A trip to find festive mooring: Discovering Lapland

Arriving at the cabins felt like looking at a snowy fairy tale. Sixty little red cabins were all lined up in perfect rows, covered in untouched snow. Admiring our new homes was great but we still had the impossible task of lugging our suitcases through the snow which proved to be very difficult.

Each cabin came with its own sauna…a first for me. Inside the cabin itself, it felt Christmas – bunk beds, wooden floors, orange lighting; everything felt so cosy and nostalgic.

Narvik, a small town in Norway, was one of our day trip destinations. After spending over 24 hours on a bus to get to Lapland, the one-hour journey to Narvik felt like nothing. Before reaching the town, our tour guide decided to take a quick detour to a lake for a classic Nordic dip. I lasted long enough to get photo evidence (priorities) before sprinting back to shore.

We spent the rest of the day in Narvik like proper tourists: admiring views, taking photos, drinking overpriced hot chocolate in a cute café, and buying souvenirs we didn’t need.

Snowshoe hiking at night sounds peaceful but I’ve never heard so much noise in my life. Twenty pairs of snow shoes crunching around in the snow made it sound like we were marching in the army or something. There were no headlamps or lights, just our own vision. We wandered into the nearby forest, making our own paths like Arctic explorers.

At one point, we were all instructed to lie on our backs on a hill, staring up at the stars. It was much quieter than walking, and for a moment, I forgot how numb my toes were.

Ice Fishing – We ventured out onto a frozen lake, armed with rods, drills, and other equipment I couldn’t name. Our instructor demonstrated how to hand-drill holes into the ice, and when the ice made a dramatic “thwack” sound and cracked, we all exchanged panicked glances. The instructor, unfazed, carried on like it was just another day. We spent 30 minutes holding rods and waiting for fish that never came. Our instructor casually mentioned they’d caught a grand total of three fish all season. Hope? Gone.

Fire Building – We split into groups, chopping wood with knives, peeling off bits with frozen fingers, and attempting to create tiny wood feathers. Our group was so bad at starting a flame that the instructor handed us a tampon (which I’ve now learnt are highly flammable). It worked! Eventually, all the groups combined their pitiful fires into one big one. We roasted marshmallows, because survival clearly requires this.

Shelter Building – My group’s creation was ok. But then we turned to see two guys who had built an actual dugout shelter impressive enough to fit all five of us. We abandoned ours and moved in. Adaptability is key in survival.

We got the chance to learn about Sami culture, which was extremely fascinating. The Sami people have been reindeer herders for centuries, and we met two of their reindeer up close. While we were genuinely interested, it was also -13 degrees, and I’ll admit, my thoughts were mostly ‘how much longer until we can go indoors?’

The most anticipated activity of the trip did not disappoint. We arrived at the husky safari company and were immediately greeted by dozens of barking dogs.

Four of us squeezed onto a sled, dressed up in rental clothes that were three sizes too big. The safari itself was unreal…just us, some dogs, and the snowy landscapes of Lapland. Afterward, we warmed up in a hut with coffee and a fire. The best part? Husky puppies joined us. I’ve never felt so cold and joyous in my life.

This was the activity I feared most. I’d never skied before, and my confidence was nowhere to be found. We got a quick lesson on the basics and were let loose on a mini circuit. I was terrible, but I managed to go down a few hills without face-planting. People were tumbling all over the place, which made me feel slightly better every time I fell. I may have been dreadful but it’s something I can cross off my bucket list.

No one wanted to leave Lapland without seeing the Northern Lights, so the hunt was on. There were many false alarms with people running out of cabins, half-dressed, staring desperately at the sky. My group even resorted to checking Instagram every minute to see if anyone else had spotted them.

Finally, on the last night, we got lucky. I ran outside in my pyjamas and untied shoes, and there they were, very very faint streaks dancing across the sky. I managed to get a picture, and just like that, the trip was complete.