Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
13 Apr 2025
Reply rate
96.9 %
Usually responds within 82 days
Feedback
30
Email verified
Host offers payment
Badges (3)
Details
Description
Hei!
Thank you for your interest to be part of our team and our life.
Our lodge is located 6km west of Karasjok Sami village by the Karasjohka river. Our neighboring villages - Lakselv 86km, Kautokeino 130km, Tana 200km, Alta 200km – and between them only open landscape with some mountain cabins, a few Sami settlements - else inhabited by reindeer, moose, bear, arctic fox, eagle, lynx, wolverine, and many other animals.
Our team provides active holidays, mostly overnight tours and expeditions with sled dogs, for guests from all over the world. Our participants on tour are rather adventurous people who relish the chance to learn new skills and like to live life to the fullest.
At the lodge we accommodate our guests in design log cabins, 8 cabins in total, built by and furnished by Sven himself, a truly unique atmosphere. Our mini restaurant seats 10 guests, serves local foods from the region. We pride ourselves to fish, hunt, gather and garden as much as we can. Processing and cooking has a high priority.
The business has existed since 1979.
Sven is 11 time winner of Europe's longest sled dog race, the "Finnmarksløpet" - 1000 km. He is a top ten finisher in Iditarod - a 1800 km race in Alaska. He is an experienced outdoor guide and has also lead several expeditions to Spitsbergen, Greenland and across Siberia. Thanks to his university studies in natural geography, it is a pleasure for him to explain the many geographical and natural phenomena's while leading a tour.
"The desire to do something meaningful in life brought me to Karasjok. I had a longing within me for untouched nature. Based upon my own feelings for the area - the exotic light, the darkness and the great plateau - I developed a product which is bearing fruit. I built up to what we have today which has, with the years, become the success I had hoped for when I started 1979. ”Once infected with the sled dog mushing virus, there is no cure, there is only trail!”
Our team consists of 4 - 5 two legged and 40 - 50 highly trained sled dogs for long-distance racing and tours, plus 1 - 2 litters with puppies in early education.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We ask that you visit for at least 2 month - preferably three or more. This is important for us because it gives you a chance to get to know all of us (both 2 and 4 legged) and get into our way of living. It also allows you to settle in properly and learn new skills.
To be a part of the team will give you many memories that will last for long time! For sure the practice will be meaningful, interesting and fit for use and hopefully make your dream come true. If you always do what you always did, You´ll always get what you always got....Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage
This host offers accommodation and payment.
Help
A Norwegian work permit is required for wage earners in Norway. Salary according to qualifications and Norwegian rules.
Here is an overview of our chores depending on the season.
Indoor chores and outdoor chores vary greatly from day to day and week to week and season to season, depending on which activities and tasks are on the agenda. You will be a part of the team. It is varied activities here at the lodge and we have a lot of fun. - It is not 8 to 4 life but it’s a life style!
Our Husky team consists of 2-4 passionate people (depent of season) who love the outdoor lifestyle that revolves around the dog farm but there can be room for an extra person (or couple) to join our team.
What we are looking for is a person who helps us with tasks mainly related to serving breakfast to our guests, helping to clean cabins, helping with cooking dinner and baking bread.
When you look at the activities listed below, think about how you would prioritize your time in our team?
Would you like to be;
-75% outdoor - 25% indoor
-75% indoor - 25% outdoor
-50% indoor/outdoor
WINTER November - April
- Dec. we get the first guests for sled dog tours, and we are busy with tours and expeditions until beginning of May.
- Repair equipment, sleds etc. Prepare for the sled tours.
- Work in the dog yard.
- Clean and prep cabins.
- Serve dinner and breakfast to guests.
- Work with the dogs in the dog yard. Morning and evening.
AUTUMN September - November
- Training season start in August. We train the dogs when it is below +15 C. We are using ATV vehicle and cart until the snow comes end of Oct. – beginning of Nov.
- Cleaning cabins, kitchen and guest facilities.
- Preparing equipment for winter season.
- Fishing in the lakes for winter supply.
- Prepare moose meat that Sven brings home from hunting.
- Clean and prep cabins.
- Serve dinner and breakfast to guests.
- Work with the dogs in the dog yard. Morning and evening.
- Socialize puppies, (daily walk along the river side)
SPRING May - June
- Work in the dog yard, tidying up after snow melting.
- Chopping and collecting firewood for next winter.
- Cleaning cabins, kitchen and guest facilities.
- Planting seeds in kitchen garden. Planting flowers. Potatoes and carrots.
- Raking the lawn areas.
- Small repairing and painting.
- Clean and prep cabins.
- Serve dinner and breakfast to guests.
- Work with the dogs in the dog yard. Morning and evening.
SUMMER July - August (Be aware that we get lots of mosquitoes from beginning of July.)
- General gardening. Care for the vegetable garden and flowers.
- Help us with ongoing projects like tanning hides, sewing leather, preparing rocks and logs for building or furnishing.
- Socialize puppies, (daily walk along the river side)
- Clean and prep cabins.
- Picking berries, picking mushrooms, making juice and marmalade, pickles.
- Serve dinner and breakfast to guests.
- Work with the dogs in the dog yard. Morning and evening.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Norwegian: Fluent
Accommodation
Lodging in a room in log house/cabin. Kitchen and bathroom facilities are shared. We sometime eat dinner together, also with guests. And welcome new tastes and inputs about food – everyone here has to show, and share their cooking skills. Breakfast and lunch we usually eat separate.
We sometimes eat vegetarian dish, but it doesn’t work if you are vegetarian because it requires separate cooking every day.
Internet access.
Getting here:
Airport: Lakselv in Norway is the closest airport to Karasjok. Time table on sas.no alternative norwegian.no (both from Oslo)
Connecting bus from airport: 1 hr. More info: snelandia.no
Airport: Alta in Norway. Time table on sas.no alternative norwegian.no (both from Oslo)
Connecting bus from airport: 4 hr. More info: snelandia.no
Airport: Ivalo in Finland with finnair.com alternativ norwegian.com (from Helsinki).
Connecting bus from airport 2,5 hrs. More info: eskelisen.fi
What else ...
The surrounding area around Karasjok is definitely worth to explore. We have canoes, bicycles, snowshoes and touring equipment.
Please note that there might be times of the year when you will wait for a reply from us for weeks, this is when all our time is spent with the dogs on tour.
"Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it!"
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (16)
Photos
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)
Cultural exchange:
(4.8)
Communication:
(4.8)
What an incredible place. Sven (the owner) made everything by hand in this place. From the entire lodges to the door handles, there are so many details hiden in the trees, in the rooms or in the buildings. Even after staying 2 months, we were still discovering new details.… read more
It was a great, cold, dark and rewarding experience. ;)
I felt very welcome amongst the guides and had my own room to sleep in. The work is physical and practical, and the dogs are very cute and always happy to see you.
During my stay I both saw northern lights, experienced -30 degrees celsius (so be prepared… read more
I stayed with Sven and Christel for about two months July & August, they had 3 other workers there, which was great, we all got along really well! the place is absolutely gorgeous, I have never seen anything like it. you can see how much heart they put into every little detail and… read more
We happily recommend anyone to take on Renee as volunteer, she adapts and understands what needs to be done - a fast learner.
All the best Renee, from Sven, me and all your four legged friends.
I went there with skills that had nothing to do with the job on hand and left with endless… read more
We wish Maddie all the best with future studies, her plans for work, and travel. Remember you are always welcome back!
I was helping for 4 weeks in June with many different taks like building a path to the new guest cabins, chopping wood for the wintertime, planting vegetables but also cleaning cabins, cooking and welcoming guests. I also enjoyed learning how to build up a wood shed. Of course we were also taking care of… read more
She stayed with us 4 weeks in May/June this year. Helping in the dog yard and with firewood, cabin cleaning, training dogs for pack dog safaris among other things.
During her time with us, Tina proved to be a very mature and responsible addition to our staff. She is intelligent and learns easily. She is open… read more
I don`t know which was the best part of having her around. Her lovely cheese cake, her strength, her interest in learning tanning and working with leather, her great way to treat our four legged friends, her friendly way around her colleagues and guests or her humor that gave us good laughs.… read more
Thank you so much Ana for all you help during your three weeks here… read more
Everything was so especial: my journey to get the place, the sun shining 24 hours, the chance to work with huskies and the people I met there. I went in May and the weather was perfect.
Christel, Sven and my friends workawayers were very kind with me. They offer good… read more
...MY DREAM CAME TRUE...
I planned to stay for 3 months and ended up staying for nearly a year. Volunteering with the huskies, my husky, mushing dream came true. It can be a very hard work but it is an lifetime experience and I never regret that I stayed for nearly a year. I am actually the happiest person… read more
In summer, the days start at 9 am with the feeding of the dogs. After that, we cleaned the cabins of the guest. Afterwards,… read more
Jasmin participated and helped us in our daily rutines: in the dogyard, sosializing our 12 alaska… read more
The rest of the time was filled in varied. The puppy's had to be… read more
Awesome place, great accommodation, great food (you'll never be hungry :) ) and very friendly hosts.
Work is varied, as advertised. Hours can be variable and not counted, but they're looking for you to have a good stay, not exploiting you ;)
If they can have you, don't hesitate !
Cedric &… read more
