Rapa River – Splendid Piece of Unspoiled Wilderness
Tauheed Ahmad Nawaz
The Rapa River, also called Rapaätno, flows through the Sarek National Park. It is winding through wonderful mountain ranges and narrow valleys, in north Norrland, in Norrbotten County, Sweden. The Rapa River stretches 75 kilometers from its source up in the glaciers of Sarektjåkkå to the mouth of Lake Laitaure, flowing through a 35-kilometer-long Rapa Valley, or Rapadalen.
The beautiful Rapa valley is the artery of Sarek, which is normally known for its splendid piece of unspoiled wilderness with dense thickets of mountain birch, osier, and herbaceous plants. The flora is poor in most of the park, but the valley is rich in animal life. If you’re lucky, you can see bears, wolverines, lynxes, or one of the unusually large elk.
The river delta’s best view is from the air, but if a helicopter ride is not possible, the second-best views are obtained from the Skierfe (1179 m) on the right. Skierfe has a vertical wall at the side of the valley, but the top can be hiked from the backside on an easy path. The lesser mountain in the valley on the right side is called Nammatj. Coming from Sitojaure, it is likely to go up to Skierfe and continue to Aktse in one day.
The Rapaätno river has a massive flow and carries green glacial water from about thirty glaciers. It runs down the Rapa Valley as far as Lake Laitaure, and then rejoins the Lesser Lule River, which ultimately forms the Lule River at the confluence with the Lule älv. At the mouth of Lake Laitaure, the Rapa River forms the Laitaure Delta.
The Rapa delta is regarded as the most stunning river delta in Scandinavia. The Rapaätno transports major quantities of sediment. It can carry between 5,000 and 10,000 tons of sediment in one summer’s day, but only a few tons in winter, giving a total of 180,000 tons of sediment moved over the whole year. The sediment explains the grey-green color of the river and the formation of huge deltas.
The Rapa River, also called Rapaätno, which flows through the Sarek National Park. Photo Credit: Pando Trip
