The Sarek National Park is in Jokkmokk Municipality, in the northern Swedish province of Lapland. The national park is roughly circle shaped, with an average diameter of some 50 km. There are no marked trails in it, no accommodations and only two bridges. About 100 glaciers are found in the park, which is one of the oldest national parks in Europe. Sarek National Park (official name in Swedish: Sareks nationalpark) is a national park in Jokkmokk Municipality, in the province Lapland in northern Sweden. Sarek borders the national parks Stora Sjöfallet and Padjelanta. The national park is popular with hikers and mountaineers, but not suitable for beginners. The national park is roughly circular with an average diameter of about 50 kilometers. The park has no marked trails, no accommodations, and only two bridges. Furthermore, the area is among the most rainy in Sweden, which makes hiking dependent on weather conditions. It is also not uncommon to encounter streams that are hard and dangerous to wade across without proper experience. The Rapa River delta is considered one of Europe's prettiest, and the summit of mount Skierffe offers an overlook of this ice covered trough valley. Most notably, the national park houses a number of high mountains of over 2,000 meters. Due to the long walk up, they are seldom climbed. Sarek National Park (official name in Swedish: Sareks nationalpark) is a national park in Jokkmokk Municipality, in the province Lapland in northern Sweden. Sarek borders the national parks Stora Sjöfallet and Padjelanta. The national park is popular with hikers and mountaineers, but not suitable for beginners. The national park is roughly circular with an average diameter of about 50 kilometers. The park has no marked trails, no accommodations, and only two bridges. Furthermore, the area is among the most rainy in Sweden, which makes hiking dependent on weather conditions. It is also not uncommon to encounter streams that are hard and dangerous to wade across without proper experience. The Rapa River delta is considered one of Europe's prettiest, and the summit of mount Skierffe offers an overlook of this ice covered trough valley. Most notably, the national park houses a number of high mountains of over 2,000 meters. Due to the long walk up, they are seldom climbed.
Visions of Sarek National Park - "Europe's Last Wilderness" - are the stuff of dreams for many a hiking enthusiast. Together with a guide and like-minded mountain adventurers, you will take a journey through the Sarek mountains and gain a unique insight into a magical area of northern Sweden. The attraction of Sarek is that it is wholly untamed - no marked paths exist to guide you through its breathtaking landscape of mountains and valleys. 2009 marks the 100th anniversary of Sarek National Park, and the route for this year has been specially chosen to showcase the diversity of this beautiful area, offering stunning views of moorland to the west, the dramatic high alpine peaks of the Sarek mountain chain with their glacial landscape, and the rainforest-like vegetation of the Rapa Valley (or "Rapadalen" in Swedish). The itinerary also includes time for day excursions and peak tours, allowing you to the explore Sarek's wild beauty with lighter packs. The mountain landscape of Sarek National Park is the most dramatic in Sweden, and the least affected by human activity. There are jagged mountain peaks, immense glaciers, deep valleys and turbulent river rapids. Nowhere else in Europe is there such a vast expanse of monumental, uninterrupted wilderness. Sights: High mountain landscape with alpine peaks, glaciers and narrow valleys. The fauna of the major valleys. The delta at Rapaselet and the Rapa delta. Area: 197,000 hectares. Established: 1909. Location: Between the source lakes of the Stora and Lille Lule rivers, fifty kilometres east of the Norwegian border in Jokkmokk Municipality, Norrbotten County. Visiting Sarek: The national hiking trail, Kungsleden, runs through the southeastern tip of the park. Hikers may start out from Kvikkjokk and along Tarradalen Valley to the south, or from Saltaluokta to the north. Another approach is by boat from Ritsem, on the north shore of Lake Akkajaure, to the northern border of the park. Hiking in Sarek requires familiarity with alpine conditions, difficult terrain and rapidly changing weather. There are no sleeping facilities for tourists. There are only a few bridges, and crossing the many rivers may be difficult: Rain, or warm weather that accelerates glacial melting, may dramatically increase the flow of water. During winter, the risk of avalanches and severesnowstorms is great.
Tours in the Sarek National Park are more difficult than tours on Kungsleden or Padjelantaleden, because there are no marked trails and no cabins for hikers. A short, but important description is given in my little introduction. Interesting advices are given in the text provided by the Swedish Nature Conservation Board "Sarek - Myth and Reality". These pages will answer some frequently asked questions concerning the Sarek National Park. Sarek is strikingly alpine for Sweden with magnificent mountain ranges and narrow valleys, glaciers and wild rapids. It is a splendid piece of unspoiled wilderness. The park contains over 200 mountains over 1,800 metres. Six of Sweden's 13 highest mountains are found here, as are about 100 glaciers. Rapadalen valley is the artery of Sarek. The Rapaätno river has an enormous flow and carries green glacial water from about thirty glaciers. Rapadalen contains dense thickets of mountain birch, osier and herbaceous plants. The flora is rather poor in most of the park, but the animal life in the great valleys is rich. If you are lucky you can see bear, wolverine, lynx or one of the unusually large elks. Sarek is not recommended for beginners. Those wishing to visit the park must have considerable alpine experience and the correct equipment and should be used to spending time outdoors. Sarek is an extremely inaccessible wilderness with no facilities whatsoever for tourists. Here, you are on your own. The foremost sights of Sarek are the alpine landscape with its sharp peaks, glaciers and narrow valleys, the animal life and the delta areas in Rapaselet and Rapadeltat.
