Twelve years ago I acquired a book entitled ‘The Kings Trail.’ It featured a description and photos of a wilderness in northern Europe. This place was still almost untouched and unheard of. In 2024, I finally got to go there! Full details about all the logistics involved and travel to and from at the bottom of the report.
The Kungsleden Day One.
On June 27th, 2024, my friend Dale and I began trekking in Abisko. This town is roughly 200km north of the Arctic Circle. Here we started the first day’s trek of many to come as we embarked on Stage 1 of The Kungsleden (Kings Trail).
We experienced beautiful weather. The scenery was stunning as we followed the Abisko River down through the Abisko National Park. Finally, we reached Abiskojaure Fjällstugor, which is 14 km to the south.
Abiskojaure Fjällstugor. We camped at the fell station on our first night on The Kungsleden Trail. A beautiful spot on the edge of a lake. Secluded beach, forest camping, and some amazing log piles amongst the wooden cabins. An idyllic spot.
The Kungsleden Day Two.
The long trek from Abiskojaure to Alesjaure of around 16km.
Beautiful weather and more amazing scenery as we followed the trail into the remoteness of the mountains.
A long and tiring walk followed the initial day. We were rewarded with expansive views across a valley filled with lakes. The evening offered us a beautiful wild camp by the lake shore.
The Kungsleden Day 3 .
Alesjaure to Tjäktja a hike of approximately 20km.
A tough day on the trail with a long distance to cover and persistent rain as company. The constant deluge resulted in several swollen rivers to cross.
We eventually limped into the mountain station just short of Tjäktja pass happy to get a bunk for the night.
The Kungsleden Day 4.
Tjäktja to Salka approx 11km.
We ascended to the Tjäktja Pass which is at 1,150m above sea level and the highest point on the trail.
The weather was mean and moody. This added to the atmosphere as we entered the Tjäktjavagge valley for the first time.
This 30km long glacial valley is a magnificent thoroughfare through the Swedish mountains.
We decided to wild camp just short of the mountain hut at Salka. We camped atop a glacial moraine mound at the intersection of three valleys. A magnificent spot!
The Kungsleden Day 5 – Salka Wild Camp.
A chilly and remote camp at the head of several glacial valleys. Weather watching as the clouds roll up the valley and water filter duties down at the river. Waiting for the chance to climb a nearby peak in the morning.
The Kungsleden – Mountain Day 1.
From our wild camp near to the Salka Mountain Cabins we launched ourselves into the nearby mountains for some fun.
We had scoped out the nearest and proudest looking peak as our first objective.
Reaiddanjunni locally known as ‘The Nose’ stands proud at 1,357m and was our first summit of the day. From there, we hoped to continue up the ridge. We aimed to reach an unnamed summit just visible at 1,616m.
The weather was moody and atmospheric for the clamber upwards.
From the final summit, we were rewarded with views. We finally made it after nearly 2 hours of climbing. Now we could see across the arctic landscape as far as Norway.
A great day in a pretty remote place climbing tall wintry mountains…..what’s not to like!
The Kungsleden Day 6.
Salka to Singi. A tough day for me after the mountains of the previous day. Lacking in both motivation and energy it was a slow plod along the glacial valley to camp.
We spotted what seemed like a promising peak. It looked like a peak we could potentially tackle. We thought it might be attacked from a side valley.
Bushwhacking up said valley we finally made camp on a blustery outcrop of moraine for the night.
The Kungsleden Trail – Mountain Day 2.
From our wild camp within the glacial side valley opposite Singi we attempted to ascend Unna Avrrik. At 1,331m it was a fairly challenging objective.
The ascent started with a bushwhack across the valley floor before a steep ascent up mixed scree and grass.
Towards the summit, the terrain became significantly more challenging. Large boulders were present, and there were no standout navigational features to help with route finding. The only aid was the weather station mast on the summit outcrop.
Upon reaching the summit, the weather began to change. A chill wind picked up, and ominous clouds started building along the valley. But the views were sublime across the length of the Tjäktjajåkka Valley.
The Kungsleden Day 8.
Singi to Kaitumjaure approx 16.5km.
A long days walk down the valley after the previous days climbing.
Many hikers leave the Kungsleden here and continue towards Nikkaluokta. On the way to Kaitumjaure we noticed that there were way fewer hikers on the tail.
The mountain sides along this section are steep. The valley becomes narrower. The river meanders scenically through the landscape.
The trail itself was very flat and easy to walk on. After about two-thirds of the distance we crossed the Tjäktjajåkka on a wobbly suspension bridge. From here the landscape changes subtly to light birch forest and numerous willow bushes.
After a while we could see the STF Cabin Kaitumjaure. We were rewarded with a view over lake Padje Kaitumjaure. Its aqua blue glacial waters and the mountains hung majestically on either side.
We camped in the grounds of the cabin overlooking the lake. We enjoyed the delights of our first “Bastu” sauna on the trail. The mosquitoes were merciless but the end of the trail was almost within reach now.
The Kungsleden Day 9.
Kaitumjaure to Teusajaure approx 9.5km.
Nice walking today with a long ascent onto a broad mountain plateau. The day finished with a relatively steep descent to Teusajaure by the lakeside.
The day started off with a descent towards the fast flowing Kaitumjakka river. We encountered another magnificent chain bridge to cross.
After that, the climb was gradual up onto the plateaux. Once reached, it afforded us extensive views across the magnificent landscape. We saw the snow capped Sarek Mountains glimmering in the far distance.
The traverse at the end of the day down off the plateaux to the camping spot at Teusajaure was steep. It dropped parallel to a cascading stream.
Once at Teusajaure, we decided not to take the ferry across the lake. The area was so beautiful. It would have been criminal not to spend a night camping there peacefully beside the lake.
The Kungsleden Day 9.
Teusajaure to Vakkotavare approx 15.3km.
The last days hike! After a peaceful if mosquito ridden night at Teusajaure we woke up for the early ferry across the lake. The cabin warden from the fjällstation also provides the ferry service. For a small fee, we were ferried across the spectacular lake in the morning drizzle.
After the 1 kilometre boat crossing, the trail continued up a long, gradual climb through mountain birch forest. Eventually, this gave way to brush and grass-covered moors and the hiking became easy.
The trail passed through Stora Sjöfallet/Stuor Muorkke National Park. It provided good views of the jagged summits of Sarek in the distance.
The last part down to Vakkotavare and the big road was steep and winding. Our journey’s end was a night camping opposite the Vakkotavare fjällstation by the roadside. On the plus it did overlook a lake. This though was a rather unglamorous place to spend what had been a pretty epic trip.
Travel Details and Logistics Involved
Flights – BA from Heathrow to Arlanda (Stockholm). Then, an internal flight from Arlanda (Stockholm) to Kiruna with SAS Airlines. We stayed for a night in Kiruna. Alternatively, you can take a train instead of the internal flight. The trains are unreliable. The franchise that runs this particular line was in the midst of a change of owner from its Norwegian bosses when we traveled. The Swedish/Norwegian rail company was called SJ. You could choose different options, ranging from just seats to first class private compartments.
Hostel in Kiruna – SPiS i Kiruna – at the time of writing this post the hostel is no longer available. It is on land in Kiruna and is being demolished or moved to a new location due to subsidence caused by mining beneath the town. Cost in 2024 for the hostel was around £72 a night per person. There are many other options of places to stay in a town the size of Kiruna.
Bus to Abisko – The bus timetable we used was a summer schedule. It became available at the end of May. We caught an 8.25am departure from Kiruna the following morning, arriving at Abisko Turist at 9.40am, ready to hit the trail.
Details and information about the trail can be found on this useful website by the Swedish Tourist Association:
https://www.swedishtouristassociation.com/areas/kungsleden/
We chose to wild camp and only use the huts sparingly. In Sweden they’re called fjällstuga which can be translated as mountain cabin. Some are prettier than others but they all are located at some of the most beautiful locations along the route. There are smaller and bigger ones but as you are in Sweden all of them have their own sauna. Their opening dates can vary each year, here is a list for 2024.
Sleeping there costs approximately 500SEK / 50€ / $50 a person/a night. Remember that during peak season you definitely must book beforehand! Paying this fee allows you to have access to a comfy bed, a warm kitchen & the mentioned sauna. No hot running water, no electricity tho.
You can pay around 350SEK / 35€ to pitch your tent close-by. You can use the heated kitchen to cook. If you just want, you can also use their toilets or hop into their kiosks. We did this at three of the huts along our route.
To get discounts on the huts along Sweden’s Kungsleden trail, you should join the Swedish Tourist Association (STF) online. Become a member to enjoy these benefits. Membership provides a discount of 100 SEK per night for adults at STF mountain huts and stations. This discount quickly offsets the membership fee. You can pay for your membership and book your stays in advance through the STF website.
Return Journey – this was a nightmare. The train we had booked was canceled. We spent hours at Gallivare Station waiting for a train that did not appear.
We were put on a coach. We then traveled 4 hours along the line to another station where we were supposed to catch the train, which never appeared.
Now being 1am in the early morning, we desperately decided to order a taxi. We used a phone app to take us across the arctic countryside to Lulea Airport where we slept in the corridor. There, we eventually caught an internal Norwegian Airways plane back to Stockholm at 9:15am then onto Heathrow.
The plane trumped the unreliable railway but at a much greater expense.
JAMES HANDLON 