Category Archive

The Common Seal, Phoca vitulina, (also called the Harbour Seal in North America), is one of three seal species found around the Swedish coast, the other two being the Grey Seal and Ringed Seal. Worldwide, they are the most widely-distributed seal species, found in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Current global population is estimated to be 400-500,000, though certain populations have been seriously affected by disease epidemics in recent years. In some cases the cause of the decline in some populations remains unknown. For example, a 2007 survey of the shores of the Orkney and Shetland islands showed that around 5,000 common seals had mysteriously “disappeared”.

Common Seals can vary in colour from brown to grey, and are easily recognisable by their V-shaped nostrils. They have very appealing features, with large eyes and “puppy-like” faces, making them irresistible to animal lovers. Coupled with an intelligent and inquisitive nature, this makes Common Seals wonderful subjects for wildlife photography! They have a preference for particular resting spots, often a piece of rock protruding from the water where they can feel safe from predators or human disturbance.

Adult Common Seals can weigh up to 130 kg and females can live up to 35 years (males have a lifespan of only 20-25 years). One possible explanation of the shorter life expectancy of male Common Seals is the considerable stresses they are subjected to during the breeding season, when they will compete for mates in underwater battles with rival males. Female Common Seals give birth to a single pup, which can swim within hours of its birth, fattening quickly on a diet of exceptionally rich milk.

Around the Swedish coast, Common Seals are found in the Baltic Sea in the east as well as in west coast waters. Nature Travels has recently added an exciting new experience giving you the opportunity to visit the Common Seal colony in the area around the Koster Islands in Sweden’s western archipelago by sea kayak – Kayaking with Seals and Koster Island Cycling. The photos in this article were taken during a recent visit to the Koster Island colony.

Sea kayaking is an ideal way to see the beauty of Sweden’s archipelago landscape. A quiet, low-impact mode of transportation, sea kayaking allows you access to remote locations and intimate contact with marine life - a marvellous way to get a seal’s eye view of the world!

Common Seals are a particular attraction for visitors to Swedish archipelago waters, but the Swedish archipelagos are also rich in many other species of wildlife, including some very impressive birds of prey. The Osprey and White-tailed Sea Eagle are both making a strong comeback in the eastern archipelago. While taking a stroll on one of the thousands of forested islands, you may encounter elk, deer, or even a pine marten scurrying from tree to tree about its business.

The archipelagos of Sweden’s east and west coast are a stunning landscape, rich in wildlife and steeped in history. For more information on the Stockholm Archipelago, please see our blog article on the subject here. As well as the Koster Island experience, Nature Travels offers a range of guided sea kayaking tours in both the east and west coast archipelagos. For further details see our website at www.naturetravels.co.uk/category-water.htm

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

Is it an elk? Is it a moose? If you’re in Sweden, the answer is “BOTH”! The iconic, majestic forest dweller Alces alces is known as a moose in North America (actually the sub-species Alces alces americana) and an elk in Europe. The word elk, like the Swedish word älg (pronounced /elj/), is taken from the Latin alces. To make matters even more confusing, elk in North America is used for an entirely different animal - a kind of deer, Cervus elaphus, otherwise known as a Wapiti, which looks like this:

The European elk (or moose), on the other hand, looks like this:

Elk are widely distributed throughout Sweden, from the giants inhabiting the wilderness of the mighty Sarek National Park in Lapland (hunting restrictions have meant that large bulls have been better able to survive and reproduce) down to the lower regions of this vast country, but the forests of Bergslagen are a particularly wonderful area to see elk in Sweden. As home to the traditional royal hunting grounds, hunting pressure on the elk in this area is lower than in some other parts of Sweden, and as a result the elk population far outnumbers the human population!

Elk may be fairly common and widespread in Sweden, but that doesn’t mean they are easy to see, especially at close range. Elk are shy creatures, and will retreat into the cover of the deep forest at the slightest disturbance, loping off with a slow-motion gait that uncannily resembles a giraffe running on the savannah. While it is not unusual for a commuter returning from a day’s work in Stockholm to see an elk standing motionless on the edge of a field in the setting sun, similarly a hunter may wait a week in a hide in the woods and not see a single elk!

During a recent visit to Sweden, the Nature Travels team had the opportunity to take part in an evening elk safari with local elk expert Marcus, who has been running elk safaris in the Bergslagen area for a number of years now and has never once returned home without a sighting. Hundreds of nights spent patrolling the forests, hills and dirt tracks of Bergslagen have given him an in-depth knowledge of the best places to find these beautiful animals, and all elk safaris now come with an “elk guarantee” – though Marcus says he still worries that one night they might all be hiding!

Due to time pressure we took the “express” version of the elk safari – a whistle-stop tour of some of the best local elk-watching spots – but nevertheless managed to see 9 elk in just over 30 minutes, including some wonderful close-up views of mother and calf and a large male with full antlers. The full safari takes a number of hours, and combines an exploration of the local forests on foot with observation from the minibus (as in Africa, vehicles can sometimes be less threatening to wild animals than a human presence on foot). Typically in recent tours it has been possible recently to see at least 30 animals in one evening, including some very close encounters indeed. The trick to getting close, says Marcus, is to crouch down in the grass until the elk bends its head to graze, then creep slowly forward. As the animal looks up, crouch down again and remain still, then creep forward again as it returns to graze. After a few minutes of patience and quiet, you can get closer than you would believe possible!

Elk safaris are available between May and September and include an atmospheric night in an authentic charcoaler hut! For further details see our Elk Safari Adventure.

As well as being home to thousands of elk, two of Sweden’s most exciting, most threatened, and most controversial predators roam the vast forests of Bergslagen – the wolf and the lynx. Reconciling the interests and opinions of conservationists, farmers, hunters, local people and politicians is never an easy task, and the presence of large predators in Sweden has always been a sensitive issue. But Sweden is tackling this question with typical foresight, compassion and practical skill. The research station at Grimsö, deep in the Bergslagen forests, works with radio tracking on local predator populations in an attempt to learn more about their movements and behaviour and develop management plans for their conservation and future survival, while at the same time working hard to maintain the trust and goodwill of those who may feel less than positive about the presence of wolves and lynx in the area. A recent initiative has been the introduction of special fencing, similar to an electric fence but with strands much closer to the ground, which has proved extremely effective in reducing livestock deaths due to lynx and wolves.

Photo: Andrea Barghi

Having grown from just two individuals, the Swedish wolf population is in something of a genetic crisis. It is estimated that to keep the population genetically viable, new blood needs to be introduced at least every 15 years or so. Recently, there was great excitement when a new wolf appeared in the Dalarna area. Analysis of dung has identified this wolf as being part of the Finnish-Russian population, and it represents the first new blood for the local wolf population since the 1980s. Worryingly, there has been some conflict between this animal and local livestock populations, and its future remains uncertain, but with luck the animal may be able to breed with local wolves and provide a much-needed boost to the gene pool of the Swedish wolf population.

Since 2006, Marcus has been working together with the researchers at Grimsö to offer evenings of wolf tracking and wolf howling. To find out more about this spine-tingling adventure, see our Howling with Wolves experience.

Bergslagen is a fascinating area for wildlife watching, and the images of elk frozen in the torchlight are still fresh in our memories – we’ll make sure we plan a little more time for elk watching on our next visit!

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

The Rovdjursföreningen (The Predator Society) in Sweden works for the interests of all large predators in Sweden: the brown bear, the wolf, the lynx, the wolverine, and, of course, humans, with a very informative website that is unfortunately only currently available in Swedish. However, for non-Swedish speakers they also have a wonderful collection of images – see http://www.de5stora.se/galleri/galleriDe5/ and click on “Öppna galleriet”. In the UK, Tooth and Claw operate on similar principles – see http://www.toothandclaw.org.uk/.

Nature Travels is proud to announce our new cutting-edge Interactive Map tool, giving an aerial overview of all Nature Travels wildlife, outdoor and adventure holidays in Sweden at a glance.

From My Maps to embedded maps

For some time now, Google Maps has had an enormously useful additional feature – the facility for users to customize maps with placemarks of their own. This My Maps feature has allowed users to interact with the Google Maps interface in a completely new way, creating personalised maps of everything from a world travel tour to the best places to buy ice-cream in London.

Various content can be added to each placemark, including text, pictures and even video. A pop-up displays the content when the marker is clicked. Being able to combine the enormous power of Google Maps with the ability to add personal customised content has proved hugely popular, but only quite recently has it become possible to embed My Maps in a website or blog, and only very recently has it become possible to do so reliably and easily. With this development the tool has become extremely useful to both tour operators and travellers. Where before users were forced to leave a site to navigate a map through the Google Maps interface, customised maps can now be embedded directly in web pages and blogs, giving the full functionality of Google Maps without the need to navigate away from the site you are viewing.

The Nature Travels interactive map feature

Sweden is a large and beautiful country, but its enormous range of outdoor holiday opportunities is surprisingly little-known. While some of our clients have a very clear idea what kind of experience they are looking for, many others are seeking inspiration, and our interactive map is an ideal and fun way to browse the wide variety of wildlife, outdoor and adventure holidays in Sweden we have available, with the ability to zoom in right down to street level with a choice of map, satellite or hybrid views. Clicking on each placemark will show a brief summary of the experience available at that location, including dates and prices. For full details, a complete list of links to the experiences is available down the left hand side of the page.

As transport networks become increasingly complex, a visual mapping system is an ideal way to find your way through the maze of possibilities for international and domestic connections. The Nature Travels map currently gives details of flights between the UK and Sweden, plus other useful connections to/from Norway and Dublin. With the growth of low-cost airlines, routes are being added all the time, and a visual map makes assessing the most convenient options much easier. As the concept develops, we are planning to add ferry and rail connections as well as other features to the map to further increase its usefulness.

Of course, the map is not only a map, but a full-featured route-finding tool, with the facility to display suggested routes and estimated travel times to/from or between any of our experiences. We hope that this will go a long way towards simplifying the planning process for our clients when travelling to and around Sweden.

How to make your own Google My Map

The joy of Google My Maps is that anyone can get involved, sharing information of almost any kind with the world. If you have been on a Nature Travels holiday to Sweden, you’re sure to have some wonderful tales to tell and some eye-catching photos (or even video) to share. Why not create your own Google My Map and share it with friends and family, or tell us about it and we’ll share it with the world?!

If you’d like to have a go at creating your own My Map, here’s how:

1. Go to maps.google.co.uk
2. Click “Sign in” in the top right hand corner.
3. If you already have a Google account, log in as normal. If not, follow the steps to create your own free account.
4. Back on the maps page, click the “My Maps” tab on the left hand side.
5. Click “Create new map”.
6. Follow the online tutorials to help you create your first map!

If you’d like to embed your new map in your blog or website:
1. Click on “link to this page” in the top right hand corner of the map.
2. Choose “Paste HTML to embed in website” or click on “Customise and preview embedded map”.
3. Place the code into your website or blog and you have your very own map!
4. Alternatively, simply choose “Paste link in email” to send a link to your map to a friend.

Google My Maps opens up a world of possibilities for sharing your memories and experiences of travelling. So get exploring!

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

The Golden Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, is Sweden’s second largest bird of prey, the largest being the White-tailed Sea Eagle. It has a body length of almost a metre and a wingspan of well over two metres, making the Golden Eagle considerably larger than the more commonly-seen buzzard. Found throughout the country, Golden Eagles are most common in the north of Sweden. They are shy birds and prefer to keep to unpopulated and undisturbed areas. However, they may come nearer to built-up areas in order to take advantage of carrion found on roads or in gardens.

Known as the “Kungsörn”, the King’s Eagle, in Sweden, Golden Eagles are skilful hunters which patrol their territory flying low in an attempt to surprise and flush out their prey. They may also be spotted sitting motionless, scanning the landscape for something to eat, or soaring high up in the sky with their wings outstretched in a characteristic “V” shape. Golden Eagles usually take their prey on the ground, but may also pursue birds in flight to bring them down.

Golden Eagles have varied tastes, and their diet will depend on what is available in the local area. They are as likely to take rodents as birds, and in winter, when food is scarce, my also eat carrion to see them through this difficult period. With their exceptionally powerful talons, Golden Eagles are capable of hunting larger animals, too, such as young deer and reindeer and fully-grown foxes. They may also combine their talents to hunt in pairs.

Adult Golden Eagles have a dark plumage, while younger birds have light feathers on their wings and a lighter tail with dark tip. Birds of all ages have a yellow or light reddish-brown colouring on the neck.

Golden Eagles mate for life. They build their eyries most often in old-growth pine trees, and in the north of Sweden prefer these trees to be more than 250 years old! These large nests may also be found on steep cliffs. Golden Eagles normally have a number of nests which are used alternately over a period of many years. They may not breed every year, but during the breeding season these always elusive birds may be even shyer than usual.

Normally, the female will lay two eggs, and Golden Eagles in Sweden have an average success rate of 0.5 young raised per year. Generally, the older chick will take most of the food and as a result the younger chick often dies before leaving the nest. In Skåne in the south, on the island of Gotland and in the region of Härjedalen, the rate of success is higher, perhaps due to the increased abundance of prey. Golden Eagles may live to reach 50 years of age.

The Golden Eagle is under threat from a number of sides. Forestry activity in old-growth forests, the construction of new forest roads and tracks, snowmobile traffic through breeding areas, and the increased recreational use of previously undisturbed tracts of land have all contributed to the decline of the Golden Eagle in Sweden. Another more recent threat is an increase in hunting pressure in the mountain areas on the ptarmigan, one of the Golden Eagle’s key prey species. Through the analysis of dead birds, a number of other threats have also been identified, including significant casualties from trains and power lines. Ongoing efforts are being made to halt and reverse the decline of the Golden Eagle, but since Sweden’s entry into the European Union, previous feeding programmes in which animal carcasses were left out as food to support local eagle populations have suffered due to strict EU regulations.

There are currently around 1000 adult Golden Eagles in Sweden. In the north, the population appears to be declining, while in the southern parts of the country the reverse seems to be the case. Overall, the population is thought to be more or less constant.

Despite the many threats faced by Golden Eagles, we fervently hope that through increased understanding of the problems and greater public awareness of the need to protect and conserve these beautiful and majestic birds, the wild places of Sweden will echo to the cries of the Golden Eagle for many generations to come.

The sight of a Golden Eagle is a wildlife experience you will not easily forget, and the Nature Travels team was fortunate enough to have some superb views of a Golden Eagle feasting on its freshly-caught prey of fish on the ice of a frozen lake during a visit to the Bergslagen area in April last year. In the company of Marcus, who runs our Elk Safari Adventure and Howling with Wolves experiences, and local bird expert Daniel, we spent a memorable afternoon birding, of which our Golden Eagle sighting was definitely the highlight. An exceptional wildlife encounter that will stay with us forever!

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

Nature Travels offers a wide range of outdoor holidays in Sweden in areas where Golden Eagles may be seen, as well as a number of tours dedicated to wildlife watching.

Värmland lies in the western part of middle Sweden, bordering Norway on its western edge and with the mighty lake of Vänern to the south. The region is renowned for its friendliness and is an ideal area for outdoor sports. From hiking in the deep forests to fishing in the clear waters, Värmland is a great place to spend an outdoor holiday in Sweden. It is sometimes called Sweden’s most southerly wilderness area, lying as it does on the border between the flatter fertile land to the south and the great wide open of Norrland to the north.

In the western part of Värmland there are mountainous areas with plateaus of between 500 and 700 metres, while further east lie the hilly forested expanses of Bergslagen. In these quiet forests live some of Sweden’s most exciting animals, including the elk, the lynx and the wolf.

Through the heart of Värmland runs the majestic and meandering Klarälven river, a gentle giant of a river ideal for timber rafting and canoeing holidays. The river Klarälven was used for centuries to transport logs to the paper mills. These days you will still see logs on the river waiting in log traps to be collected– but this time they come from dismantled timber rafts!

Photo: Hipfel/Starck

As well as timber rafting and canoeing, Nature Travels offers a wide variety of outdoor holidays in Värmland, including: Pike Fishing, Beaver Safaris, Multi-activity holidays at a country manor, birdwatching holidays to see the magnificent black and red-throated divers, and mushroom picking weekends, where you reap the bounty of the forest then receive expert tuition in preparing a delicious dinner from your find!

Photo: Staffan Widstrand

Värmland is a wild, beautiful and yet accessible area, with activities on offer to suit families with young children, wildlife enthusiasts, intrepid couples or experienced wilderness adventurers!

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

The elk, Alces alces, is an iconic animal for Sweden – a symbol of the wild, a symbol of the majesty and dignity of Sweden’s natural areas. The elk holds a particular fascination for overseas visitors, though in Sweden it is in fact one of the country’s most common wild animals. During the summer, when populations are at their height, there are around 350,000 elk distributed across the country, an average of 10-15 elk per 1,000 hectares. Of these, just under one third will be culled annually during the autumn elk hunting season, and elk is a popular meat throughout Sweden. Despite prolific hunting, elk populations continue to increase across the country. By the early 19th century, elk had become practically extinct in Sweden due to unregulated hunting and predation, but since tighter controls were introduced, populations have risen steadily.

Photo: Lars Gabrielsson

A fully-grown adult elk will eat between 10 and 12kg of food a day, and an incredible 15-30kg during the summer. As herbivores, about half of the elk’s diet is pine, and during the winter an adult elk can consume 5,000 pine trees! Such voracious appetites may put pressure on some local ecosystems, and so managing the elk populations of Sweden has become necessary to protect fragile habitats.

Mating occurs in early September, with the males vying for access to the females in dramatic antler clashes, and calving season for the elk is May and June, when one or two calves are born each weighing 10-15kg. These young calves, which are born reddish-brown but later develop a grey-brown coat, will stay with their mother until the next breeding season, when they will be driven off to make way for the new calves. By November, when they will be eating only solid food, the young elk will already weigh 130-150kg. This rapid weight gain stands them in good stead to survive the coming winter.

Photo: Bob Carter

Once fully grown, a bull can weigh anything up to 800kg, and a cow around 450kg on average. Only bulls have antlers, which are shed each year during the winter. Every year up to the age of around 10, bulls will add extra points, or tines, to their antlers. Some feel that hunting pressure on those bulls with the largest antlers has led to a decrease in quality of the elk gene pool, and debate is ongoing about how best to reconcile the interests of the hunters with the conservation lobby. Elks that manage to avoid the hunters can live to be 25 years old in the wild.

Photo: Roine Magnusson

Like those of other deer species, elk antlers are covered with a velvety skin while they are growing. Filled with blood vessels, this skin provides the antlers with everything necessary for growth. Once the antlers are fully developed, the elk will shed the velvet by rubbing the antlers against trees and bushes. Although the pace of growth, especially for a large set of antlers, is truly astonishing, closer inspection reveals that antlers are not the solid objects one might imagine. Rather, they are porous inside, with only a hard external coating to stand up to the rigours of combat.

Despite their size, elks are wonderfully graceful animals, moving quietly and fluidly through the deep forests and across the open fields in between. Elk can often be spotted standing quietly in open spaces at the edge of a forest as the evening sun sets. Elk are also accomplished swimmers, and in the archipelago areas can sometimes be seen striking out between the islands.

Photo: Joop Bierling

Our Elk Safari Adventure offers intimate encounters with the elk of Bergslagen, an area where elk outnumber the human population! From your base in an authentic charcoaler settlement, an experienced elk guide will take you deep into the surrounding forests to meet the King of the Forest in its natural habitat!

Best regards
The Nature Travels Team

Visit our website www.naturetravels.co.uk for more wildlife holidays in Sweden.

The lynx is Europe’s largest wild feline – the ”tiger of the north”! In Sweden, the lynx is the third most common large predator. Population estimates vary, but out of a total Scandinavian population of around 2000, approximately 1500 are thought to live in Sweden. Second is the brown bear. Top of the list? Humans of course!

Despite the fact that lynx roam over an extremely wide territory, there are relatively few people in Sweden who have ever seen one in the wild. Lynx are shy and elusive creatures. However, slowly but surely, lynx populations have begun to increase and the distribution of the species across the country is widening. Hopefully, more and more people in Sweden will one day have the opportunity to see this beautiful and majestic animal in its natural habitat.

Lynx are currently found in many areas of Sweden, especially in the northern and central regions. The lynx is now once again expanding its territory southward to colonise its former homelands in the counties of Småland, Halland, Västergötland, Sörmland, Uppland and Östergötland.

Are lynx dangerous to humans?

Olof Liberg, a researcher responsible for lynx research in Sweden, has this story to tell: “Over a period of years we have regularly been in areas where adult lynx females have had cubs, without the lynx attacking us. In these circumstances the mother can be extremely fearless and aggressive, growling and pacing back and forth just 10 metres away. It is hard to imagine a more provocational situation for a lynx, and despite this the animal did not attack, which should be convincing proof that lynx are totally harmless to humans.”

Robert Franzén, of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, says, “There have been number of tales of lynx attacks, but no documented cases, since lynx keep themselves at a distance if not directly attacked.”

Lynx tracks

A lynx paw makes a clear round print if compared to a canine track, which is more oval. Lynx tracks are often mistaken for wolves. A sure way to tell is to look at the relationship between the pads. In clear lynx tracks one can see that the toes lie asymetrically, that is to say they project different distances forward. Lynx tracks are usually 7-10cm in size, with the front paws being somewhat larger than the back.

Lynx sounds

With a little luck you may hear lynx calling to each other during the mating season, especially during March and April, though sometimes also in January. The calls come in a series of twenty to thirty hooting sounds not unlike an owl, beginning weak but becoming louder. While running the female may also cry out like a fox to maintain contact with a partner.

On the whole lynx are generally quiet animals, but may growl when angry. They may also produce mewling sounds like a domestic cat when afraid. Mothers communicate with cubs by means of birdlike piping sounds. Both young and old lynx also purr just like domestic cats.

The Future of the Lynx in Sweden

While populations are increasing and expanding slowly in Sweden, not everyone is on the side of the lynx. With careful conservation and improved understanding of this wonderful predator, we very much hope that the future of the lynx in Sweden will be a bright one!

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

Nature Travels offers a variety of wildlife and outdoor holidays in Sweden, many of which take place in lynx strongholds. For further details please see our website at www.naturetravels.co.uk

Each year in winter and summer, a select group of tour operators, journalists and equipment retailers gather somewhere in the wilds of Sweden for the Outdoor Academy. A partnership between the Swedish tourist authorities, SAS airlines and the Scandinavian Outdoor Group, the Academy aims to spread the word about Sweden as a wonderful holiday destination for outdoor experiences year-round.

This year, the area chosen was Swedish Lapland, in the far north of the country well inside the Arctic Circle. The Nature Travels team joined colleagues from Germany, Holland, France, Belgium and Switzerland for six days of snowy adventures, exploration, and VERY good food!

This year’s winter Academy (or rather “spring winter”, as the mountain areas of Sweden are said to have eight seasons) showcased the potential of this vast and beautiful area as an outdoor destination, both for those who enjoy the challenges of winter camping and those who prefer to keep the pleasures of home a little closer to hand!

As well as sampling the comfort, excellent cuisine and hospitality of some of the mountain stations in the area (perfect for a hot sauna after a hard day in the hills!), we spent cozy nights by the fire in a Sami Lavvu, a kind of teepee, sipping hot lingonberry juice and being slowly hypnotised by the crackle of the fire and the rising woodsmoke. The temperature was well below zero, but even now in early spring it was still light as we made our way with happy hearts and full stomachs towards our sleeping teepees. But with thick down sleeping bags and a mattress of reindeer skins to keep us warm, we were soon fast asleep, our dreams made sharper by the crisp night air and filled with sensations of endless space and silence. This part of Sweden has a population density of less than two people per square kilometre, compared to an average of 20 people for the country as a whole and around 250 for the UK, so there’s plenty of space for everyone!

We awoke early (it gets light around 3am up there at the moment) to the sounds of Ptarmigan echoing across the hills, feeling refreshed and oddly invigorated despite the brevity of our first night’s sleep in the Lavvu. It took a couple of days to acclimatise to the late sunset and early sunrise, but by the middle of the trip and a few adventure-filled days in the mountains, sleeping in was definitely no longer a problem!

And the days were adventure-filled (and sun-filled) indeed, with dog sledding, snowshoeing, telemark skiing, ski touring, ice fishing and caving all on the agenda. Lapland is a limitless playground for all who love the outdoors, and though our muscles are still rather sore from our attempts to master telemark technique and the exertion of mountain ascents on snowshoes, we have returned again to the UK with only happy memories.

How strange to see spring and early summer already in full swing here again, the forests and gardens bursting with new life – but we just need to close our eyes and we are transported once more to a very different world: a world of ice, of the cries of eagles and the snuffling of reindeer, and all around us a horizon of rolling mountains, colossal shapes dominating the landscape like patient guardians, and everywhere snow lying thick on the ground like a winter duvet over a sleeping world…..

Our greatest thanks to all those involved in the planning, organisation and running of this winter’s Outdoor Academy of Sweden – we can’t wait for the next one!

Best regards
The Nature Travels Team

Nature Travels offers a number of summer and winter holidays in Lapland, including horse riding in Vindelfjällen on Icelandic horses, the chance to drive your own reindeer sled on a Reindeer Sled Safari, and our multi-adventure Experience Lapland. Keep an eye on our website at www.naturetravels.co.uk for new summer activities in Lapland to be added shortly.

Find out more about this winter’s Outdoor Academy of Sweden in Lapland on the official OAS blog.

With 2000 miles of coastline and an archipelago of 24,000lands just off the capital Stockholm, Sweden is a wonderful destination for sea kayaking.

Sea kayaks, or touring kayaks, are longer, more stable versions of the kayaks intended for whitewater paddling. They are effectively small boats with a spray skirt to keep you dry during your adventures. While less maneuverable than whitewater kayaks, they are more comfortable and have a greater capacity for luggage storage. They don’t turn as well, but they are ideal for paddling in a straight line!

Sea kayaks may be designed for one, two or even three persons, with storage space in the body of the kayak for luggage and camping equipment. The possibility to take everything you need with you makes sea kayaks perfect for extended trips around the Swedish archipelagos, especially since, thanks to the “Every Man’s Right” system of public access, wild camping is generally permitted on most of the islands.

The design of modern sea kayaks has its root in the boats used by the indigenous peoples of North America and Greenland. In fact, the word “kayak” comes from the Greenland Eskimo work “kajakka”, meaning “small boat of skins.” Steering is accomplished by a combination of paddle work and, usually, but a foot-operated rudder. The rudder is usually retracted when landing.

These days sea kayaking is becoming increasingly popular, combining as it does much of the hiker’s joy of exploring nature in silence with the novelty and adventure of being on the water. What’s more, although your technique will certainly improve after a few days, sea kayaking is a very accessible sport for novices. The boats are stable and will not capsize easily, and with a little practice even a beginner can cover quite reasonable distances from the very start.

As you glide quietly through the water, kayaks produce very little disturbance to local wildlife, which makes it possible to have astonishingly intimate encounters with marine mammals and birdlife. Kayaks are therefore the ideal mode of transport for marine wildlife safaris!

Nature Travels offers sea kayaking experiences in the beautiful and wild area of Södermanlands archipelago, a short distance south of Stockholm. The experiences are open to novice or more accomplished paddlers, and give you an excellent opportunity to explore this unspoilt area in tranquility and silence. We also offer a tailor-made sea kayaking experience, where a tour can be created to suit the needs and wishes of your group.

The waves lap gently at the side of the boat and the cries of an Osprey echo across the water…. sometimes it seems that the Swedish coastline might have been created just for sea kayakers: so get paddling!

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

Wolverines are Sweden’s least known and most secretive large predator, and one of its most misunderstood. With such a confusing name, many people assume it must be some kind of wolf, perhaps a smaller cousin to that icon of the wilderness, the grey wolf.

Actually, wolverines are mustelids, a family which includes badgers and otters, and have far more in common with these animals than with their canine namesakes. Wolverines in Sweden have had a very hard time of it indeed, and have been saddled with a terrible reputation. Myths and folk wisdom have labelled the wolverine (in an image that is reminiscent of the folklore surrounding our own red fox here in the UK) as a bloodthirsty killer, a vicious glutton which takes pleasure in killing more than it really needs.

In reality, the wolverine has been called “the hyena of the northern mountains” and is for the most part a scavenger, actually a rather poor predator. In Sweden wolverines live predominantly on reindeer - which sometimes brings them into catastrophic conflict with the reindeer herding peoples of the north. When the snow has a crust, which is hard enough to support a wolverine but not the heavier reindeer, a wolverine has a chance of bringing down a reindeer, and this perhaps is what has given them such a bad reputation as wasteful killers. In fact, wolverines do not eat their whole kill in one go, but will, like the fox, hide most of it and return to it later. Traditionally wolverines in Sweden have been confined to the northern regions, though some are now spreading south, finding a new source of food - the by-product of the annual (human) elk hunt.

European wolverines are generally 70-85 cm long, rather smaller than their North American counterparts (which can reach 110cm), with a tail around 20cm long. An adult may weigh almost 20kg. Visually they resemble a large, brown, bushy-tailed badger. They are widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, inhabiting tundra and northern forest regions. Mating takes place between April and August, with 1-4 cubs being born the following February or March. While reindeer are the mainstay of their winter diet, in summer Swedish wolverines subsist mainly on small rodents, birds and vegetable matter. Wolverines are at their most active through the night and at dusk and dawn.

Though Sweden’s population is only a couple of hundred, wolverines are spreading slowly south into the areas away from the reindeer herds. A protected species in Sweden, the population is nevertheless subject to illegal hunting and persecution, usually as a result of conflict with the interests of reindeer herding. Since 1993 there has been an ongoing project to study the species with a view to planning for its conservation, in and around Sarek National Park in Lapland - a large expanse of trackless mountains often called “Europe’s Last Wilderness”. A total of 168 wolverines have been captured and fitted with radio transmitters to allow scientists to monitor their movements and behaviour.

With careful management and greater understanding, we hope that the mountains of Sweden will echo to the sounds of wolverines for many years to come!

Best regards
The Nature Travels Team

Nature Travels offers a number of experiences in Sweden which take place in around the range of the wolverine. Though we cannot promise you a glimpse of this elusive creature in the flesh, the wolverine’s homeland is a breathtaking and inspirational landscape, and you may find fresh tracks criss-crossing your path! See Snowshoeing in Wolverine Country.

To find out more about wolverines and wolverine conservation in Sweden, visit http://www.wolverinefoundation.org/research/persson.htm

The forests and lakes of Västmanland are an excellent place to get up-close and personal with two of Sweden’s most fascinating species of water bird – the Black-throated and the Red-throated Diver.

Divers (also known as “loons”) are sleek and streamlined birds which, as their name suggests, are excellent divers! Their legs, which are placed far back on the body, may make them ungainly on land, but once in the water they become wonderfully graceful and agile. They have narrow elongated nostrils, which are also an adaptation for diving. Divers feed on fish, chasing them underwater before catching them in their bills. They have become rare due to their sensitivity to marine pollutants and their vulnerability to disturbance during breeding.

Photo: Staffan Widstrand

The Black-throated Diver is the larger of the two, with a more horizontal bill and clearer black and white markings. The smaller Red-throated Diver is 55-67cm in length with a wingspan of around a metre. Divers breed in high latitude areas around the Arctic and also in the north-west of Scotland.

Divers have complex bathing displays which involve diving, rolling and wing shaking. They also have a highly ritualized mating behaviour and give spectacular displays of rapid dashes across the surface of the water. They are monogamous and form lasting bonds with their partner. During breeding, mating will occur on land.

The diver is perhaps best known for its unique range of calls - real sounds of the wilderness! You can listen to a variety of samples and learn more about diver calls here: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/loon/Dictionary.html

Nature Travels offers a wonderful combination of birdwatching and comfort on our Black- and Red-throated Diver Weekend. In the company of a knowledgeable local bird guide, you will watch black and red throated divers in lake and marshland environments. After a day deep in the wilds of Bergslagen you return to an 18th century country manor where a wood-heated sauna awaits you along with a home-cooked dinner, during which you can reflect on and share stories of your experiences of the sights, sounds, smells and impressions of the day. When you finally tire of exchanging stories, retire to your unique mini-suite in the grounds of the manor!

While this experience is a wonderful opportunity for dedicated birders to indulge their passion, the haunting call of a diver echoing across the lake in the mists of early morning is guaranteed to make the hairs on your neck stand up even if don’t know your chiff-chaffs from your chaffinches. Prepare to enter the maddeningly addictive and utterly magical world of birdwatching on our Black and Red Throated Diver Weekend package!

Best regards
The Nature Travels Team

After centuries of persecution, the wolf was finally driven to extinction in Sweden in the 1970s. But, for this most resilient and wild-spirited of animals its Swedish story was not over, and in 1977 wolves again began to appear in Sweden. DNA analysis has shown that these wolves originally crossed over from Finland and Russia. Since then they have gradually increased in population, especially in central Sweden.

The Scandinavian wolf population grew by around 25% in the 1990s, and in 2005 Sweden’s wolf population was put at around 150 – more wolves than there have been in Scandinavia for almost 100 years. The wolf is an animal that inspires strong feelings on both sides, a symbol of the wilderness and untamed natural forces, but through careful conservation measures and ongoing education, the future looks much brighter than it did.

Photo: Marcus Jonson

Wolves are social animals which live in a nuclear family – perhaps one reason why humans throughout the ages have had such a special relationship with them: they remind us of our own social groupings: two parents, often known as the alpha pair, together with their offspring from one or more years. The majority of cubs leave the pack before they reach sexual maturity, but some remain, and may act as babysitters for new arrivals.

The well marked-out territory is defended passionately against invaders – fights between rival groups are not uncommon and sometimes result in death. The size of a territory is generally between 800 and 1000 sq km – access to food seems to be the most decisive factor in determining territory size. Dung, urine and scratch marks are used to mark boundaries, but it is only the alpha pair who take part in territory marking.

Howling at the moon?

Wolves have been the subject of many myths and legends throughout history – one of which is at they love to howl at a full moon. In fact, there is no evidence that wolves prefer a full moon, but perhaps one explanation could be that sound carries further in cold, clear weather. Or perhaps that humans also prefer to be out and about on moonlit nights!

A wolf howl is a song full of meaning and function – and each wolf has its own distinctive voice. When wolves howl together it is often very difficult to estimate numbers, in the same way that a human choir often sounds more than the sum of its parts. Howling clearly helps to bond together the members of a pack, but also serves as a signal to other wolves, an announcement that ”We live here and this place is ours”.

Photo: Andrea Barghi

The howl of a wolf is both an extraordinarily emotive and at the same time emotional sound – should one of the alpha pair die, the remaining alpha wolf may come to the place of its death to take up what sounds, to human ears, a particularly mournful howl. The pack also howls together to ready itself for a hunt, like a sports team ”psyching itself up” – and this sounds very different. The wolf vocalises for many reasons - a short barking may signal a warning, for example. But, perhaps ironically, wolves are for the most part very quiet animals.

Howling with wolves – a unique experience deep in the Swedish forest

Many words have been used to describe that unique sound, the howl of the wolf: spine-tingling, spiritual, awe-inspiring, thrilling. Whatever adjective you may choose, one thing is for certain: the experience of hearing the howling of a wild wolf pack echoing through the forest around you is unforgettable, a memory to be cherished and the stuff of dreams for many years to come.

Our Howling with Wolves experience takes you into the depths of the Bergslagen forests for an educational and uplifting adventure and a magical encounter with these beautiful and misunderstood animals!

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

Listen to the sounds of the wolf recorded during one of the wolf tours in 2006.

Beavers became extinct in Sweden in the late 19th century, largely as a result of exploitation through hunting. But following their reintroduction in 1922, the beaver has staged a comeback and populations are increasing.

The story of beaver reintroduction to Sweden is the story of one of the earliest reported successful attempts to bring a species back into its former territory. Once widespread throughout the continent, the European beaver population was decimated by the spread of agriculture, deforestation, grazing, and especially hunting.

Between 1922 and 1939 around 80 beavers were reintroduced to 19 sites in Sweden from Norway. In 1992, 70 years after the original reintroduction, the Swedish population was estimated at around 100,000.

Beaver Safari and Timber Rafting experience

Now, Nature Travels offers you the chance to see beavers in their natural habitat on our new Beaver Safari and Timber Rafting experience.

This experience combines unusual nature activities with accommodation in cabins by the Klarälven shore. On one day you get the chance to try our popular timber rafting experience, building a raft from nothing but logs and ropes and piloting it down the river for a day. In the evening of your third day you will go on a beaver safari and learn all about the life of the beaver! Klarälven is Sweden’s longest river and has a good population of beavers.

We promise you an unforgettable experience on the Klarälven river – whether it is searching the water for movement with baited breath in the gathering dusk or gliding peacefully along Huckleberry Finn style on a log raft made with your own hands.

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

For more information on our Beaver Safari and Timber Rafting experience, see www.naturetravels.co.uk.

To read about projects to reintroduce beavers in Scotland, see here

To read about BBC naturalist Kate Humble’s search for beavers, see here