Fjällräven Classic Sweden Day 3: Salka-Tjaktja-Alesjaure

Day 3 of the trek!

So far, we've been feeling great in general and getting into the rhythm of things - like how long we need to set up the tent and how long we need to prepare in the morning before setting off, as well as how far we should go before resting and when to eat.

We woke up a bit later on day 3 at 6.30am, since we had a later night (it was 10pm by the time we were done with the sauna and washing up). Therefore, we left at 8.50am. We knew that we were going to be conquering the highest point of the trek, so we ate the "light meal" for breakfast that ironically has the highest number of calories (700kcal, compared to 400/500 for the others).

From day 3 onwards, we tried a new method of faster walking and stopping more often (every 3km) for mini 5-10 min breaks. That allowed us to rest our shoulders more and also stop for more photos, as well as to admire the scenery. I mean, that's what we came here for right?

A close up of the path to the highest point

We actually climbed the Tjaktja pass rather quickly and we found that to be one of the best parts of the trek because the ground was smoother and less rocky. Since we normally run, our legs had enough power to conquer the steep elevation easily.

The descent was EXTREMELY rocky, which was more annoying than the uphill push in my opinion. There were multiple occasions when we thought we were going to twist our ankles, but thank God we didn't.

These were the type of rocks on the descent. They didn't build wooden planks for most of it.

The Tjaktja checkpoint is 4km from the pass, and for us it was a good point to stop for lunch because there's this nice, big stream near the checkpoint. Many people stopped there for awhile just to admire the scenery as well, and it's a great time to meet new friends! I think we stopped there for a good hour - removed our boots to let our socks dry in the warm sun, and to just air our feet. It was a good break.

They gave these healthy oat cookies at the Tjaktja checkpoint! 

After Tjaktja, the terrain became flatter - more sand and small buried rocks. There were also quite a number of river crossings that you need to take note of because some were rather fast flowing.

I think this is one of my favourite photos on the trek! The scenery was amazing.

We pushed all the way to the Alesjaure checkpoint and reached at 7pm. We headed to the Alesjaure station with the sauna, which is about 2km from the checkpoint. Since we were rather late, we had some difficulty finding a spot to pitch our tent. After we finally found one, we headed for the sauna. Something to note about the Alesjaure checkpoint is that there are a lack of good streams nearby. We had to take our water from a huge tank, which wasn't as fresh. On hindsight, I would have skipped out on the sauna and camped before the checkpoint or slightly after the Alesjaure station instead because there were much nicer spots with streams nearby.

Total distance covered on day 3: 26.67km

Read more about the Fjällräven Classic Sweden:
General Guide
Check in
Day 1
Day 2
Day 4
Day 5

Fjällräven Classic Sweden Day 2: Kebnekaise-Singi-Salka

So, it’s Day 2 of the trek! We woke up at 5am and I had a surprisingly good sleep, even though I still woke up multiple times due to it being slightly uncomfortable and not being used to sleeping in a tent etc. But, I was well-rested and ready to start the day! You can read about day 1 here.

It took us quite awhile to get ready to leave because we were still finding the routine of washing up, keeping our stuff and folding back the tent. It takes A LOT longer to keep the tent than set it up :/ We managed to start hiking at 7.50am after cooking breakfast (which was chocolate muesli! Read about the Real Turmat freeze dried food selections here). The terrain opens up to something more like a valley from Kebnekaise to Singi.

You’ll be walking next to a river, so there is no lack of fresh water.

You’ll also start crossing plenty of big rocks, so watch your step. The trekking pole really came in handy here.

Weather was windy and a little wet whenever a cloud passes by, so we kept our jackets and rain covers on. We generally tried to push a bit more in the morning, then take short breaks every hour or so once we started to feel a bit more fatigue. We reached Singi at 1130h, it was about 10.4km from the point we started. They give a reindeer wrap with mash potatoes and lingonberry sauce! The wrap was a bit big but it was extremely welcomed since I hadn’t eaten anything after breakfast.

It was a relatively short break because we left right after eating. We continued on for quite awhile and stopped at Kuoperjakka Sougan (it’s a rest stop) for lunch because it had a nice stream nearby and it was about 1430h. After that, it was about 7-9km more to Salka, so we decided to push on so that we could hit the Sauna that night!

We managed to reach Salka checkpoint and set up our tent near the Salka station with the sauna, which is 2km from the checkpoint.

Salka station

Sauna timings

I would highly recommend the sauna because I felt really warm and refreshed after and the one at Salka has hot water for you to bathe in! I went for the mixed gender timing so I wore a bikini but there are single gender ones as well. Some people aren’t comfortable with the nakedness of the whole experience but I personally am because I’ve been to many Japanese onsens, so it’s really up to you!

I tend to get tired at around 1-2pm because I would eat an early lunch snack and then a late proper lunch, so the in between periods would be difficult for me because I would start to get hungry and run out of energy at around 1pm. Also, the terrain is just generally rocky all the way, so that doesn’t quite help the feet. Again, I’m super thankful I got sturdy boots!

Total distance covered on Day 2: 23.79km

Read more about the Fjällräven Classic Sweden:
General Guide
Check in
Day 1
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Fjällräven Classic Sweden Day 1: Nikkaluokta-Kebnekaise

Hi everyone!

It's the start of the trek! (For the check-in process the day before, click here!) We woke up at 5am to prepare and have our breakfast, before walking from our Airbnb to the base camp (it was 1.2km away). We checked in our luggage (they open at 6am) and started to queue for the bus to Nikkaluokta, which is the start point. The bus ride is about slightly over an hour or so. Many people slept but I was too excited so I busied myself by admiring the view.

At the start point, you can see the atmosphere starting to build up - people doing last minute packing, a lady making announcements, and live music! I went to the toilet (hey, last civilised toilet right) and just enjoyed the live music by this guy and his guitar. Due to the train delays, everyone was able to start as and when they arrived at the start point, so there was no need to wait for the 9am start time as scheduled. Remember to get your stamp at the start point! So, off we went!

The terrain at the start of the trek was rather nice and easy - a couple of rocks, but generally rather flat, and you're walking through this forest-like environment. The terrain opens up later on to a bigger plain in between mountains. We were clocking almost 5km/h.

About 5+km in, you will see Restaurant Enoks. It's situated next to a lake and they have reindeer burgers on the grill that you can order. It's slightly pricey for a small burger (150kr, which is about 15 USD) but we were kind of hyped up at that point so we went ahead and tried. It's pretty good quality food, but not worth the price honestly.

Reindeer Burger with cole slaw

View of the lake at Restaurant Enoks - also the pier you'll board the boat from

This year, there was the option of taking a boat from the lake at restaurant Enoks that will cut the trek by 6km. It costs 300kr per person though. We didn't even consider that option and continued walking, but for those who wish to chill and take a nice cruise, that's an option too!

We took short pee/water breaks every 4-5km or so and then the rain started to come in. It was a light drizzle that became slightly heavier, so we trudged on in the rain till we reached the Kebnekaise checkpoint at 1425h. We placed down our backpacks and got our stamps and found that there were free cinnamon rolls there (yay! I was starving by this point). We also managed to boil water for our lunch and rested there while waiting for the rain to lighten up.

We left slightly before 1600h and walked for another 5km before pitching our tent near a stream and not too far off from the trail at the foot of Tolpagorni mountain (on the map). We cooked dinner, chilled while waiting for the rain to lighten up before washing up and getting ready to sleep. The sun never really sets at this time of the year in Sweden so I would suggest bringing some form of eye mask/towel to cover your eyes if you need total darkness to sleep like I do.

Boiling water for dinner

Pitched our tent away from any chances of falling rocks, yet still near the mountain

The stream near our tent - extremely important!!

Total distance covered on Day 1: 24.02km

Read more about the Fjällräven Classic Sweden:
General Guide
Check in
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5