^8o|, 20'A rhythmic tonk, tonk, tonk breaks the silence on the banks of the Torne River. Its so quiet here that any sound reverberates and seems intrusive. We trace the tonking to an intrepid boat-builder meticulously repairing the wooden struts on a traditional nuut. Hes so focused that he hardly looks up as we ask about the piles of net and rope bundled in the boat. Instead, he explains the timeless beauty of these Arctic river To get here 200km into Swedens Arctic Circle we took a 17-hour train trip from Stockholm, straight up the length of the country. This vast Arctic wilderness has only tiny, remote villages punctuating its sweeping landscape, and were in one of them: Jukkasjrvi, with a population of 600 people and 900 dogs. This is because during winter, dog sleds are the only transport when the landscapes frozen and dusted fairytale-white with snow and ice. But in the summer months, from June to August, the huskies are on holiday too, though their wolverine howls can sometimes be heard bouncing across the surface of the Torne. This wild river travels all the way from Norway, through Sweden to Finland, bringing with it salmon and trillions of litres of pure, clean water. Here the rivers easily a mile wide, rushing cool and clear. Wordt aad pbotoyrapbt: ker harvey (www.kerbarvey.tom, @tarotape) 4ddtoaal pbotoyrapby: haley 4brabamtswedenFlxlng bools on lhe lorne Rlver bonk.'0o|, 20'Right now youre watching the next ICEHOTEL, smiles David Lind, who works at the iconic establishment. This is the waterthat becomes the clear ice fromwhich the ICEHOTEL is built every year. The Torne provides its building blocks, which are harvested from the frozen river each March. At 1m thick, a single ice block weighs two tons. Annual construction starts in late November and it takes about 100 construction workers and artists to complete the 65-room hotel. Everythings made of ice. Just imagine and even the glasses you drink from at the bar are solid ice. In summer, of course, the hotels melted back into the Torne and wooden cabins provide guest accommodation.Jukkasjrvi means meeting place at the lake in the Sami language. today, nearly half of Sweden is reindeer territory and there are 4 500 reindeer-owners in the country, with 230 000 animals between them. To the nomadic Sami herders, reindeer are life and they move their herds as the seasons change.All of Swedens reindeer are owned by someone; there are no longer wild herds. Theyre simply too precious for that. Its no surprise, then, that a Sami herders most important tool is the lasso. He needs to keep his herd together because every part of every one of these animals is needed and used. Reindeer pull the heavy Sami sleds through snow; their fur is the warmest possible, with hollow hair that traps and blankets imaginable. Sinews are used for stitching and making tough twine, while the meat is both delicious and nutritious. The animals are the full package for sustaining the Sami lifestyle.Reindeer are small, but surprisingly tough and well adapted for this harsh Arctic environment, where the temperature can drop to -50C in species and when times are really lean, they dig beneath the snow for lichen. Their hooves splay to walk easily on snow. During summer the reindeer fatten themselves up for the cold, dark months ahead. Go and walk among them, says Therese Iversen from the Sami Siida Caf in the village. Take some pellets with you and youll feel like a pied piper for reindeer. velvety and quite ungainly. We didnt realise that their antlers moult, nor that reindeer can be coloured whiteand are very tame. The clicking is reindeer communication and comes from a tendon in the hoof, explains Iversen. Its so that they can because there are long months like that here. But today youd never believe that. It feels like late spring in Johannesburg: bright, warm and drenched in sunshine, with the temperature in the mid-20s. This, then, is the height of the Arctic summer and a heat wave at the same time. The Torne rose to 20C, she adds, and salmonstarted dying of heat. They dont knowthese hot temperatures.Iversen herself is basking in the sunshine, sitting outside and carefully stitching an intricate soft leather and silver thread bracelet. Shes not a Sami, but shes from Jukkasjrvi and wants to keep their unique Clockwise, rom obove: Relndeer lhe slople ol Soml llle. Soml shoes hove polnled lhe snow. lhe Soml Col.'2o|, 20'culture alive. This is a traditional Sami adornment, she says of the bracelet. It will be fastened using a button of reindeer bone. Just about everyone in Jukkasjrvi wears one, and now we do too. Peckish for lunch, we step into the conical Lavvu tent, where traditional Sami slow food is prepared and served by Iversen. Shes a multi-talented woman and suggests we try the suovas, which is jam and gurpi, the Sami rendition of a reindeer hamburger. Dessert is lattegat tart yellow cloud berries that only grow in the Arctic iron pan, the smoke spiralling out the open-funnelled tent top. Its somehow all familiar and unfamiliar, the quiet of the wilderness, version of our African experiences.The red wooden Jukkasjrvi church next door is postcard-pretty and the oldest preserved wooden church in Swedish Lapland. Its shaded by pine trees, while inside worn wooden pews and a mural above the altar tell of real life in the Arctic Circle. The sense of simplicity here is palpable. Life follows the rhythm of the seasons, wealth is in reindeer and enjoyment is in the fellowship of friends and family.You can walk everywhere in Jukkasjrvi: its tiny. The butter-yellow torrid winters; verandahs festooned with hanging candles for light on dark days; ladders lying on pitched roofs to clear snow. Other roofs are covered in green growing grass. But today, doors and windows are wide open to let in the warmth of summer, gardens are bursting with colour between homes. Its completely unexpected, something like an Arctic Namaqualand.Just as the Arctic Circles in constant darkness for a month or two in winter, it has constant sunshine in midsummer. So if you only go to bed after dark, the Arctic midnight sun will have you and then immediately rise again, as if teasing you that therell be darkness. To sleep, homes have block-out curtains and blinds, but the locals are familiar with turning in while the sun still shines; to us it felt rather strange, until exhaustion overcame us.En route back to our summer log cabin on the banks of the Torne, we stop at the tiny supermarket to buy for the afternoon. Its a Swedish tradition to nurture blood sugar levels at 4pm. Even in the capital of Stockholm, work halts for and then promptly resumes with renewed energy and interest.work, still tonking and still completely focused. Momentarily he looks up, sees us and waves us closer. Just look, he says in a serious smile and beckons us to follow him. Come, he says. Lets take a break and have some I need some sugar energy.GEIIlNG IO JUKKA5JkVl ll lokes 1Z hours lo reoch )ukkos|rvl by overnlghl lroln lrom Slockholm lo Klruno. Morweglon Alr Shullle over lhe 1 20km, lollowed by o Zkm loxlrlde lo lhe vllloge. 5LEEPlNG AND DlNlNGAl lCEHClEL or lhe summer logcoblns emoll. lnlo@lceholel.com orvlsll. www.lceholel.comRelndeer Lodge emoll. lnlo@nulll.se or vlsll. www.nulll.sePLAYlNGlhrough lCEHClEL you con orgonlse crosscounlry cycllng. You con olso leorn bush croll or lcesculpllng.Vlsll )ukkos|rvl church, lhe Soml Museum ond lhe Soml Col lo see lrodlllonol crolls, en|oy o meol ond spol grozlng relndeer.Clockwise, rom top let: A mon repolrlng o nuul. Summer )ukkos|rvl church.