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If you love snow, dogs and the Great Outdoors, this holiday is tailor-made for you. Hop onto a dogsled and speed away in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Canada or Alaska. Bundled in the heaviest warm clothes possible, you’ll be speeding through snowy, –25°C landscapes, driven by robust, barking huskies.
The huskies pack enough punch not just to pull the sleds, but also go from zero to a full-throttle 28-miles-an-hour in minutes. The time to go dog sledding is between November and May and a slew of travel outfits are offering packages. You’ll travel around 20km to 80km a day and stay in snow-bound lodges. You can opt to be driven by a professional or take a self-drive expedition, assisted, of course, by guides.
FINLAND
A dog sledding package in Finland comes from Wildlife & Wilderness, an agency operating out of Birmingham, UK. Take a flight to Kitila in northernmost Finland. An hour’s drive takes you to Muonio village, the starting point of the journey through western Lapland. The bonus? The Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights are visible here.
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The 6-night and 7-day trip costs between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.05 lakh (about 1,275 euros to 1,500 euros) per person on twin sharing basis. It includes boarding, lodging, equipment, the dog team and guide but no airfare. Go to www.wildlifewilderness.com.
SWEDEN
The Silent Way, a travel agency in Umnäs, in southern Lapland, organises several dog sled holidays. Fly to Stockholm and take a connecting flight to Hemavan, 80km from Umnäs. You’ll stay at lodges around Swedish Lapland.
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The price for a 7-day tour is Rs 1.58 lakh (20,600 SEK) per person, which excludes airfares but includes stay, transfers, tour and professional guides. Go to www.dogsledding-adventures.com.
NORWAY
From Oslo, a three-hour train ride north will get you to Vinstra from where Heidal —your take-off point — is an hour’s drive.
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The two-night and three-day tours cost Rs 83,000, while the four nights and five days tour cost Rs 1.25 lakh (1,000 euros to 1,500 euros) per person. It includes accommodation, the sleds, guide, transfers from Vinstra to Heidal and back. Airfares are excluded. Go to www.bergsvein.com.
ALASKA
Fly to Juneau in southern Alaska for the adventure of your life. A package with Alaska Icefield Expeditions will throw in a 15-minute chopper ride from Juneau to the Mendenhall Glacier. Or head for Skagway, 45 minutes away from Juneau, and hop into a helicopter for the Denver Glacier. Enjoy an hour-long ride with 10-12 dogs. Alaska Adventures will take you on a 7-day journey across the frozen Bering Sea. The tour will begin from St. Michael’s, Alaska, and take you to Klikitarik Camp, an ancient Yupik village and Toik Hill.
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Alaska Icefield Expedition offers packages for Rs 26,736 ($499) per person with an additional charge of Rs 5,358 ($100.00) for anyone over 115kg. It includes helicopter ride, the tour and guide. The Alaska Adventures package at Rs 1.34 lakh ($ 2,500) includes stay, meals, dog sleds and guides. Go to www.akdogtour.com.
CANADA
Toronto-based Arctic Kingdom offers customised dog sled tours, which range from half-a-day to two weeks. Take a flight to Ottawa or Montreal and travel across Baffin Island, the biggest Canadian island. You visit Inuit (Eskimo) villages too.
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The cost for a full day trip is Rs 42,864 ($800). The multi-day trips start at Rs. 53,580 ($1,000) per day, per person which include boarding, lodging, transfers, the dog sled tour and the guides. Go to www.arctickingdom.com. |
