Reindeer and Sámi culture around Kiruna

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Sápmi, the land of the Sámi, reaches across the north of Sweden, Norway and Finland and into Russia. Visit Sweden estimates the Sámi population in Sweden at between 20,000 and 40,000 people, living across about 35 per cent of the country. Kiruna is part of it, and even the town's name comes from Northern Sámi: Giron means mountain grouse.

Reindeer herding is organised in Sámi communities, in Swedish a sameby. Kiruna municipality has eight of them. Könkämä, Lainiovuoma, Saarivuoma, Talma, Gabna, Laevas and Girjas are mountain communities, and Vittangi is the one forest community.

Herding is one part of Sámi life

Most visitors meet Sámi culture through reindeer, which can leave a narrow picture. Kiruna Lapland points out that herding carries a great deal of cultural heritage, but that far from all Sámi have it as their main occupation. Visit Sweden counts around 5,000 reindeer owners in the country, and that figure already includes people who own a single animal. The national day and the market in Jokkmokk, both in early February, show other sides of Sámi life and are covered further down.

How the reindeer tours differ

In photos the tours look alike. On the ground they differ in who hosts you, how long the drive is and what you do with the animals.

Giron Reindeer is a Sámi family business and appears on Kiruna Lapland's list of Sámi hosts in the area. Its farm is in the village of Rávttas, about 20 km northwest of Kiruna. The three-hour visit includes feeding the reindeer, a ride in a reindeer sled, an introduction to lasso throwing and lunch with reindeer meat, bread and coffee; a vegetarian meal is available on request. Pickup is at the tourist office or a hotel in central Kiruna, not in Jukkasjärvi. The tour is not suitable for people with limited mobility.

The full day with Go to Lapland takes longer because the farm, somewhere in Norrbotten County, is about 75 minutes away by van. Over seven hours you feed the herd, ride in a sled behind a reindeer and eat Sámi food by the fire in a lávvu, the Sámi tent. Winter clothes and warm shoes are included, and the minimum age is 6. In strong wind, a snowstorm or below −25 °C the tour is cancelled with a full refund. Reviews mention the long drive and a fairly short sled loop of about a kilometre, so it fits people who want time with the herder more than a long ride.

Near Jukkasjärvi, Arctic Sáivvu is run by Niklas Blind, whose background the tour page describes as shaped by generations of reindeer herding. The camp is about 20 minutes by car from Kiruna, and the Icehotel is one of the pickup points. In three hours you meet and feed the reindeer, go reindeer sledding and eat traditional Sámi food by an open fire. Warm clothes, gloves and shoes are provided.

A sleigh ride is not a reindeer sled

The two-hour tour by Aurora Rivercamp works differently. A snowmobile pulls the sleigh, not a reindeer. It takes you to a reindeer corral in Jukkasjärvi, where you feed the animals from outside the fence, drink warm lingonberry juice and hear stories about Sámi culture. The tour page does not name a Sámi host. It is the shortest of the reindeer tours here and accepts children from 3, so it can work for families who mainly want to see reindeer up close. It does not suit people with back problems.

Several Icehotel tours also stop at Nutti Sámi Siida in Jukkasjärvi, which has a museum and keeps reindeer. This combines a first meeting with reindeer with the hotel visit, without a separate trip.

Choosing a host

Visit Sweden suggests looking for the Sápmi Experience seal of quality if you want your visit to be sustainable and responsible. Kiruna Lapland also names Sámi businesses around Kiruna, among them Giron Reindeer, Allas Activity, Scandinavian Sámi Photoadventures, Go to Lapland, N'light and the Sarri family in Nikkaluokta. On a tour page, check who the hosts are and where the animals live. A product that only promises stories about Sámi culture is different from a visit to a herding family.

Meeting reindeer outdoors

Out on the trails you may come across reindeer without a guide nearby. Naturvårdsverket, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, asks visitors to give the animals peace and space by staying quiet and keeping their distance, and to keep dogs on a lead. Disturbing reindeer is prohibited, while watching them from a distance is welcome. The calving season from April to June needs extra care. On farms and in camps the hosts' instructions come first; Nutti Sámi Siida, for example, asks guests to follow the safety instructions of its staff at all times.

Two dates in February

6 February is the national day shared by all Sámi. It recalls the first Sámi national assembly, held in Trondheim in 1917, and has been celebrated since 1993. The market in Jokkmokk traditionally starts on the first Thursday in February. In 2027 the 422nd Jokkmokk Market runs from Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 February, so it ends on the national day.

Winter or summer

The reindeer tours on this page are winter products built around sledding on snow. In summer Nutti Sámi Siida keeps fewer reindeer in Jukkasjärvi, because most of its herd is up in the mountains then. Our page on the best time to visit Kiruna covers snow and light month by month, and things to do in Kiruna lists what else fits around a reindeer morning.