Category Archive

2007 has been a wonderful year for Nature Travels and for ecotourism in Sweden. To end the year, here are a few pictures taken by the Nature Travels Team while out and about in Sweden in 2007, from the wild snow-covered mountains of Lapland to the deep forests and quiet waters of Värmland.

We are already hard at work planning adventures and new experiences for 2008. Watch these pages for updates!

Getting ready for a mass dog sledding tour from Kiruna to the IceHotel in Jukkasjärvi, Lapland.

Waiting patiently for the off.

On the trail at last!

The dogs stop for a well-earned rest.

One of the beautiful individually-sculpted rooms at the IceHotel.

Just one of the many things you can do with a reindeer skin.

Dinnertime in the teepee.

Getting ready for bed near Abisko, Lapland. Time to unpack some VERY thick sleeping bags!

Morning the next day and the last of the spring snows on the mountains.

Let’s hope it tastes better than it looks…

The stunning formation of “Lapporten”, the Sami Gate, visible almost everywhere you go in the Abisko area.

Snowshoeing is a great way to discover the winter mountains.

Driling the holes for ice fishing…

…and waiting for a bite!

Visiting the home of a traditional Sami reindeer herder…

…and meeting some of his reindeer!

Time to say goodbye.

The island of Koster in the eastern archipelago.

Watching some of Koster’s many seals.

Building the raft for a day-trip down the Klarälven.

Finished!

Relaxing on the river.

Admiring the view over the endless Värmland forests.

Sea kayaking in Sörmlands archipelago.

Stopping for a mid-morning snack.

Pitching camp for the night - a whole island to ourselves!

Watching the sun go down with a glass of wine…

Unpacking for a night in a charcoaler hut.

Goodnight!

We hope that this gives you a small taste of some of the wonderful experiences the Nature Travels Team had on their visits to Sweden this year. The winter photos were taken during a visit to Lapland in April, the location of our Reindeer Sled Safari and Experience Lapland tours. Photos of timber rafting, seal safari and sea kayaking were taken during June. The Klarälven river is the setting for both our Canoe on Klarälven and Timber Rafting on Klarälven experiences, while the forest view is taken from the area above the cabins from our Log Cabin Escape in Värmland experience. The sea kayaking photos are from our 3-day Sea Kayaking in Sörmlands Archipelago experience in June. The charcoaler hut photos were taken on a visit in September and are featured in our Elk Safari Adventure experience.

Nature Travels would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, or “God Jul och Gott Nytt År”, as they say in Sweden!

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

Sweden has something of a reputation when it comes to mosquitoes – but which stories are really true? We have tried to answer some of the questions we are frequently asked below:

What is a Swedish mosquito?

Confusingly, the Swedish work for mosquito, “mygg”, sounds less like “mosquito” and more like the English word “midge”, those small, fast-flying clouds of biting insects which have been the bane of many a camping trip in Scotland. Swedish “mygg” are larger, slower, and much easier to catch, and what is more they do not share the tendency of their smaller cousins in Scotland to mount kamikaze attacks on your dinner cooking quietly over the campfire…

Some areas of Sweden, particularly the north, do also have midges, or “knott”, but mosquitoes are much more widespread, distributed in varying densities throughout the country.

Are there a lot of mosquitoes in Sweden?

Yes, and no. The density and number of mosquitoes varies greatly depending on the time of year, the part of the country you are in and the degree of rainfall during the breeding season in spring and early summer. They generally appear around mid-June and disappear again towards the end of September, with numbers lowest at the beginning and end of the season. Since mosquitoes like water and birch forest they are not often found on the high plains away from the mountain stations. Although mosquitoes are present throughout Sweden, numbers are highest in the north of the country.

Mosquitoes go through four stages in their lifecycle: from egg to larva to pupa before finally becoming an adult. Water is essential for mosquitoes to breed, as mosquitoes spend the larval and pupal stages of their lifecycle in water. Most mosquitoes will become food for a wide variety of animals, but those that are not may live for 2-3 months.

Do Swedish mosquitoes bite?

Yes, they do. Sweden has 47 species of mosquito, 45 of which are the biting kind, though not all of these will bite humans. Only female mosquitoes bite humans, as they require the protein to breed.

Some people are particularly sensitive to insect bites and develop itchy red spots, while others seem to be little affected. Mosquitoes in Sweden can be a nuisance, but with some simple precautions the problem can be managed.

How can I avoid being bitten?

Generally, mosquitoes in Sweden are only a particular problem during dusk hours, and more in the north of the country than elsewhere. Wear long-sleeved (bite-proof!) shirts and trousers, and use a repellent if you wish. Cover your head with a hat or scarf. If you are particularly bothered by mosquitoes, you may find a net for your face helpful.

Do Swedish mosquitoes carry malaria?

No. Malaria was present in Sweden until the 18th and 19th centuries, when people lived in much closer proximity to their cattle, but disappeared from the country in the early 20th century.

Are mosquitoes all bad?

While most humans consider them a curse, there are a number of positive sides to the presence of mosquitoes:

• Mosquitoes provide an important source of food for many animals, from the tadpoles and fish which eat their larvae to the birds and bats which hunt for adults on the wing.
• In some countries, mosquitoes assist in the pollination of certain plant species, including Cattleya orchids. These plants in turn have leaves which collect small pools of water and host mini ecosystems of their own containing frogs, newts and toads.
• Spreading disease may seem like a negative, but maintaining the flow of bacteria and viruses around an ecosystem builds immunity and helps to strengthen populations as a whole by culling weaker animals.
• Finally, it is sometimes said that without the deterrent that mosquitoes provide to human settlement, some of our wildest and most beautiful places would have been colonised and developed to a far greater degree. So mosquitoes are actually powerful conservationists!

Mosquitoes are present in Sweden, and in some cases they can be a nuisance. But with simple precautions there is no reason why they should be more than a minor annoyance or spoil your enjoyment of some of the world’s most spectacular wild places. The Nature Travels Team feels strongly from personal experience that if you can survive a camping trip on the west coast of Scotland and live to tell the tale, you will have little difficulty dealing with Swedish mosquitoes!

Best regards
The Nature Travels Team

Nature Travels offers a wide range of outdoor holidays in Sweden, from canoeing to dog sledding to romantic log cabin breaks, for independents, families and groups of all ages and levels of experience.

There are two main misconceptions about the climate in Sweden: that it is always dark, and that it is always cold!

While there are certainly times when it is both dark and cold, the weather in Sweden is as varied as its landscape, as varied as the possibilities it offers for outdoor activities at any time of year.

Overall, Sweden has a very temperate climate given its northerly location. The North Atlantic Current warms air which is brought up from the southwest by low pressure winds in the Atlantic. From the east, high pressure zones bring bright, warm summer days and clear, crisp and cold winters, while the high mountains of Norway and the plateaux along the western edge of Sweden provide shelter from the mild, wet winds blowing in from the west. Levels of precipitation in Sweden are relatively low – the wettest period is in late summer and early autumn, while across large tracts of the country much of the winter precipitation falls as snow.

Summer

From late in May until mid-July north of the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets. About 15% of Sweden lies within the Arctic Circle - the Land of the Midnight Sun. Summer in the far north of Sweden is a magical time, with the long days making the possibilities for activities out of doors literally endless, plus the extra daylight means that somehow sleep feels almost unnecessary. You may be surprised to find that you are still fully energized for a hike in the mountains even in the early hours of the morning!

But you do not need to travel to the far north to experience many of the advantages of the long Swedish summer days. Even in Stockholm (only about 1/3 of the way up this vast country), there are only a few hours of semi-darkness during the summer months.

Summer in the north of Sweden is a short but beautiful period, and people make the most of the long days and milder temperatures. In the northeast, there are usually more days of sunshine and less cloud compared to the mountainous regions near to the Norwegian border in the west. In the far north, average temperatures in July are likely to be around 15 degrees C, though the long hours of daylight can lift temperatures surprisingly high. In the centre and south of the country, bright, warm summer days are common and the lakes and coastal waters offer the chance for idyllic bathing. In general, summers in the Stockholm area have similar temperatures to the south of England, but more days of sunshine. Out among the 24,000 islands of the Stockholm archipelago, it is commonly clear and sunny even when it may be cloudy just a few miles away in the heart of the capital.

Winter

Sweden is a very long country (around 2000km from north to south), and this, coupled with the higher altitudes of the mountainous regions to the north, makes for a great deal of variation in winter climate. Northern areas may experience snowfall for eight months a year, with temperatures that can drop to -40 degrees C and around 184 days a year with an average temperature of below zero, compared to 120 days in Stockholm and just 71 in the south.

In the depths of winter, the Stockholm area has only around five and a half daylight hours, while in the north of Lapland, the sun peeks above the horizon to give just 4 hours of twilight and almost 20 hours of complete darkness.

But the darkness is short-lived. Towards February/March the light returns, bringing with it an uplifting combination of the majesty of winter with the warm glow of early spring sunshine and longer hours of daylight. This “spring winter” is a wonderful time to be in the Swedish mountains. Even in deepest winter, the darkness is offset by the glow of the thick blanket of snow which covers the land throughout the winter months. Not only does this make the landscape brighter than one might expect, but it creates a cosy and welcoming atmosphere and a real feeling of winter. What’s more, the winter landscape in the far north is regularly illuminated with the spectacular displays of the Northern Lights (see our recent blog article here) in the night sky.

In the southern part of the country, winters are milder and less predictable. In southern Sweden, average temperatures in January may be just around freezing, and it is less common for the sea waters around the coast to freeze.

On the east coast of Sweden, the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea, which contained between Sweden on its western edge and Finland to the east, regularly freeze. The sea ice, as well as the thousands of lakes dispersed throughout the interior of the country, offer excellent opportunities for ice skating. Ice skating on natural ice, or “trip skating”, is a hugely popular pastime for all ages in Sweden and offers a truly unique way to experience the winter landscape.

An outdoor paradise in any season

One of the great advantages of the country as a holiday destination is that travelling to Sweden is a totally different experience depending on the season you visit, with enormous variations in climate and landscape as the seasons change. The Sami, the indigenous people of the vast northern mountain plains of Lapland, divide the year into eight seasons, not four:

• spring winter, when the pregnant reindeer females cause the herd to leave the forests and head for the mountains
• spring, when the snow melts and the reindeer give birth to their calves in the foothills
• pre-summer, when Sami livestock graze on the fresh growth carpeting the mountains
• summer, with its endless daylight hours, the time to mark the new-born calves
• pre-autumn, when the autumn colours begin to spread through the landscape and the reindeer bulls are slaughtered
• autumn, a season for fishing for the Sami and mating for reindeer
• pre-winter, when the reindeer herds are brought down from the mountains to more sheltered grazing in the marshlands
• winter, when the herds are moved into the protection of the forests to ride out the harsh winter until spring-winter arrives once more

Whenever you choose to visit, Sweden has something to offer in all its seasonal guises, from the deep snows of winter, through the meadows carpeted with flowers in spring, to the long lazy days of summer, and finally into the blazing glory of autumn as the forests turn and prepare for winter once again. Browse our full range of outdoor holidays in Sweden at www.naturetravels.co.uk!

Best regards
The Nature Travels Team

If you find yourself in northern Sweden during the winter months, there is a very good chance you will step out on a cold, clear night and witness one of nature’s most spectacular and ethereal displays – the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights – a sight that many consider to be the most beautiful thing they have ever seen.

The term is a combination of Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn, and Borealis, from the Greek word for North Wind. As the name suggests, the Aurora Borealis is only visible in the northern hemisphere – the southern hemisphere has its own version, the Aurora Australis.

What causes the Northern Lights?

It may look like magic, but there is some relatively simple science behind this unique phenomenon. Charged particles in the Earth’s magnetosphere called ions collide with atoms in the upper atmosphere. Energy from the collisions is emitted as light, which due to the dominance of atomic oxygen tends to be a greenish or dark-red colour. These colours persist for a relatively long period, while the blues and purples caused by molecular nitrogen vary much more quickly.

What does a display look like?

An instance of the aurora may look like a soft, diffuse glow in the nighttime sky or like multi-coloured “curtains” running east to west, each made up of parallel rays aligned with the lines of the Earth’s magnetic field. You may even see a kind of corona of diverging rays if a magnetic line runs directly overhead.

How often do the Northern Lights occur in Sweden?

Auroras occur more frequently near the poles, since the particles needed for the displays are attracted by the Earth’s magnetic field. Displays do in fact occur year-round, but it is in the deep darkness of the northern winter nights that they can be seen most easily and are at their most spectacular. Calm conditions are best, and the most intense part of a display will last between 10 and 30 minutes. In Sweden the most active auroras tend to occur before midnight, and during peak activity displays occur on average every other clear night, perhaps even more frequently.

What cultural significance does the Aurora Borealis have in Sweden?

The scientific explanation is of course not the only one, and certainly not the most colourful. Such an other-worldly display has clearly had a profound effect on the culture and folklore of Scandinavia. An old Swedish name for the lights, “sillblixt”, translates as “herring flash”, and it was thought that the display was created by the reflections of huge shoals of herring swimming in the oceans. The Finnish word, “revontulet”, means “fox fires”, and comes from the ancient belief that Lapland was home to fire foxes, whose fur emitted sparks and caused the aurora.

One tale from the Nordic region describes the aurora as light from the fires surrounding the Earth’s oceans reflected in the sky (when the Earth was believed flat and itself surrounded by water). Another says that the sun could throw its rays above the horizon even after sunset, while a third attributed the display to powerful light energy absorbed by glaciers.

The Sami people, the indigenous people of Lapland, believe that when “observed” by the lights, you should be quiet and respectful. In particular, to make jokes or sing about the lights is to invite disaster – the lights may descend from the sky and kill the mocker. Many elderly Sami still remember that, as children, misbehaving during the aurora was very serious indeed. The lights were thought to be inhabited by the spirits of those who had died an early or violent death. Other indigenous peoples of the north, such as the Inuit in Greenland, also believed that the lights were inhabited by the dead – but that the display was caused by the spirits playing football with the skull of a walrus across the nighttime sky.

Further down, in the southern parts of Sweden far from the wild plains of Lapland, the aurora still occurs, though less frequently and usually less intensely. Here the people believed that the lights were caused by the Sami people in the north searching in the mountains for their lost reindeer herds!

How can I see the Northern Lights in Sweden?

Whatever explanation you choose to believe, there is little doubt that for many the Northern Lights are near the top of their “things to see before you die” list, and Sweden is a magnificent area to experience this beautiful sight. Swedish Lapland is a wonderful place to observe the aurora, and though a display can never of course be guaranteed, chances are good during the winter months, particularly around March and April.

Photo: Nils Torbjorn Nutti

Our Reindeer Sled Safari takes you out into the Lapland mountain wilderness for 6 days in one of the best areas in Sweden to see the Northern Lights, while Experience Lapland gives you an opportunity to try dogsledding, reindeer sledding and snowshoeing in a 4-day multi-activity adventure.

Photo: Peter Grant

Take a moment tonight to stand beneath the stars and imagine yourself wrapped in the enveloping darkness and silence of a winter night in northern Sweden. Picture the cold clear air pricking at your skin, the ground shining from horizon to horizon with reflected light from the snowfields, and all around you the sky filled with a swirling mass of spectral colour.

The skies are darkening, and winter is just around the corner…

Best regards
The Nature Travels Team

If you are in Sweden north of the Arctic Circle any time from May to mid-July, you may find it rather difficult to get to sleep at night – because the sun never sets! Even further south, the nights remain incredibly light, with the sun dipping reluctantly below the horizon at around 11pm, even then leaving in its wake more of a mystical half-light than real darkness, only to reappear ready for the new day at 3 o’clock the following morning.

Set amidst the vast, wild, awe-inspiring expanses of the Lapland mountain plains, the Midnight Sun is a very special phenomenon, one which each year attracts visitors from all over the world. Watching the sun descend towards the horizon, only seemingly to change its mind and climb once more into the sky, is an experience which alters our perception of what is “normal”, what is “real”. It goes against everything those who live further south think of as natural and self-evident. You may at first feel slightly unsettled as established “truths” are reassessed, but this quickly gives way to exhilaration and wonder that such a thing is possible. And that is the beauty of the Midnight Sun – its power is such that in those other-worldly night-time hours almost anything seems within reach. This is truly a magical time to be in northern Sweden!

Such extended daylight, of course, makes this time of year perfect for outdoor pursuits. It is not uncommon for the local people to come home from work and set off on a major hike into the hills, returning well after midnight. The Midnight Sun means that it is not only possible to enjoy the beautiful landscape for hour after hour, but, after a brief period of acclimatisation, visitors to the area usually find that they feel far more awake and have far more energy than usual. You may only be getting a few hours’ sleep a night, but you will awake with the birdsong, feeling refreshed and invigorated and eager to be out on the trail!

Winter will come around soon enough, and with it the welcoming darkness and a new range of pleasures. But for now it is time to revel in the unending daylight in the Land of the Midnight Sun!

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

Nature Travels offers two hiking tours in Lapland at this time of year giving you a chance to experience the wonder of the Midnight Sun. Both take place well inside the Arctic Circle. Hiking in the National Parks of Laponia is an accessible experience taking you through three National Parks in this UNESCO World Heritage area, while The Unknown Face of Sarek and the Rapa Valley Delta is an expedition into the untamed wilderness of Sarek National Park. Slightly south of the Polar Circle, but still with almost continuous daylight during the summer, we offer a number of horse riding holidays in Sweden suitable for both novice and experienced riders.

Sarek – the name may well be unfamiliar to you, but Sarek National Park is one of the most special areas of northern Sweden, and, it might be said, unique within Europe.

Photo: Håkan Hjort/Niac-photo

The word “wilderness” is often overused these days, but in Sarek it is truly no exaggeration. Sarek is often called “Europe’s last wilderness”, and is one of the last and most important pristine wild areas to be found in Europe.
Even by Swedish standards, a country blessed with vast expanses of sparsely-populated mountains, plains and forests and dramatic and varied scenery, Sarek is something very special, and seen by many Swedish outdoor enthusiasts as something of a rite of passage.

Photo: Håkan Hjort/Niac-photo

Designated as a national park in 1909, Sarek was one of Europe’s first national parks. It covers a roughly circular area about 50km in diameter, and is home to around 100 glaciers and many mountain peaks above 2000m with six of Sweden’s thirteen highest mountains lying within the park. It also encapsulates the stunning Rapa River Delta, said to be one of the most beautiful in Europe and overlooked by the imposing peak of Skierfe. The climb up Skierfe is well worth the effort for the breathtaking view over the delta to be had from the top.

But such dramatic beauty comes at a cost, and hiking in Sarek is not for the faint-hearted or inexperienced. “Wilderness” means just that. To find your way, you must rely on your map reading and compass skills – there are no paths. When it’s time to sleep, you must pitch your tent and crawl inside – there is no accommodation. And when you come to a river, well, then it’s time to roll up your trousers, find a stout stick and start wading – bridges are few and far between. Weather conditions can change in a moment and you must be prepared.

Photo: Håkan Hjort/Niac-photo

In return for such hardships, you are rewarded with an unforgettable taste of what we have lost in a developed world. In and around the park live some of Sweden’s most majestic and secretive predators – the brown bear, the lynx, and the wolverine. Sarek is also particularly famous for its unusually large elk. While glimpses of bears, lynx and wolverine require a great deal of luck and patience, you have a good chance of spotting elk and an impressive range of birds of prey.
Sarek has become to a certain extent a status symbol for hikers keen to prove themselves among its glacial valleys and wild flowing rivers. At Nature Travels, we prefer to think of it as a chance to look back into a quieter past, to forge a closer connection with the natural world and discover a different side of yourself - a side that you may have imagined could never exist!

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

Nature Travels offers two guided hiking holidays in and around Sarek. The Unknown Face of Sarek and the Rapa Valley Delta takes you on a 9 day hike into the Sarek National Park, and is the more challenging of the two. Experience is required, though you do not need to be an expert explorer. Hiking in the National Parks of Laponia, suitable for those in good condition with some experience of hiking with a backpack, takes in three of Sweden’s most well-known parks - Stora Sjöfallet, Sarek and Padjelanta, all part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Laponia.

Lapland is a world of wide skies and quiet spaces - and what better way to experience the beauty and stillness of the mountain plains and forests than in the company of one of Lapland’s most special inhabitants - the reindeer.

Discover the heart of Lapland culture on a Reindeer Sled Safari!

What kind of landscape does the tour run in?

The reindeer tours take place in Swedish Lapland in the far north of Sweden. The area is part of the World Heritage Site of Laponia. This area has a long history of reindeer herding and all our tours are led by local Sámi guides. The Sámi are the indigenous people of Lapland and the only group licensed to carry out reindeer herding in Sweden.

For the first two days the tour passes through a forest landscape of ancient pine and fir forest. After that the landscape becomes increasingly tundra-like, with wide open plains, low rolling mountains and birch-covered hills.

The area is very sparsely populated and has a real wilderness feel.

Photo: Peter Grant

What are some of the highlights of the trip?

The silence, peace and stillness out in the wilderness. The cooperation between man and animals as you glide slowly and quietly forward through the natural surroundings and feel yourself a small part of the grandeur around you. There is no need for hurry on this tour – take the chance to move slowly through the wilds, enjoying the feel of the crisp, clean air in your lungs and take time to enjoy your surroundings. You have time for your own thoughts, this is a stress-free and calm time. The only sounds you hear are the sled runners in the snow and the reindeer hooves clopping as they draw you forward.

Experience a part of the Sámi culture and learn how they have survived and thrived for thousands of years in this wilderness. Learn to handle reindeer and drive the sled.

Photo: Peter Grant

What happens on a typical day?

Here is a description for the day spent snowshoeing during the tour:

MONDAY – Snowshoeing, tracking in the ancient forest
After the breakfast you put on your snowshoes and go for short trip. During the trip you will have a good chance to see tracks of ptarmigan (a type of grouse), hares, foxes, and moose and with some luck even wolverines and lynx. After lunch you continue your reindeer ride to the tundra. You will travel higher up into the mountains where the forest trees will turn more into mountain birch and willows. Here you will find a panoramic view of the mountains and forest landscape spread out in front of you. In the afternoon you arrive at the second Lávvu camp. Dinner will also be prepared in the Lávvu, where you spend the night.

What level of experience or skill is necessary? Is the tour suitable for children?

No previous experience is necessary to take part in the tour. You need only to be in generally good physical health and active. The tour is not suitable for those with movement difficulties or back problems – guests sleep comfortably but in basic conditions in tents on reindeer skin rugs.

It is not necessary to be used to working with animals, but participants should not be afraid of animals and should be willing to work with the reindeer. The reindeer are tamed and well-trained to draw the sleds, but at the same they are wild creatures who need to be handled confidently. All participants are given training in reindeer handling before the tour begins and help and advice is also given as necessary during the tour.

At the beginning, guests often find it a challenge to handle the animals successfully, but as time goes on this initial difficulty is overcome and by the end of the tour a strong bond of friendship and trust has usually formed between the guests and their reindeer.

The tour is not an expedition, but participants should be willing to put some effort into working with the reindeer and be prepared for basic living conditions.

A minimum age of 12 is imposed as the tour is unsuitable for children younger than this. All participants must be able and willing to handle a reindeer sled themselves. The low temperatures and basic living conditions can also be a problem for younger children. If children older than 12 participate but are unable to successfully handle their own sled, it is still possible for them to sit in their own sled, but the sled is drawn by a reindeer attached by a rope to the guide’s sled.

Photo: Peter Grant

When is the best time of year for a Reindeer Sled Safari?

The tour is offered in March and April. At this time of year it is still possible to rely on good snow cover for the experience. The days are longer and the temperatures milder than in January/February. Participants spend their days outdoors and will be sleeping for some of the time in Sámi tents, so it is much more comfortable to be out at this time of year.

What kind of accommodation is used on the tour?

Accommodation is in wilderness cabin, Sámi Lavvos (tents), and Sámi village log cabin at different stages of the tour.

Where can I find out more?

Further information on the tour is available on our website under Reindeer Sled Safari.

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team