The original Fjällräven Classic — the one that started all the others. ~110 km along the Kungsleden (King's Trail) from Nikkaluokta to Abisko in Swedish Lapland, well north of the Arctic Circle. I'd wanted to do this one for years.
The Trip
- Day 0 — flew into Kiruna, checked in at the school (check-in, luggage drop, buses — all in one hall), watched the town under low clouds.
- Day 1 — bus to Nikkaluokta, then the walk in along Visttasvaggi toward Singi. River crossings, reindeer, first night in the tent.
- Day 2–3 — Sälka camp, then the long climb to Tjäktjapasset (1,149 m by my GPS) — the highest point of the trek, fog rolling over the pass, snow patches in the hollows. Camp meals (REAL Turmat) in the yellow tent while the weather did whatever it wanted.
- Final days — the long descent past Alesjaure and the flat, endless walk west. Sun broke through on the last stretch — the orange pack cover against autumn tundra is the frame I'll remember.
Weather was classic Lapland: four seasons a day. The pack never dried. Would do it again next summer.
Every photo below carries its GPS coordinates — the map plots the actual route I walked:
📍 Nikkaluokta → Abisko (Kungsleden)🥾 ~110 km official⛰️ Tjäktjapasset 1149 m (GPS)📸 91 photos
orange = walked track (63.6 km photo-to-photo) · blue dashed = bus Kiruna→Nikkaluokta · dotted orange tail = last stretch without photos · dots = photos — click any (blue = Kiruna/bus, orange = trail)