Tuolpagorni next to Kebnekaise

Kebnekaise - a round trip

The Kebnekaise massif is the most high-alpine environment in Sweden, and only Sarek comes close to rivalling it for this title. You can hike around the entire massif and experience everything from Sámi settlements to glaciers. A classic hike for which STF Kebnekaise Mountain Station is the natural starting point and destination. You stay at STF mountain cabins along the route.

This route is one of the most varied of all those in the Swedish mountains. The landscape and nature you hike through changes pretty much every day. There is everything from flat gorges flanked by sheer, dark cliffs, to vast, wide-open valleys between high mountains. Hike on the steep, rocky passes by STF Nallo

Mountain Cabin and through the birch forest that starts at STF Vistas.
The long section begins in the Vistasdalen valley, and then continues, steeply in parts, across the alpine zone to the Tarfaladalen valley. This is where Kebnekaise is at its most dramatic, with its glaciers rolling down the mountainside. The path back to the mountain station is short and is mostly downhill.

If you are adding on the hike to and from Nikkaluokta, you should set aside at least seven days for this route. There is a shorter and more difficult route for those who are very experienced hikers. Certain cultures consider hiking around a high mountain to be a sacred act – the route around Kebnekaise can be a journey that is both physical and spiritual.

Directions

Take the bus from Kiruna to Nikkaluokta.
Fly from Nikkaluokta to STF Kebnekaise Mountain Station.

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