Unit8-Part1-Reading

Holiday in northern Sweden.

The northern part of Sweden is in the Arctic Circle,

but it's a popular destination for tourists from across the world.

It is the land of glaciers, pine forests,

fast -flowing rivers, and clear blue lakes.

The tourists there usually stay in Karuna.

Sweden's farthest town in the north.

It is an excellent spot for exploring the northern area and hunting or fishing.

If you visit Karuna in summer, you can go hiking in the Abisco National Park.

You will enjoy rafting, canoeing, and boat trips on the lakes of the park too.

You can also see the midnight sun.

The sun shines 24 hours a day, from the end of May to the end of July.

In winter, you can watch the colorful northern lights in the night sky.

The area receives no sunlight for several weeks in December and January.

But it isn't very dark.

Snow covers the whole area from October to May.

This is a perfect time for skiing, dog sledding, snowmobiling, and ice climbing.

You can go ice skating on the frozen lakes or rivers too.

Karuna has a snow festival at the last weekend of January.

Reindeer races and ice sculpting contests take place in this festival.

Another tourist attraction near Karuna is the ice hotel in the village of Jukasjavi.

This hotel is made from snow and ice blocks from the Torne River.

It is open from December to April.

Then, it melts, and the water flows back into the Torne River, so they have to build it every year.

All the walls, rooms, and beds are made of ice, so you must wrap up when you sleep.

The temperature inside is always minus 5 degrees Celsius.

If you arrange to stay at this hotel, a dog sled will pick you out from the airport.

The hotel arranges sightseeing tours on dog sleds.

You can also rent a car and drive around.

But you must watch out for icy spots and reindeer crossing the road.

They often cause crashes.