Turgleder
A lone skier pulling a sled across a glacier on Svalbard under a low arctic sun

Turgleder · Expeditions and holiday adventures

The Arctic, on its own terms.

Hiking, trekking, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, canoeing and fishing in small groups, from Karasjok on the Finnmark Plateau to Svalbard.

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Our base
Engholm Husky Lodge, Karasjok
69° 26' 55" N · 25° 21' 33" E

Our philosophy

A small group leaves a smaller footprint on the environment and a bigger footprint in your heart.

We want to leave as few traces as possible and avoid disturbing the natural environment we love. In a small group you feel closer to nature, more a part of it than an observer, and you get personal attention from your guide. Turgleder makes the Arctic wilderness accessible.

A line of skiers pulling sleds across a snow-covered plateau

  1. You will face nature

    The Norwegian Arctic offers something for everyone, whether you like the wild and spectacular challenge or the slow, comfortable retreat.

  2. Strangers will cross your path

    Alone, accompanied by friends or together with strangers. Strangers become less strange when you create new stories together.

  3. You will discover yourself

    Meditate, meet new friends, face your fears or learn new skills. No matter your motivation, you discover yourself by exploring nature.

The trips

From an afternoon on the ice to 39 days on skis.

All our set programs are also available as private trips. Each trip links to its full programme on turgleder.com.

When to come

A year in Karasjok.

Karasjok lies inland on the Finnmark Plateau with a continental climate: stable weather in summer and winter, more changeable in spring and autumn. The average temperature for the year is −2.1 °C. Mean temperatures by period:

  1. −1.3°

    Oct

    Between summer and winter. Unstable weather, but fishing can still be very good.

  2. −12.3°

    Nov – Jan

    Polar Night from 28 November to 14 January. Tranquil, cold and clear, with Northern Lights often overhead.

  3. −16°

    Jan – Feb

    The sun reappears. The coldest, clearest and most stable time of the year.

  4. −6.4°

    Mar – Apr

    Milder, longer days. The best time for multiple day ski trips, and for ice-fishing.

  5. +4°

    May

    Midnight Sun from the second half of the month. Reindeer herders move their herds toward the coast.

  6. +11.9°

    Jun – Jul

    Lake fishing in June, salmon in July. The canoe season starts once river levels drop.

  7. +5 to +10°

    Aug – Sep

    Berries, mushrooms and autumn colours on the plateau. The best time for hiking holidays.

A skier pulling a sled into a snow drift at sunset

Polar Night

28 November – 14 January

The low sun wraps the landscape in a million shades of blue and white.

A tent pitched on the snow beneath a pink and blue sunset sky

Midnight Sun

19 May – 23 July

The sun never sets, and the Arctic nature explodes into a cascade of life.

Tailor-made & private

What is your dream? Let's make it happen.

A large part of what we do is tailor-made adventures and corporate assignments. Our specialty is small groups of up to about 12 people seeking a nature- or culture-based experience.

Guests and a guide checking a map on skis, with sled dogs and sleds behind them

  • Private adventures

    Your entire holiday designed around you, not a set itinerary. Explore your interests at your own pace, with your own knowledgeable guide always at your disposal.

  • Professionals and TV production

    From local contact in Finnmark to full facilitation, organising and logistical support of a complete stay in Norway.

  • Corporate adventures

    Teambuilding, customer relations or appreciation for a job well done, whether rough and primitive or exotic and different, challenging or relaxing, summer or winter.

Here are some of the things we have done

  • Private ice fishing trips
  • Expedition with physically disabled people
  • X-country skiing expeditions
  • Arctic and polar winter training
  • Outdoor survival training
  • Navigation courses
  • Arctic expedition first aid training
  • Private hiking trips
  • Private canoeing and packrafting trips
  • Private cross country skiing and snow shoeing trips
  • Romantic northern light trips
  • Private photo courses and excursions
  • Sled dog adventures
  • Sámi culture experiences

We have worked with, among others

  • The Garden Productions / BBC Four (UK)
  • deMENSEN (BE)
  • Mastiff (No)
  • Nordisk Film TV (No)
  • BNN (NL)
  • Cwmni Da / Hey Productions (UK)
  • SVT (SE)
  • LeftRight Productions / MTV (USA)
  • Northern Norway Travel Board / Innovation Norway (NO)

Turgleder is commonly part of the safety and logistics team on the annual Norwegian “71 degrees North” reality TV series.

The team

Guides who take care of safety, stories and the people around you.

An experienced guide takes care of safety and planning, teaches and tells stories, provides comfort and is a link to the local community.

  • Liv Engholm

    Guide, entrepreneur and manager

    Grew up with dog sledding on the Finnmark plateau in the Sámi village of Karasjok. An officer in the Norwegian army, trained in first aid and leading groups, with experience from canoeing, packrafting, hiking, skiing and expeditions.

    “It is my greatest pleasure to make people able to experience the Norwegian and arctic nature and culture.”

    liv@turgleder.com(+47) 90 85 55 56

  • Thomas S. Nilsen

    Guide and entrepreneur

    More than ten years as an officer in the Norwegian armed forces, with experience in planning, leading groups, survival in nature and advanced first aid. Has also studied environment, culture and tourism.

    “The big things in the modern society become small and the small things becomes big.”

    thomas@turgleder.com(+47) 91 16 73 03

  • Kasper Jæger

    Guide

    Some 20 years of polar guiding across the Arctic and Antarctic. Awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society in 2019, and faculty with World Extreme Medicine, leading a Polar Medicine Course.

    kasper@turgleder.com(+47) 90 20 11 94

  • Svata Spevackova

    Mountain guide and paramedic

    Over a decade of outdoor leadership, five years of it above the polar circle. Qualified mountain guide and university-trained paramedic with education in Polar and Expedition & Wilderness Medicine.

  • Yoshiko Miyazaki

    IFMGA Mountain Guide

    Qualified as an IFMGA Mountain Guide in 2023. Ski guiding since Hokkaido, high altitude expeditions on Denali, and Antarctic seasons in the Ellsworth Mountains and to the South Pole since 2015.

A team of sled dogs running through a snowy forest, pulling a sled

Basecamp

Engholm Husky Lodge, “a different place”.

This is where we have our base and where most of our adventures depart from. You stay in log cabins designed and built by Mr. Sven Engholm, using only natural materials, and most are heated by a wood burner.

Meet your trip mates in the small, intimate lodge kitchen, and visit the dog yard to meet the 40 to 50 highly trained sled dogs and see how they are cared for every day.

Extra days
From NOK 1,670
Full board and lodge, before or after a programme
Wood heated sauna
NOK 200
Per person, minimum NOK 900
Outdoor hot tub
NOK 6,000
Wood heated

Staying elsewhere is fine too. Contact us for more pricing details.

Getting here

The lodge is next to the Karasjok river, 6 km west of Karasjok on road 92 toward Kautokeino (Guovdageaidnu). Look for the sign “ENGHOLM HUSKY”. Your Arctic adventure is only a one-day journey away if you fly, from anywhere in Europe.

GPS 69° 26' 55.0" N 25° 21' 33.0" E
UTM 35 W 435774 7705257 · WGS 84

Transfer from Karasjok to the lodge is NOK 300, by taxi or booked with us.

  • Lakselv

    Closest airport. 1 hr by bus or taxi to Karasjok.

  • Alta

    4 hrs by bus or 2.5 hrs by taxi to Karasjok.

  • Ivalo, Finland

    2.5 hrs by bus or 2 hrs by taxi to Karasjok.

  • Kirkenes

    The fourth airport in our region.

Testimonials

Personal discoveries through shared adventures.

“It was great, I loved the drilling holes in the ice and fishing, the camping was epic, we made fires, we learnt about the area and the guide was lovely. It was a really enjoyable, brilliant experience!”
Milly F. Jones
“Thank you so much for our «Scout for a day» trip, it turned out to be the highlight of our holiday. We were pretty nervous before leaving but soon realised we didn’t need to be! Thomas was an amazing guide, very knowledgeable and friendly, and kept us entertained through the evening.”
Richard James
“I had a fantastic time on the North to South expedition across the Finnmark plateau. Thomas was a true professional and I felt like I was in very safe hands. I would do it again in a heart beat.”
Lucy Sheperd
“The Finnmark plateau is a magnificent wilderness area which shines in the winter. I have done multiple outdoors/winter trips in remote areas, and this was certainly one of the best ones!”
Aurelie Beaumel
Five skiers in colourful jackets raising their poles on a sunny glacier

Be ready for any weather, any time of year.

Layer your clothing: several thin layers are better than a few thick ones. When you join a Turgleder adventure you receive a specified list of required clothes and equipment, and what Turgleder can provide.

Always

  • Warm underwear: longjohns and a top with full length arms, preferably wool
  • A jumper or shirt
  • A thick wool sweater or fleece jacket
  • 2 pairs of thick wool socks
  • Thin gloves
  • Wind and waterproof jacket and pants

Added for winter

  • Thick warm mittens (not gloves)
  • A thick warm hat and jacket
  • Warm winter boots
  • Gaiters
  • Scarf or balaclava
  • Thermos flask and headlamp

Added for summer

  • 2 t-shirts and 1 pair of shorts
  • A light hat or cap
  • Waterproof hiking boots
  • Drinking bottle
  • Mosquito repellent
  • Sunscreen

Contact

In search of new stories? Start with a non-committing conversation.

mail@turgleder.com
Turgleder as
Ávjovárgeaidnu 654
9730 Karasjok, Norway
Visiting address: Engholm Husky Lodge, same address