
06 Jokmokk to Kiruna

This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert Leon Bodegom
Last edit: 27-08-2021
This is the second to last part of the route through Sweden.
There is plenty to see and visit along the way. However, keep in mind the opening times of places to visit. The tourist season is short and in several places the sights were sometimes only open after Whit Monday. In this part there are several beautiful stops for a visit and even though the number of hours of daylight is large in the summer, the days are still too short to see everything. The number of possible stops for lunch or refueling is significantly less here in the far north. Note the distances to the next opportunity.
Use the links in the review to the various websites for the current opening hours.
Quiet roads and curves alternate with many forests and green hills. Here in the north, the chances of spotting moose right along the road are very high. Take the wildlife crossing warning here seriously. The main roads are also fenced to prevent collisions with animals.
Start: Jokkmokk, Hotell Jokkmokk
End: Scandic Ferrum hotel, Kiruna
I have awarded this route with 3 *** stars because the rolling forest landscape is pleasant and extremely quiet to drive. Enough to enjoy the area. The roads are very good and the various viewpoints and museums mentioned are nice break from this trip. They are also often the designated places for a possible coffee stop.
Animation
Verdict
Duration
8h 22m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
244.49 km
Countries


Ice Hotell entrance
The locations for a possible coffee stop are increasingly limited here in the north. So taking some food and drink with you is not a bad choice. And in this quiet area there are also plenty of places for a picnic. Drive up a side road and you will find yourself alone in the world.
Directly near hotell Jokkmokk you can visit the Ajtte museum in this place. Here you will find another exhibition about the Sami, the original inhabitants of this part of Sweden.
The route continues to the north and runs parallel to the rail connection. The track is then left again and then right again of your route until near Gallivare. This track is mainly used for freight transport. You can see entire forests passing by here in the long wagons with tree trunks.
In Porjus you will find the Norbottens Museum on the left of the road with an old power station. One of the first hydroelectric power plants in Sweden. Here you can get an impression of how hydropower is converted into electricity. Something that has been done in many places in Norway over the years, so that electricity is generated relatively cheaply. However, this also drained the necessary natural beauty of large waterfalls. In the dry riverbed there is a warning that a water flow can spontaneously arise if extra energy is needed or a lower reservoir is topped up.
You continue on the E45 towards Gallivare. Driving wrong is almost impossible because there are almost no other roads to the north. Before Gallivare you can turn right and take a small dead end road to Linbane Toppen. This is a mountain top where a ski lift is located on the north side of the mountain. With the winter day it will undoubtedly be crowded here.
From here you have a wide view of Gallivare, a little more to the north. With bad weather or early spring (end of May) you can of course still end up in the snow here and a strong cold breeze can blow around your ears.
After this trip, it's time to get something to eat and you'll find some places to do that in Gallivare. There is also an opportunity to refuel. Gallivare is also an industrial city and there is little to do. With the winter day there is more to experience for winter sports.
Before the place Svappavaara the E45 splits to the north east and that is the route to the North Cape via Finland. The E10 is the route to the border with Norway. Before you finish this route at the border, there is another trip to an Ice Hotel in JukasJarvi. An ice hotel is built here every year from ice blocks. But to give an impression of this all year round, there is a small ice hotel that continues to exist all year round. This is definitely worth a visit to visit warmly dressed and to see an exhibition of all kinds of ice sculptures. Outside you can get an impression of how the ice hotel is built with the wooden molds that are there.
Real die-hards can also book an overnight stay here on a bed of ice. But a drink from an ice cup is also possible in the ice bar.
From the Ice Hotel it is still about 20 kilometers to the end point in Kiruna.
For camping enthusiasts, there is also a camping site near the final destination. In Kiruna there is the only campsite that you can find in the wider area. It is here or in the wild camping which is still allowed under certain conditions.
Apart from endless cruising on quiet roads, there is also a lot to see on this route.

Your sleeping room in Ice?

Ice sculptures
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Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.

Norrbottens lan
About this region
Norrbotten County (Swedish: Norrbottens län; Northern Sami: Norrbottena leatna, Finnish: Norrbottenin lääni) is the northernmost county or län of Sweden. It is also the largest county by land area, almost a quarter of Sweden's total area. It borders Västerbotten County to the southwest and the Gulf of Bothnia to the southeast, as well as the counties of Nordland and Troms og Finnmark in Norway to the northwest, and Lapland Province in Finland to the northeast.
The name "Norrbotten" is also used for a province of the same name. Norrbotten province covers only the eastern part of Norrbotten County – the inland mostly belongs to the Swedish Lapland province (Lappland).
The capital of Norrbotten is Luleå, whereas other significant towns include Boden, Kiruna and Piteå. The majority of the population lives in the namesake province, whereas the Lapland part of the county is sparsely populated. In terms of land area, Norrbotten is larger than both Austria and Portugal as well as the island of Ireland.
The northern part of Norrbotten lies within the Arctic Circle.
Read more on Wikipedia
The name "Norrbotten" is also used for a province of the same name. Norrbotten province covers only the eastern part of Norrbotten County – the inland mostly belongs to the Swedish Lapland province (Lappland).
The capital of Norrbotten is Luleå, whereas other significant towns include Boden, Kiruna and Piteå. The majority of the population lives in the namesake province, whereas the Lapland part of the county is sparsely populated. In terms of land area, Norrbotten is larger than both Austria and Portugal as well as the island of Ireland.
The northern part of Norrbotten lies within the Arctic Circle.
View region
Amount of RX reviews (Norrbottens lan)
Amount of visitors (Norrbottens lan)
Amount of downloads (Norrbottens lan)
6500 kilometers through Scandinavia with the highlights of the Lofoten and the North Cape
The Arctic Challenge Tour, on which this 26-part tour is partly based, is not a speed race. It's a tour. It comes down to agility, good navigation and anticipation. The participants are obliged to adhere to the speed limit of the country concerned. The participants must find the ideal route with the shortest possible distance by complying 100% with the locally applicable traffic rules. Of course, also take maximum speeds into account. The organization checks for violations of the speed limit. In case of gross or repeated exceeding of the maximum speed, disqualification for the relevant stage and for the final classification will follow. Control of the route and speeds is done by means of a track and trace system. This equipment is installed in every vehicle. You can then follow each team accurately in the Back Office. Those staying at home, interested parties and participants can also see the performances of the teams, because you can be followed live via the Internet. The Back Office takes action when a team gets into trouble. (source: website The Arctic Challenge)
That's quite a luxury, having a back office behind you that keeps an eye on you. Most of us will not have that and are on our own or the fellow traveler(s). The only agreement you have with the participants is that you also have to abide by the rules. Fortunately, you don't have to complete this tour in 9 days, like the participants, but you can take it a little longer.
The highlight of the Arctic Challenge in 2020 was the Lofoten, an island group northwest of Norway. The Lofoten archipelago is located in the middle of the wild Norwegian Sea, well above the Arctic Circle. This special region offers a beautiful landscape with imposing mountains, deep fjords and long, wild sandy beaches where the sound of the seabird colonies can always be heard.
The archipelago is best known for its rich fishing tradition. The Lofoten makes a prosperous impression despite their isolated location. The entire economy revolves above all around fishing. The image of the Lofoten is mainly dominated by wooden racks with cod, which hangs to dry. Lofoten fishing has been a household name for centuries. In the middle of winter, the ships set out to catch the fish in just a few months. The rich fishing grounds are due to the North Atlantic Warm Gulf Stream around the islands, in which the fish have their spawning grounds. Oil drilling is not permitted around Lofoten and the cod spawning grounds there.
The next destination for the participants was Sirkka, also known as Levi, a winter sports resort in Finnish Lapland. They stayed there for a few days to go ice-karting and to enjoy the snow by going on a snowmobile or skiing trip. This tour also takes you to Sirkka, but instead of staying there for a few days, you have the option to continue to the North Cape, the second highlight of this trip.
Imagine a place in the far north, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean. This place is the North Cape in Western Finnmark in Northern Norway. From here, only the archipelago of Spitsbergen lies between you and the North Pole and the sun shines for 2.5 months at a time; from mid-May to the end of July. Many visitors admire the midnight sun or the sunset over the Barents Sea from the North Cape plateau.
With each route you will find a review with a description of the route, where you pass and what to see along the way. It is also briefly described how the participants in the Arctic Challenge in 2020 had to drive it anyway, from which point to which point. Along the way, markings (route points) have been included that indicate the end points of the stages that the participants had to complete. As mentioned, they covered the distance in 9 days, stages of more than 1000 kilometers were no exception.
Each route ends at a hotel. It is of course not an obligation to use these hotels, you can always find another place to stay in the area, that decision is up to you. My experience, however, is that they are all simple but good hotels for a very reasonable price. They are known and can be booked at booking.com.
The routes of these collections:
R01 - Puttgarden to Angelholm, 280km
R02 - Angelholm to Alingsas, 281km
R03 - Alingsas to Mysen, 261km
R04 - Mysen to Rena, 312km
R05 - Rena to Orkanger, 306km
R06 - Orkanger to Grong, 292km
R07 - Grong to Mo i Rana, 290km
R08 - Mo i Rana to Bodo, 231km
R09 - Roundtour Bodo to Lofoten part 1, 314km
R10 - Roundtour Bodo to Lofoten part 2, 250km
R11 - Roundtour Bodo to Lofoten part 3, 291km
R12 - Bodo to Arjeplog, 295km
R13 - Arjeplog to Jokkmokk, 244km
R14 - Jokkmokk to Pajala, 239km
R15 - Roundtour Sirkka to North Cape part 1, 257km
R16 - Roundtour Sirkka to North Cape part 2, 300km
R17 - Roundtour Sirkka to North Cape part 3, 244km
R18 - Roundtour Sirkka to North Cape part 4, 275km
R19 - Roundtour Sirkka to North Cape part 5, 332km
R20 - Sirkka to Kemi, 299km
R21 - Kemi to Ylivieska, 251km
R22 - Ylivieska to Jalasjarvi, 236km
R23 - Jalasjarvi to Turku, 279km
R24 - Stockholm to Askersund, 271km
R25 - Askersund to Varnamo, 224
R26 - Varnamo to Trelleborg, 259km
Have fun driving these routes!
That's quite a luxury, having a back office behind you that keeps an eye on you. Most of us will not have that and are on our own or the fellow traveler(s). The only agreement you have with the participants is that you also have to abide by the rules. Fortunately, you don't have to complete this tour in 9 days, like the participants, but you can take it a little longer.
The highlight of the Arctic Challenge in 2020 was the Lofoten, an island group northwest of Norway. The Lofoten archipelago is located in the middle of the wild Norwegian Sea, well above the Arctic Circle. This special region offers a beautiful landscape with imposing mountains, deep fjords and long, wild sandy beaches where the sound of the seabird colonies can always be heard.
The archipelago is best known for its rich fishing tradition. The Lofoten makes a prosperous impression despite their isolated location. The entire economy revolves above all around fishing. The image of the Lofoten is mainly dominated by wooden racks with cod, which hangs to dry. Lofoten fishing has been a household name for centuries. In the middle of winter, the ships set out to catch the fish in just a few months. The rich fishing grounds are due to the North Atlantic Warm Gulf Stream around the islands, in which the fish have their spawning grounds. Oil drilling is not permitted around Lofoten and the cod spawning grounds there.
The next destination for the participants was Sirkka, also known as Levi, a winter sports resort in Finnish Lapland. They stayed there for a few days to go ice-karting and to enjoy the snow by going on a snowmobile or skiing trip. This tour also takes you to Sirkka, but instead of staying there for a few days, you have the option to continue to the North Cape, the second highlight of this trip.
Imagine a place in the far north, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean. This place is the North Cape in Western Finnmark in Northern Norway. From here, only the archipelago of Spitsbergen lies between you and the North Pole and the sun shines for 2.5 months at a time; from mid-May to the end of July. Many visitors admire the midnight sun or the sunset over the Barents Sea from the North Cape plateau.
With each route you will find a review with a description of the route, where you pass and what to see along the way. It is also briefly described how the participants in the Arctic Challenge in 2020 had to drive it anyway, from which point to which point. Along the way, markings (route points) have been included that indicate the end points of the stages that the participants had to complete. As mentioned, they covered the distance in 9 days, stages of more than 1000 kilometers were no exception.
Each route ends at a hotel. It is of course not an obligation to use these hotels, you can always find another place to stay in the area, that decision is up to you. My experience, however, is that they are all simple but good hotels for a very reasonable price. They are known and can be booked at booking.com.
The routes of these collections:
R01 - Puttgarden to Angelholm, 280km
R02 - Angelholm to Alingsas, 281km
R03 - Alingsas to Mysen, 261km
R04 - Mysen to Rena, 312km
R05 - Rena to Orkanger, 306km
R06 - Orkanger to Grong, 292km
R07 - Grong to Mo i Rana, 290km
R08 - Mo i Rana to Bodo, 231km
R09 - Roundtour Bodo to Lofoten part 1, 314km
R10 - Roundtour Bodo to Lofoten part 2, 250km
R11 - Roundtour Bodo to Lofoten part 3, 291km
R12 - Bodo to Arjeplog, 295km
R13 - Arjeplog to Jokkmokk, 244km
R14 - Jokkmokk to Pajala, 239km
R15 - Roundtour Sirkka to North Cape part 1, 257km
R16 - Roundtour Sirkka to North Cape part 2, 300km
R17 - Roundtour Sirkka to North Cape part 3, 244km
R18 - Roundtour Sirkka to North Cape part 4, 275km
R19 - Roundtour Sirkka to North Cape part 5, 332km
R20 - Sirkka to Kemi, 299km
R21 - Kemi to Ylivieska, 251km
R22 - Ylivieska to Jalasjarvi, 236km
R23 - Jalasjarvi to Turku, 279km
R24 - Stockholm to Askersund, 271km
R25 - Askersund to Varnamo, 224
R26 - Varnamo to Trelleborg, 259km
Have fun driving these routes!
View Route Collection
26 Routes
7121.41 km
199h 57m