Sweden: Lapland by lamplight - Telegraph It all sounds hard to resist; but to put itself on the map, Vuollerim has come up with some extra attractions. One is a "house-jumping" dinner, with each of its three courses hosted by different villagers; the other is an Ice Lantern Festival. Making an ice lantern is simple enough: you need only a hammer and a bucket of water left out in the cold. But it's heavy work, so to make a decent display involves dragooning as much of the population as possible. This year the stakes were particularly high: Vuollerim was trying for a place in Guinness World Records. Its target was 2,000 lanterns, all shining at the same time. When we arrived on the day of the challenge, we were not in a mood to be easily impressed. We'd spent the night 25 miles to the south in the most extraordinary hotel I have ever seen: the Treehotel at Harads. The main building, once an old people's home, has been kept as a time capsule of the early Sixties, with period posters on the wall and 50-year-old equipment in the kitchen; but the bedrooms, tucked half a mile away in the woods and each perched in a tree, are altogether 21st-century. Ours, the Cabin - a black cuboid reached by a ramp - stood 30 feet above the ground, with dizzying forest views. The others include the Bird's Nest, sitting on a mass of interwoven logs, and the futuristic silver UFO. On top of that, we'd been snowmobiling from the hotel and spotted something not even our guide had seen before: wolf tracks. Moose, lynx, wolverines and even bears are also found in the region. Vuollerim had a hard act to follow. It didn't take long to get our bearings. Vuollerim does not boast a traffic light; its principal amenities are a school and a fire station, and its two hotels have 34 rooms between them. But this is not to say that its inhabitants are provincial: the ones we met were well-travelled and, like most Swedes, spoke excellent English. Nor are they lacking in enterprise: when the Gästgiveriet Hotel closed down, 140 of them banded together to buy and relaunch it. As twilight fell, the streets filled with figures lighting lanterns. With the results of the count due at 6pm, an eager crowd gathered around the ice stage by the village square. Local worthies were called to the microphone to share their lantern-making experiences; a group of schoolgirls sang a song. It was small-town with a capital S. But as we watched, it was impossible not to be infected by the enthusiasm and bonhomie. We applauded the speakers with our snow-gloved hands; we cheered the singers. And as the Guinness assessors mounted the stage, we held our breath with everyone around us. At last the figure was announced: 2,651. The mood in the packed restaurant at the Gästgiveriet Hotel that evening was jubilant. The next morning we made the half-hour journey to Jokkmokk, crossing the Arctic Circle. The market was still being set up and the reindeer had not yet arrived, but on the outskirts a "historical" market offered a glimpse of the ancient Sámi way of life. Figures in wolf skins tended fires ingeniously sandwiched between split tree trunks, guaranteed to last the Arctic night; traders were offering furs, felt rugs and hunting knives in profusion. What makes the Sámi particularly fascinating is the way in which they have kept their culture alive in an unaccommodating world. Jokkmokk's impressive Ájtte Museum, with its record of nomadic life and displays of exquisite traditional dress and silverware, is a monument to their ingenuity and adaptability. Today they herd reindeer with snowmobiles and helicopters, but the animals remain central to their existence. Jokkmokk is also a centre for outdoor activities, which in Swedish Lapland range from tolka (horse-drawn skiing) to ice fishing. My top choice would be dog-sledding, which we had tried further south at the Svedjekojan Husky Farm. The dogs proved so well trained that the effort involved was minimal - just a little shifting of weight from side to side and an occasional foot on the brake as we sped through a frosted forest and across a frozen lake in a spray of snow. The pleasure lay not only in the sled's smooth running and the beauty of our surroundings, but in the dogs" teamwork and enthusiasm. Back in Vuollerim, it was time for our house-jumping dinner. We put on our warmest clothes, climbed aboard spark-sleds (the local equivalent of scooters, propelled by your own feet) and set off into the night. Our first stop was a modern house belonging to the local tourist officer, who greeted us with a hug and served a tasty roulade of reindeer meat and freshly baked bread. Half a dozen villagers made up the rest of the party; the food had been prepared by others behind the scenes, leaving the hosts free to entertain the guests. And entertain us they did, even performing a specially composed house-jumping song, "Ett hopp för Vuollerim" ("Let's jump for Vuollerim"). The mood was exuberant after the ice-lantern triumph, which formed the main topic of conversation. Outside the lanterns were still burning, giving an extra air of welcome as we spark-sledded along the icy road to the next venue - an old vicarage belonging to the head of the fire brigade and her husband. Here we feasted on excellent slow-cooked moose with morel sauce, and were told of the most ambitious dinner to date: an assembly of 45 visitors and 15 locals. At our final stop, for exquisite cloudberry tart, we were the guests of a successful businesswoman. At the height of her career, she told us, she had realised that nothing about it could bring her the contentment she had known as a child in Vuollerim; so she had come home, renovated a small house that had belonged to her favourite cousins, and embarked on a new career as a life coach, Skyping clients across Europe and the United States. Her story seemed to sum up a very small village with very broad horizons. I left feeling keen to return next winter; or winter spring; or spring summer... Scandinavian Airlines (0871 226 7760; flysas.com) has daily flights from London Heathrow to Luleå via Stockholm from £226 return including taxes. Avis (0844 581 0147; avis.co.uk) offers seven days" car hire from £247. Lapland Vuollerim (976 10030; laplandvuollerim.se) offers three nights in Vuollerim, including transfers from Luleå, a house-jumping dinner, all other meals and two outdoor activities, from €1,095/£945 per person. Best Served (020 7838 5956; best-served.co.uk) offers two nights in Luleå and one at the Treehotel from £695 per person, including return flights from London Heathrow and transfers within Sweden. Åsgård Guesthouse £ A cheerful, newly refurbished family house right beside the Jokkmokk Market, doubling as a hostel and hotel. Prices don't include breakfast (£8.30). 0046 70 366 4645; info@villaasgard.se; doubles from £36. Gästgiveriet Hotel £ The hub of Vuollerim life. The rooms are small but comfortable, and the very good restaurant has a glorious view of the countryside (976 10660; gastgiveriet.se; £78). The Treehotel £££ An experience you will never forget (see main article), with five extraordinary treehouse rooms - but be prepared to walk through the snow for a shower (928 10403; treehotel.se; £456). Viddernas £ A café-cum-delicatessen in Jokkmokk specialising in local foods such as bark bread and capercaillie soup. Set lunch £10.40; closed in the evening. Vuorikatu 10; 70 262 3121; viddernashus.se. Sala Thai £ A Thai restaurant and pizzeria doesn't sound promising, but it's highly praised by Vuollerim's inhabitants. Bodenvägen 15; 976 10000. Gästis Hotel ££ Jokkmokk's most traditional restaurant, offering only the dishes of the day (e.g. pasta with reindeer sauce) - but they're good. Herrevägen 1; 971 10012; hotell-gastis.se. February-April is the best time for winter activities such as dog-sledding. If you want to visit the ice-lantern festival or Jokkmokk Market, plan ahead - hotels get booked up a year in advance. The dates for 2014 are February 4-8; for further details, see laplandvuollerim.se. For an introduction to the Sámi way of life, contact the Swedish Sámi Association (visitsapmi.com). If you have time to spare near Luleå airport, visit the 15th-century church at Gammelstad, which is surrounded by streets of charming wooden cabins. Further information Swedish Lapland Tourism (70 544 7147; swedishlaplandtourism.com). Lapland Vuollerim (976 10030; laplandvuollerim.se). Don't underestimate the cold: it can reach -40C (-40F). Don't forget insect repellent in summer. July is the worst month for mosquitoes. Don't ask about the damming of the Luleå river - it's a sore subject with locals, who have seen little financial benefit from the project. It's possible to drive on parts of the river when it freezes, but don't exceed 30km/h: too much disturbance will break the ice. Inside the 24th ICEHOTEL The ice hotel that needs a fire alarm Skiing in Sweden: chilled, chic and effortlessly cool Where to ski in Scandinavia The best northern lights tours Malmö, Sweden: highlights for holidaymakers Gothenburg, Sweden: a cultural city guide Stockholm, Sweden: Abba museum preview Abba, The Museum: In pictures