Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
REACHING THE KUNGSLEDEN BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT
You can get to
Abisko
pretty easily by
train
; it's just before the Norwegian border on the
Kiruna-Narvik run. The
Inlandsbanan
will get you to Jokkmokk, from where you can get a
bus to Kvikkjokk, another point on the trail.
There are also several useful
bus
routes that you can take to link up with the trail, listed
below; most of these services are run by Länstrafiken Norrbotten and Länstrafiken
Västerbotten (
W
ltnbd.se and
W
tabussen.nu). The buses operate a
bussgods
service, which
allows you to send your pack ahead to your destination or, alternatively, back to your starting
point, sparing you the effort of lugging your stuff around; ask about this service at bus stations
or on the bus.
#31
Hemavan to Umeå
#47
Jokkmokk to Kvikkjokk
#92
Kiruna to Nikkaluokta (19km from Kebnekaise fell station)
#93
Gällivare to Ritsem (passes through Vakkotavare and Kebnats for the boat to Saltoluokta)
#200
Arjeplog to Jäkkvik
#341
Ammarnäs to Sorsele
Gällivare from the Bothnian coast and the company was bankrupt. Ten years passed
before the state took over the project; in July 1902, the navvies - who'd been subject to
temperatures of -30°C and lower and incredibly harsh conditions - finally shovelled
their way through deep snow at Riksgränsen to cross the Norwegian border. A year
later the line was officially opened by King Oscar II.
The chairlift
Even if you don't intend to walk the Kungsleden, there are a couple of attractions
right on Abisko's doorstep. Departing from directly opposite the
Turiststation
, you
can take a
chairlift
(195kr return) 500m up Nuolja mountain (1169m), from where
there are fantastic views of the surrounding wilderness, including the 70km-long
Torneträsk Lake, the spectacular U-shaped mountain-tops of
Lapporten
, which have
come to represent the gateway to Lapland and are used as landmarks by the
Sámi
for
guiding their reindeer between their summer and winter grazing land, and the vast
wooded land.
Aurora Sky Station
Tours: Dec-March Tues-Sat 8pm-midnight • 690kr •
W
auroraskystation.se
Tucked away in one corner of the
café
at the end of the chairlift, the
Aurora Sky Station
is the best place for miles around to observe the
northern lights
; Abisko lies in a rain
shadow and the sky is consequently often free of cloud. Containing all kinds of
equipment to measure and hear the lights (they often emit a series of hisses and clicks),
it's a perfect introduction for the non-initiated into this most complicated of scientific
phenomena, since experts are on hand to explain what you're seeing and hearing. For
2950kr it's possible to spend the night on a camp bed up at the Sky Station and be
woken by your guide once the aurora is visible; the price includes transport on the
chairlift and breakfast the next morning.
Rallarvägen
Nuolja is the starting point for an easy walking path (7km; 2-3hr) leading downhill to
nearby
Björkliden
, 9km away by road, comprising nothing more than a few houses
gathered around the train station. From here, the
Rallarvägen
(
Navvy Road
) leads to
Rombaksbotn, near Narvik, in Norway; the road was built alongside the Malmbanan,
then under construction, in order to transport materials needed for the line. Today it
provides a walking or mountain-biking route between Abisko and Narvik - though it
can be fairly narrow and rough going in parts.
