From 2 dogs to 200 dogs

When Tove moved back to Tromsø in 1988, she only had two dogs.

Her fondness for dogs couldn’t stop there, so she had a litter of puppies and soon had her own team that she could take to the mountains to enjoy the beautiful arctic nature. Tove didn‘t see dogsledding as a tourist attraction. She dreamt about racing at Finnmarksløpet – the longest dogsledding race in Europe.
One day, Tove was asked by a friend to take some foreign guests out with a dog team.
This thought has never crossed her mind before, but she agreed. After the trip, she saw how happy the guests were and has decided to try and do it again. Since then, her passion for dogs and life in nature has taken her on an exhilarating journey. The company was slowly growing until it reached its peak in 2019 with 100 international employees and 300 dogs.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, we decided to reduce the number of dogs and ran very successful „Borrow a Buddy“ and „Adopt, don‘t shop“ programs. We ended up finding retirement home for over 100 dogs. As of today, we have 200 dogs at the kennel.

Toves son Torkil was born here and grew up surrounded by dogs.

He joined his mother on dogsledding tours since he was a toddler. At the age of 6 years old, he had his own dogs Tutti and Frutti and was able to drive his own sled.
Today, Torkil plays an active role in the company. He is involved in animal welfare, helps to run the company day-to-day and always looks for new dog yard development solutions. Torkil is also one of the main guides on our multiday expeditions.
Both Tove and Torkil, together with his family, live at the center. They run dogsledding tours themselves and are involved in everyday errands. Another son, Alex, is helping the company by looking for new technological solutions. Every winter, Villmarkssenter family extends as we have 60-70 employees joining the company.
Experiences
Meet the dogs

From 2 to 200 dogs

Racing

Work with us?

We visited to experience the dog sledding and were totally blown away by the whole day. The ethos of the place is to maintain the dog’s welfare first and foremost. The staff are so knowledgeable and friendly and our musher gave us loads of info during the sledding experience. I can highly recommend Villmarksenter and we are planning another visit already. This is a must do trip for anyone who loves dogs and being out in the beauty of the wilderness.

5/5
Chris

A wonderful experience snowshoeing across beautiful landscapes. We did about 5k in total, with a stop half way through for hot drinks and biscuits (supplied by the guides). The guides were incredibly knowledgeable and were more than happy to answer any question we had. We took 2 dogs on the hike, which I enjoyed very much! We spent time in the dog yard after snowshoeing, which was amazing

5/5
katie b

LOVED the experience! We had a very patient and kind guide Krystof. I’m actually afraid of dogs, but the dogs were friendly and if you don’t want to you don’t have to be in contact with them. Also, the views up there were magical. Would definitely recommend it to everyone?

5/5
Siti

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VILLMARKSSENTER
Straumsvegen 601 9109 Kvaløya Troms, Norway
OFFICE IN TROMSØ
Storgata 61 9008 Tromsø
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