sled.

Driving the team or riding along

This is the decision that sorts the tours. On a self-drive tour you stand on the runners and steer the team with your weight and a brake. Two people usually share a sled and change places halfway, so each of you drives for part of the trail. The Kiruna Husky morning tour runs this way for five hours with a light lunch, and Jukkasjärvi Vildmarks Turer even lets you take a small team of three or four dogs on your own.

Self-driving is more physical than it looks. Guests on the longer tours mention that steering in the curves takes some practice, and that one guide at the front of a long line feels thin when you are at the back. If that worries you, choose a passenger tour.

On a passenger tour the guide drives and you sit in the sled with blankets around you. The Jukkasjärvi tour uses a large sled for up to four adults, and the morning ride from Svappavaara puts four guests in one sled and stops at a fire halfway. Sitting still is colder than driving, and reviews of these tours mention cold hands and feet more often than any other point.

Morning, midday or evening

In Kiruna the light changes fast across the season. The sun does not rise at all from 11 December to 1 January. On 21 December there is twilight between 08:56 and 14:18, and a tour in the late morning catches the brightest part of the day. By 1 February the sun is up from 08:56 to 14:50, and by 1 March from 06:59 to 16:45.

Evening tours run in the dark, and some are sold as northern lights tours. The aurora shows up most often between about 21:00 and 23:00, and clouds sit below it and hide it. No operator promises a sighting. One family kennel near the Icehotel says its evening rides have a chance of aurora only from December to February, because the sky is not dark enough later in the season.

Small groups and families

Group sizes on the tour pages range from four to about twelve guests. The smallest tours here are the family kennel near the Icehotel and the sunrise ride by Snowdog, both with at most four guests. The Snowdog tour starts at 10:00 and ends at 13:00, and its reviews mention a late start and a long wait in strong cold, so be dressed for standing still.

For families with small children the age limits matter more than anything else. The Kurravaara kennel seats two adults and three children in one sled and takes children from 2 years. The morning ride by Lapland Wilderness Tours accepts children from 3 years, the Svappavaara tour only excludes babies under one. Several other tours start at 6 or 7 years, even when the title says the tour is for families.

What you get and what to bring

Nearly all husky tours lend an overall or snowsuit and winter boots, and most add a hat and gloves. Underneath you need your own warm layers. The Icehotel recommends wool closest to the skin, a fleece in the middle and several pairs of thick wool socks, and warns that it can drop to minus 30 degrees outside. In Kiruna the tourist office gives about minus 20 degrees as a usual January temperature and calls such figures rough hints. Our page on what to wear in Kiruna has the full list.

Food varies from coffee and cookies to a hot lunch. The five-hour Kiruna Husky tour includes soup and sandwiches, and the Jukkasjärvi tour with lunch serves a warm meal between the two legs.

Fitting a husky tour into your stay

Winter activities usually run until about mid-April, as long as there is enough snow. A morning husky tour leaves the evening free for a northern lights tour, and the tours that start near the Icehotel combine well with a visit to the Icehotel the same day. During its winter season from December to April, the Icehotel itself offers to start or end your stay with a dog sled transfer.

Keep the five-hour self-drive tour for a day with nothing else planned. A short passenger ride of 2.5 hours fits around a flight, since the airport is only about nine kilometres from the centre.