Simply Sweden, the specialist tour operator to Sweden and Norway, has added a new fully escorted trip to the centuries-old Sami winter gathering, the Jokkmokk Market, to its dedicated winter holiday website, simplynorthernlights.co.uk.

Jokkmokk, in northern Sweden, has been the scene of the Sami's winter market for more than 400 years. Set up by the Swedish crown in the 1600s to collect taxes and spread Christianity to the nomads of the North, it's now a celebration of the indigenous people and culture of this region. Visitors can enjoy folk dancing and reindeer races, browse stalls selling quality goods such as wooden carvings and clothing made from animal skins, as well as try traditional foods such as reindeer soup.

There are just 10 places available on this very special trip – one of just a few fully escorted tours run by Simply Sweden – which takes place from 4 to 9 February 2015. As well as experiencing the world's largest Sami festival, the tour is packed with exciting activities, such as snowmobiling and husky sledding, watching the Northern Lights with the experts at the Aurora Safari Camp, and learning about the life of the reindeer herder.

The three-centre holiday travels from Brandön Lodge, on the Gulf of Bothnia, a complex of 15 cosy refurbished cabins, to Villa Asgård, a boutique guesthouse in a former forester's cottage at Jokkmokk, and the extraordinary contemporary rooms in the canopy at Treehotel in the Lule river valley.

Jokkmokk Winter Market 2015 costs £2,995 per person, based on two sharing, including return flights from London or Manchester to Luleå via Stockholm, ground transport, five nights' accommodation, most meals, scheduled activities, and the services of a guide.

Celebrating 25 years of the Icehotel

Simply Sweden is marking 25 years of the Icehotel with a new winter trip to this magical frozen structure on the banks of the river Torne, 200km north of the Arctic Circle.

Icehotel & Northern Lights Cabins is one of four holidays in the specialist tour operator's collection featuring these unusual lodgings in the Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi. On the three-night trip, guests will take a guided tour of the hotel to admire the latest creations in ice by the 40 artists involved in this year's construction. On one day, guests will check into their own “cool” room to enjoy a good night's sleep at -5°C.

The holiday also includes a night in a “warm” room at the Icehotel and a night in a wilderness cabin, plus a choice of activities such as snowmobiling and husky sledding.

From £1,180 per person, based on two sharing, including return flights to Kiruna via Stockholm, transfers, most meals, some activities, and warm clothing. Daily departures from 12 December to mid-April.

New tours and Northern Lights expeditions

New tours for this winter also include Laponian Arctic Nights, which ventures into what Unesco describes as one of the last untouched wilderness areas, Magical Moments in Lapland featuring some of the most innovative hotels in the region, and The Iron Trail – Lapland, which follows the old iron-ore trade route for a historic take on the area.

Holidays focusing on aurora borealis have been designed to suit different tastes and watch the lights in various settings. Northern Lights Cruise offers three nights on board the Hurtigruten Coastal Steamer, from Tromso to Kirkenes. Meanwhile, Lofoten Islands – Northern Lights, explores these remote Norwegian islands, and Northern Lights – Bjorkliden & Abisko travels to a remote area of Swedish Lapland, one of the best locations in the world for watching nature's fabulous lights show.

For more information and prices, visit www.simplynorthernlights.co.uk or to book call 01427 700115. Follow developments on Twitter @Simply_Sweden and facebook.com/simplysweden.

To request images or further information, please contact Little Black Book Creative: Simone Kane on 07811 161839 and simone@lbbcreative.co.uk, or Kate Simon on 07939 526109 and kate@lbbcreative.co.uk. 

Notes to editors:

Simply Sweden began selling holidays in 2006 and has become one of the UK's leading tailor-made tour operators to Sweden and Norway. The company, founded by Chris and Karin Graham, draws on the inside knowledge of its small Sweden-based team, gained from travelling extensively across the territories, to create itineraries that offer customers the best experiences and deliver a genuine insight into the Scandinavian landscape and way of life.