CLOSE TO NATURE

A walk in the woods and a breath of fresh air can do wonders. That’s why we love spending time in nature. We like the pace of the walk, the smell of flowers and birds singing. And with midnight sun in summer, northern lights in winter and sparkling colours in Autumn, it’s wonderful all year round.

The great nature
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    Nature
    Panoramic view over Rapadalen from summit of Skierfe, Sarek National Park, Lapland, Sweden.

    The national parks

    National parks are areas featuring a certain type of landscape, protected to preserve their natural condition. It's about creating opportunities to experience nature. Swedish Lapland has the most, the oldest and the largest national parks in Sweden.

    Håkan Stenlund
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    Nature

    The woods

    A breath of fresh air never hurts. That has always been our roundabout way of trying to explain what it is that makes nature good for us human beings. But the results of more and more research in recent years have shown just how beneficial spending time in the great outdoors is for human health and wellbeing. Science confirms a piece of time-honoured folk wisdom. It’s time for a walk in the woods.

    Håkan Stenlund
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    Culture

    The eight seasons

    In Swedish Lapland, nature plays an intrinsic role in our life and work, and the people here are highly sensitive to the small details of the changing seasons. Therefore, it seems only natural that the Sámi people describe eight seasons instead of four.

    Ella Jonsson

On the Arctic Circle

Kpunkka, Airpixels and Winbjorkphoto all holds the creative ability to put the northern landscapes into pure art.

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Wildlife
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    Nature

    The eagle’s nest

    In the village Kalvträsk outside Skellefteå, wildlife photographer Conny Lundström has constructed a number of hides where photographers can experience a photo session with golden eagles up close. British photographer Dani Connor came here for that very reason: to capture golden eagles with her camera. But when she returned home, her memory cards were filled with pictures of squirrels.

    Håkan Stenlund
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    Nature

    The not-so-big five

    Scouting out the 'Big Five' on the African savannah is the big dream of many. They include leopard, lion, elephant, rhino and African buffalo and is a group of large, majestic and fairly dangerous animals. Here in the Arctic part of Sweden, we don't have animals the size of an elephant or with the speed of a leopard, but we have a fair few animals that are pretty cool in their own way. Below we have listed five animals that are both unique and fascinating, definitely worth putting on a list of must-see animals.

    Sara Holm
  • A wildlife photographer

    Imagine what it would be like for a few days to leave all the stress and all the noise behind you, breathing in the forest scent and meeting its four-legged or winged residents face to face and assuming the role of a real nature photographer.

    Ted Logart

A driftwood diary

Oskar Hederyd have a deep love for paddling. Growing up, he studied the maps of northern Sweden, dreaming all the outdoor adventures that layed ahead.

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THE BIG WEEKEND

Birding isn't really a numbers game. Still, we like to count our encounters. Birding is more like art: the form, the colours, the sounds, and the movement. And in Ammarnäs, in the mountains of Swedish Lapland, you have both the numbers and the art every spring.

Moose watching

Searching for wild moose in the vast forest of Swedish Lapland is not easy, but Daniel and his guides at Svansele Wilderness center know the woodlands like the back of their hands.

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Photography
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    Nature

    Shooting autumn colours

    Many think autumn is the most beautiful time of year in Swedish Lapland. It's as if Earth itself grants a generous firework display of colour before the winter sleep settles over the Arctic landscape. And it's easy to capture the show with a camera on standby. These are five simple tips for capturing autumn in a photo.

    Håkan Stenlund
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    Nature

    Catching the stars

    When I turn my headlight off everything turns black. First I can't see anything, not even my hand in front of my face. Soon my eyes get used to the darkness and above me, a starry sky slowly lights up, so clear it makes me shiver. This is how our ancestors experienced the starry sky: sparkling and clear. I start to feel a breath-taking sense of humility and reverence.

    David Björkén
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    Nature

    Photograph the northern lights

    So you've gone to Swedish Lapland, Sweden's Arctic destination, to experience the magical northern lights. Here are seven tips on how to get some good pictures of the beautiful light phenomenon to take back home.

    Håkan Stenlund
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    Culture

    An unbeatable
    eco-experience

    Small-scale, hosting and proximity to nature. Curiosity, knowledge and learning. During her visit to Geunja the Sámi Eco Lodge in the mountain landscape surrounding Ammarnäs, Maria lived in complete harmony with nature. Something happened there, and an inner journey commenced.

    Maria Broberg

A pursuit of a dream

25 years ago, Peter Rosén made a life changing decision. He quit a successful career as a climate scientist to pursuit a dream of photography.

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Stay close to nature
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    Design

    Treehotel — a design favourite

    What started with a film featuring a small wooden hut in the forest has become a cool hotel. These days Treehotel in Harads is considered one of the world's foremost travel destinations. But Treehotel is more than just a design favourite among the treetops. It’s the childhood fantasy we’ve all dreamed of – just in a more luxurious package.

    Håkan Stenlund
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    Places

    The mindset of Geunja

    Even with people there, the calmness of the place stands out. Geunja Sámi Eco Lodge stands there, carefully tucked in between the shores of a crystal clear lake and the foot of a high mountain.

    Maria Broberg
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    Places

    A hideaway for all seasons

    We were kindly allowed to read the guestbook from Logger's Lodge, filled with ecstatic reviews from world celebrities, ordinary people and people in love who have visited to forget about all the must-dos for a while and get utterly spoilt. We felt we had to go there ourselves to experience it.

    Håkan Stenlund

The midnight light

If it's your first time visiting Swedish Lapland during the summer, you'll notice that it never gets dark. You have entered the world of the midnight sun, and if you're not used to it, it's an extraordinary experience. But beware, it might affect your sleep quality.

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The Arctic light

You might think that in the Arctic, we have darkness or daylight. In the winter, the sun never rises above the horizon, and in the summer, the sun never sets. But in fact, we have light all year round. Just different kinds of light. Some darker, some brighter, and some very colourful.

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The northern lights

Shimmery and magical. The dance of the northern lights is a spectacular sight that we frequently enjoy in Swedish Lapland. Viewing the Aurora Borealis is both a jaw-dropping and mystical experience. But when is the best time to see the northern lights in Swedish Lapland?

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A HYMN TO HOME

Lennart Pittja runs the award-winning eco-lodge Sápmi Nature Camp in the Laponia World Heritage in Swedish Lapland, on the grounds his sámi reindeer herding community Unna Tjerusj has inhabited for generations. The island up in Sårgåjávrre is the summer grazing land for the reindeer, the place where Lennart fish his fish, and the place he calls home.

Welcome, the forest is yours

Is it really true that anyone can walk around the forests and beaches of Swedish Lapland? Pick berries and pitch a tent anywhere? Yup, that's what it's like in the democratic forest. But as a wise man once said: with great freedom comes great responsibility.

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Also read
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    Taste

    The food story

    Eating well is part of every journey. Well, it could be the whole reason for the trip. This is the food story.

    Håkan Stenlund
  • The longest silence

    If a fish, or a catch, is to be a story, the fish has to be out of the ordinary, preferably bordering on dangerous. And if the story is to become a classic, the fish should be as big as a whale or the fisher should at least be a character like Captain Ahab.

    Håkan Stenlund
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    Culture

    Anything but wilderness

    On a headland called Viedásnjárgga in Stora Sjöfallet National Park lies Naturum Laponia. It's a place that tells a story of mountains on the other side of the lake and how reindeer find their way here year after year. It tells part of the story why this place was awarded the title World Heritage.

    Emma Forsberg