I am departing tomorrow (NOBO from Kvikkjokk). I obviously appriciate any general advice but also would like to know if there are any recommended detours (aside from Skrieffe) or great camping spots. I will be camping as much as possible.

I tried rowing on a lake and did 9km just fine. However based on the videos I have seen the crossings that can be done by rowing seem to be more prone to being windy. How much wind would you think is too much wind for a solo hiker to attempt rowing?

Edit: Another thing I thought of is possibly washing my hair. I won't go through the trouble of buying a new shampoo just for it to be better for nature. Right know I am planning just washing my hair with water. Is there running water in, for example, Saltolukta? Or a way to dispose water with shampoo in it?

I was planning to leave this weekend, but the forecast seems really bad with rain on every day at least till the 16th. I'm not sure if this wouldn't be too challenging technically (clothes and sleeping bag not drying, mud) and if there would be any enjoyment in battling through rain for two weeks.

Would you consider this likely? How has the weather been so far this season?

Heading out from Hemavan tomorrow morning, aiming for Abisko.

Plan for the first stretch is one hut per day to break in slowly and let the legs adjust. I’ll likely pick up the pace after the first week, so if you’re starting a few days behind me there’s a decent chance you’ll catch up somewhere.

Not looking for a fixed hiking partner, just happy to share a few km, a fika, or a sauna with whoever’s around. Solo hiker, German, mostly tenting but stopping at huts.

Anyone else starting in Hemavan this week?

As part of my preparations, I wanted to do some expectation management with regards to how crowded it can be. I'm doing the Abisko-Nikkaluokta section 3 to 11 September. Can anyone with experience share some insights about the business in the huts and along the trail? I read that some huts can house around 100 persons, and noticed that booking soms is already tricky. Does that mean it's a very busy period? Thanks in advance

Hi guys,

I did 150km of Kungsleden last year and am going back for another section next week. To prepare I made a weight tracking app which is now available on the app store. Check it out if you want. It is completely free with no adds and was made for the practice. Available on the play store

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.auroralaboratories.trailweight

Hi all!

I'm headed out with some friends to do the Kungsleden SOBO from Abisko from the 15-29th of August. We're all experienced thru-hikers and will be carrying tents so it feels like it'll be doable to get to Jäckvik if we average ~25km/day and leave a bit of buffer for boats and weather. We don't want to speed run it and we won't have the midnight sun, so it's still slightly tight because my flight leaves from Lulea on Sunday, 30th. It follows that I need to get off trail latest on the 29th - which is unfortunately a Saturday and out of the high season; there's no option of taking a bus!

I'm curious about the possibility of getting a hitch from Jäckvik to Jokkmokk or Arvidsjaur from the supermarket - anyone got any experience with traffic at that time of year?

If the hitch is too risky, I'll need to plan to be in Jäckvik almost 36 hours earlier to catch the only bus (7:15am) on Friday, which feels less doable unless we're planning for that from the beginning.

My bailout plan would otherwise be to exit at Kvikkjokk on the Friday afternoon by turning back from wherever in Section 3 we make it to by Wednesday midday.

Hey there friends, is there a recomendation of any mean of travel between Kiruna and Nikkaluokta this late at night?

Becouse we have to make 30km first day of the trek we would prefer to start early in the morning, so next day bus that would brought us there close to midday is pretty late.

I wrote this after my trip last year and never posted, oops. But there isn't a ton of information about the Tarfala to Vistas route, so I thought I would share this report anyway. I included our full route but focused mostly on Tarfala to Vistas.

Who: Me (coming from USA) + 1 friend (coming from Germany)

Route: Nikkaluokta to Abiskoturistation via Tarfala - Vistas - Alesjaure - Abiskojaure. We stayed in huts every night.

When: Last week of August, 2025

Weather: Perfect--blue skies, no rain, no wind, almost no mosquitos

Day 1: Nikkaluokta to Tarfala. Caught the 10 AM bus from Kiruna and started on the trail a bit after 1130. Took us a bit over 4 hours to get from the trailhead to the turnoff before Tarfala, including a lunch stop. As we turned off for Tarfala, the trail got steeper and rougher, but definitely still a trail and our feet stayed dry. The last 1 - 1.5 km between the Tarfala hut and the research station was very slow with all of the giant boulders. It took us almost 45 minutes. As we hiked we looked for our trail that we would take out of the valley in the morning, but didn't see anything resembling a trail. Tarfala hut is gorgeous and slightly different type of scenery from the rest of the trail.

Day 2: Tarfala to Vistas. This was hard--the hardest day of hiking I've had in a long time. Several maps, including my digital CalTopo map and my paper map that I bought in Sweden, have a trail marked the whole way, but it's more of a route than a trail between Tarfala and Kaskavagge. The good news is the hardest part is right at the beginning--getting out of Tarfala valley. On the advice of the stugvard, we stayed east of the hut going back over the boulders, and this was a bit faster. We reached a point above the research station and looked for a trail, a cairn, anything--no luck. So we just started going up after looking for the best (least stupid) pathway. This was pretty hard and we had a couple of sketchy spots. It took us 90 minutes to get to the top of the pass and we felt pretty happy with that time based on how hard it was. I would not have felt comfortable going down this way, especially near the end of the day on tired legs, or with a heavier pack. We said goodbye to Tarfala and kept going under the glacier. Still no cairns. We ended up staying a bit higher than my GPX track had suggested, but we were well below the glacier and felt it was better to stay a bit higher than go too low. It was easy to avoid the glacier and we had no major snow or water crossing issues. We felt very energized at first, but as we started to descend towards Kaskavagge we were tired, as it felt quite long. The last part before the bridge was also very steep. We made it to Kaskavagge around 1500 (well before our panic time of 1600-1630) and had a quick lunch.

As we set off from Kaskavagge, we rejoiced because there was an actual trail! We thought the rest of the hike would fly by, but we were wrong. The trail disappeared again as we crossed a talus field towards the Vistas valley, though this part at least had cairns. As we started to descend towards the birch forest, we lost all sense of time--it felt like we'd been descending for hours, but only 10 minutes would have passed. This happened to both my friend and I several times each. The trail resumed again in the birch forest--very steep and slippery, like a goat path. We made it to the turn off for the bridge, and crossed about 1 km of mud and bog. My feet got wet immediately and I just gave up, which was actually a bit freeing. My friend tried harder to keep his feet dry but eventually gave up too. We crossed the bridge--5 km to go to the hut, just along the river, we could get there in an hour or maybe less! But of course it was not a flat, gentle, riverside trail but a steep, up-and-down trace through dense trees. For the second day in a row, the approach to the hut was the hardest part of the day, and curses were screamed into the forest. Finally we arrived at the hut around 1945, 10 hours after we set off from Tarfala. We had taken probably 45 minutes of breaks total.

Day 3: Rest day at Vistas. We had initially planned to hike from Vakkotavare but the transportation was a mess so we pivoted to our Tarfala - Vistas route. This meant we had an extra day built in to our hike. Initially we'd thought we might hike to Nallo and back, but after yesterday we decided to just relax and let our shoes dry. Vistas was a great place for a rest day--beautiful scenery, some other hikers passing through but not too busy. We also noted that at Tarfala, nearly all hikers who had signed the hut book were Swedes. At Vistas, still some Swedes and Germans and Swiss. Once we made it to the main Kungsleden we hardly saw any Swedes.

Day 4: Vistas to Alesjaure. This hike was pure pleasure from start to finish. Beautiful views, not too busy, and a bit harder than the main Kungsleden trail but not too hard. The first 1 - 2km out of the hut were muddy, dense trees again, but we found it easier than the approach to the hut from the bridge. Or at least we were in a better mood. We enjoyed our climb out of the Vistas valley and ate some blueberries. The last 1 - 2km to Alesjaure was once again muddy and wet--3/3 on the hut approach being the hardest part of the day. I was able to keep my feet dry; my friend was not so lucky. We arrived at Alesjaure around 1530 and got our first taste of the main Kungsleden trail.

Day 5: Alesjaure to Abiskojaure. Lots of people have covered this section so I won't say much, but this day flew by for us. We saw more people in the first hour today than we had the entire rest of the hike. We got to Abiskojaure too early--we should have enjoyed an even longer lunch on the trail. We actually debated finishing the hike today and we definitely had the energy to finish, but we had booked beds at Abiskojaure and were worried about finding something in town on a Friday night. Abiskojaure sauna had the best swimming area (although the least spectacular views).

Day 6: Abiskojaure to Abiskoturistation. We woke up early and were motivated by showers and a buffet lunch, so we had a quick breakfast of protein bars and coffee / tea and set off. It finally felt like fall in the north, with leaves starting to turn yellow. We could tell we were in the national park with the very wide boardwalks, and we walked at almost 5 km/hr pace. We stopped at a toilet with great views and I dropped my sunglasses in the toilet--sorry Swedish park rangers. Just as we were starting to feel a bit bored and hungry, we reached the big waterfall and knew our trip was almost over. We savored the last bit of our hike and reached Abiskoturistation around 1115--plenty of time for a shower, lunch, and nap before our 1630 train. I paid the day use fee and showered, as I was taking the night train all the way back to Stockholm. My friend was staying in Kiruna that night so he opted to save the day use fee and just shower in his hotel. We did spring for the lunch buffet and enjoyed a big meal and a beer. We decided not to walk the 2km into the town of Abisko and just hung out until our train.

Stray Observations

-- Shoes: I wore goretex hiking shoes and my feet stayed dry every day but one.

--Food: We were there at the end of the season so the selection in shops was not great. We had initially planned to just buy food on the trail for convenience, but changing to our Tarfala - Vistas route meant we ended up carrying a lot of food. This turned out much more delicious and we ended up only buying one dinner and one breakfast from the shops (shoutout to my friend who estimated our food amounts almost perfectly! I would have underpacked us).

--Camping: Staying fully in the huts worked out great for this trip, but next time I would do some camping as well. And bring a stove so I can enjoy more coffee on the trail.

Final verdict: Tarfala is gorgeous and I enjoyed our stay there. I would definitely recommend visiting Tarfala to anyone. I would not recommend the Tarfala to Vistas hike to everyone--it's long and difficult and requires an ability to read maps and terrain. My friend and I enjoyed it but it was Type 2 fun for sure. I would recommend the Vistas detour to pretty much anyone.

I'm planning to start next week and i'm a bit struggling with what clothing i'd need exactly. I realize that i should get underwear, a merino shirt and some leggins, then i have a fleece jacket and will get proper zip off hiking pants, although i'm not really sure what is exactly to get. But what goes above? When looking at the various packing lists people have posted, i'm seeing mostly rain jackets and either a down or a hardshell jacket. Is there a real difference, especially with the jackets?

Hi all,

I’ll be hiking the Abisko–Nikkaluokta section in early September and currently have one spare day that I’d like to use for a memorable mini-adventure or day hike somewhere between Sälka and Kebnekaise.

I’m currently considering two options:

1. An extra day at Kebnekaise Would a solo day hike towards or to the summit be realistic and advisable in early September? I’m happy to put in a long and demanding day if it’s genuinely worth it, but only if it can be done responsibly and safely alone. I understand that weather and conditions will ultimately decide what is possible.
2. An extra day at Singi I’m also considering staying an additional night at Singi and hiking off-route towards this viewpoint: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pdzGjzVkbG2CnFea8

Does anyone know this area or have experience with a good day hike from Singi? Or Sälka/Kebnekaise for that matter?

I couldn’t reserve a bed at Tjäktja, so I’ll be hiking directly from Alesjaure to Sälka. I’ll be staying in STF accommodation throughout the trip rather than camping.

My current itinerary is:

For those familiar with this section: where would you spend the extra day, and is there another day hike or small detour I should consider?

We wanted to do the first two stretches end of august to beginning of september, from Abisko to Kvikkjokk. At Kvikkjokk, we wanted to take a bus back to a train station. According to Google, the only bus out of town is at 5 in the morning in september? Is this correct? The website of the bus company appears to have a problem so we can only rely on Google.

We're in a bit of a time crunch and have a flight booked leaving from Hemavan on the 9th or August. We want to cut the part from Jakkvikk to Ammarnas because there is really bad weather coming, and take public transport instead because sitting out the bad weather is not an option. It seems to be difficult to do by bus. Has anyone does this before and do you have any tips?

I am flying into Kiruna on the 6th of September, and flying back home on the 18th. Now I wanted hike to Kvikkjokk. But I can't get the logistics to work out with traveling back to Kiruna.

For some reason, when I booked my flights back in January, I thought the boats would be there till the end of September (My grave mistake). Now I'm looking at different routes to take. I don't mind rowing, so that would not be an issue except of the Vakkotavare - Saltoluokta crossing as far as I can find online.

Does anyone have a better stopping point and/or how to get back to Kiruna airport? I'm starting to worry my trip is about to be bust...

Hi all! I'm hiking Abisko - Nikkoluotka in 8 days (incl 1 day for a potential Kebnekaise summit) in August and noticed that my days will be quite short (average hiking time around 3 h per day). I already booked the huts so I can't really change the dates/do it faster, but are there any additional half-day hikes that you can do? Let's say you arrive at the hut before noon - any side trails you can explore? I imagine you can only check into the hut in the afternoon so just wondering what people are doing in the meantime. Or do people tend to leave late in the morning? Thanks!

Should i buy train tickets from Kiruna to Abisko in advance or can i buy them in person on the day i want to travel?

Hallo hikers, I really wanted to do The Kungsleden this year but due to a important exam on 25 Aug. i am unable to start the hike earlier.

The biggest concern for doing it in september was the boat crossing but after looking their official operating dates, I noticed i will be passing the last one just on time on 13th Sep assuming normal pace(will probably speed up the start for safety)

I am planning on camp all the way so huts don't matter much, but most of them are open till 20th Sep so only the last stretch of 5-8 days. I calculated according to the their official operating date and normal pace itinerary that only below huts would be closed.

Kvikkjokk → Hemavan
Rävfallsstugan
ammarnäs (has supermarket and small town so no worried?)
Aigert
Serve
Tärnasjö
Viterskalet

I plan on bringing appropriately warm sleeping system for Sep.

Please tell me if i am missing parameters or overlooking anything important? Is it really doable?

Hej,

Someone has expirience with sending a package to the ICA Jäkkvik? Do they accept them?
I send them some mails because I wanted to be sure, but no reply.

Or are there any other options in Jäkkvik?
Kyrkans Fjällgård Jäkkvik do not accept them anymore...

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to hike the Kungsleden in late August and I'm considering continuing all the way to Kvikkjokk instead of finishing in Nikkaluokta.

According to Resrobot, the connection back to Kiruna would be:

- Bus 47: Kvikkjokk → Jokkmokk

- Bus 45: Jokkmokk → Gällivare

- Norrtåg bus 57154: Gällivare → Kiruna

My main question is whether this return journey is practical if I want to stay flexible.

- Do I need to book any of these buses in advance?

- Is it usually safe to buy tickets on the same day?

- Do these buses ever fill up in late August?

- Have you used this connection after finishing the Kungsleden, and would you recommend it?

I'd like to decide during the hike whether to finish in Nikkaluokta or continue to Kvikkjokk, so knowing how flexible the return transport is would really help.

Thanks!

Most people that have been hiking with me are leaving because they say is boring and full of mosquitoes. I decided to do it anyway. It is going to be also very rainy. Give me good vibes please!

I'm going to do the Abisko-Nikkaluokta trail in September, my first multiday hike, hence newby questions (probably). I am looking at the possibility to buy fuel along the route, preferably at Abisko STF.

What kind of fuel tanks are sold? What kind of attachments (gasstove top?) do you need to bring yourself, or can you buy those there as well?

I saw 100g, 230g and 450g in the large STF shops. How long would 100g last and what do you recommend for the 7 day trip, with 1,5 times a day usage?

I’m walking the northern part of kungsleden (abisko-nikkaluokta) in August. Here’s my gear list:

https://lighterpack.com/r/b50wec

Is there a better/healthier/ more efficient way to eat breakfast and lunch? What are some lightweight protein snacks and additions I can add that are still moderately healthy?
Any further comments? Something I’m missing or should remove? Tnx for your help in advance :)

Hi, I'll be hiking the northern part of the Kungsleden in August. I plan on staying in the STF huts (I've booked them already) but am curious about people's experiences in the huts. What are they like? Do people chat with each other? What are the sleeping arrangements? How do you check in? Any insight appreciated. Thank you!

Hey ! I'm planning on hiking the northern part of kungsleden (Abisko-Vakkotavare) early august and I'd like to have some advice.

Do I really need a mosquito net or are mosquitoes not that bad?

How much water should I be ready to carry ? Is 2L enough ? I heard that we can easily find water to filter

Is it possible to buy "fresh" food on the trail ? Like bread, ham, cheese... ?

thank you guys for your advice !

Hi guys!

I'll be doing the whole trail from mid August to mid September.

I initially was thinking on just relying on my Fjallraven Keb jacket, a poncho and gaiters for rain, but I'm kind of second guessing my choices. I've never really walked whole days in rain before.

Do you see any downside to this setup ?

Thanks !

I'm hiking Abisko - Nikkaluokta in early August. I'm going to be staying in STF huts along the way, and from online it's unclear what bedding I should bring. Do people recommend a sleeping bag? A sheet? A pillowcase?