Snowshoeing and ice fishing in Kiruna

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Snowshoes and ice fishing are the quiet way into the winter around Kiruna. You walk or sit at the pace of the slowest person in the group, and a driving licence is only needed on the snowmobile day further down. Most tours last between two and four hours, take at most eight guests and include a pickup in town. That makes them a good first activity on the day you arrive, or a calm morning between a husky ride and a late night chasing the aurora.

Ice fishing is done on lakes in three places: on Sir Folke’s frozen lake at Kalixforsbron, on Lake Sautosjärvi near Jukkasjärvi, and on Torneträsk at Abisko. Snowshoe walks start in the forest outside Kiruna or in the birch woods of Abisko National Park. Several tours combine the two activities.

Snowshoe walks from Kiruna

No experience is needed on any of these walks. A guest on the forest walk by Outdoor North 67° found walking on snowshoes a bit awkward at first, which is a common first impression.

The daytime hike by Explore Arctic is the most straightforward choice. A van takes you from one of ten pickup points, the Icehotel among them, to a viewpoint outside town, and the operator describes the walk as suitable for all fitness levels. It lasts three hours with warm drinks, in a group of no more than eight.

The forest walk by Outdoor North 67° is shorter, about two and a quarter hours on snowshoes plus a short van ride each way from hotels in Kiruna. A local guide explains how plants and animals get through the cold, and there is hot berry juice with homemade cookies. A headlamp is handed out if needed. This tour provides no clothing, so you need your own full winter outfit.

The snow shelter day by Expedition Lapland is the longest and the most work. About 30 minutes from Kiruna you dig a shelter into the snow with shovels and saws, go on a guided snowshoe hike and eat a lunch cooked over an open fire. It takes five and a half hours, and the operator calls it a quite demanding physical activity that does not suit people with claustrophobia, heart or breathing problems. The tour is offered in late winter.

Walking in Abisko National Park

Abisko lies 93 kilometres from Kiruna along the E10, just over an hour by road. The national park there was founded in 1909 as one of the first in Sweden. Activities in Abisko runs a two-hour snowshoe walk through its birch forest in the afternoon, for up to eight guests, with warm clothing and hot drinks included. The guide points out tracks of moose, fox and Arctic hare. Children under 8 cannot join.

The pickup is in Abisko only. This walk suits you if you sleep in Abisko for a night or two, not as an add-on to a day in Kiruna. One guest from March 2026 calls it a tough hike with walking sticks and recommends waterproof shoes. More on the area is on our page about Abisko National Park.

Ice fishing near Kiruna

On every ice fishing tour here you reach a frozen lake, a hole is drilled through the ice and you fish through it, with the gear provided. The tourist office warns that snow and ice are too cold to sit on directly. That is why the tours bring a tipi, reindeer skins or a hut to warm up in, and why warm clothes matter more than any fishing skill.

Kiruna Husky combines both activities in four hours. You walk on snowshoes from the operator’s house at Kalixforsbron to Sir Folke’s frozen lake where the hole is drilled by hand, which guests describe as hard work. Afterwards there is soup, sandwiches and fika in a tipi. The kit includes a snowsuit, winter boots, gloves, hats and socks. Reviews mention strong wind on the open ice and, on some days, no fish at all. The tour is not suitable for people over 70.

The shorter option is Camp Caroli on Lake Sautosjärvi near Jukkasjärvi. You are picked up in or around Kiruna and taken to the lake by car or snowmobile. Overalls, boots, gloves, fishing gear and reindeer skins are included, and what you catch is grilled over the fire.

Arctic char on Torneträsk

Torneträsk is the sixth largest lake in Sweden by area, about 331 square kilometres, and up to 168 metres deep. The Abisko tour on this lake is the only one on this page that names its fish: you try for Arctic char and cook the catch over a fire, with a wooden hut to warm up in. Early in the winter, before the ice on Torneträsk is safe, the group goes by minibus to a smaller lake nearby. Once the ice holds, you reach it by snowmobile.

Ice conditions decide a lot here. In February 2026 one group had its fishing cancelled and got a snowmobile ride instead, and a guest from January 2026 found little going on at the lake and suggests booking later in the winter. As with the snowshoe walk, the pickup is in Abisko only, and children from 5 years can take part.

Clothing, light and cold

Walking keeps you warm, sitting by a hole in the ice does not, so plan for both. The Icehotel recommends wool closest to the skin, fleece in the middle, a wind and waterproof outer layer and several pairs of thick wool socks. The tourist office gives about minus 20 degrees as a usual January temperature in Kiruna and says such figures are hints only. Read the inclusions of each tour before you pack: some lend a full outfit, one lends nothing. The full packing list is on our page about what to wear in Kiruna.

Light is the other factor. In Kiruna the sun does not rise from 11 December to 1 January, and on 21 December there is twilight only between 08:56 and 14:18. An afternoon walk in that period ends in the dark. By 1 March the sun is up from 06:59 to 16:45, which leaves far more daylight for a long day outdoors. Winter activities usually continue until about mid-April, as long as the snow lasts.

Who each tour suits

For a first day in Lapland, or for travellers who want to be outside without speed or noise, the daytime snowshoe hike or the forest walk are the gentle start. Families with younger children have two good fits: Sautosjärvi near Jukkasjärvi, and the Torneträsk trip from 5 years if you stay in Abisko. The Kalixforsbron tour is the one to book if you want snowshoes and fishing in one morning with lunch included.

Active groups who enjoy hands-on work should look at the snow shelter day. The operator does not set a minimum age and offers to find a solution for children under 12. Guests who want fishing but also some speed can choose the Kiruna Husky snowmobile day, with two drives of about an hour and a half and a fishing stop with a barbecue lunch. It needs a driving licence for the driver and is only open from 15 years. Our page on snowmobile tours covers the other engine options.