Dancing Skies & Winter Wonders - Swedish Lapland

For anyone who thinks winter means staying indoors in Swedish Lapland, think again. The snowy wilderness of pure nature awaits adventure.

Strap on your snowshoes and take a reviving walk through the soft untrodden snow. Or equally reviving take a stab at harnessing the continuously bobbing head of a reindeer who you once thought only lived at the north pole with Santa! Just don’t forget to keep an eye on those antlers which this furry creature uses to indicate as much curiosity about you as you have about him. Once accomplished, likely with a sigh of relief, make an attempt at speaking ‘reindeer talk’ or giving some kind of indication to get your new companion to move! My attempt included ‘mush mush’, then a strange ‘weehoo’ and ‘giddyap’ to no avail. Yet one glimpse of another reindeer, it was all go, gliding through the snow-covered trees in the wilderness of Sweden’s northern region called Lapland.

For the Swedish people living in what some call too harsh a climate, this is simply sensible transport. Rather than building roads which damage the habitat, the local people enjoy the old traditions, knowing there will be no harm to that which lies beneath the snow.

After a full day of outdoor activities where keeping warm means keeping active, it is definitely time for a steamy hot sauna. Keeping with tradition and good health, this will include several plunges into the ice-cold snowbank next to the hut!

We have reached Solberget, one of our destinations in Swedish Lapland, located in the lush wilderness near Nattavara, about 90 klms from Jokmakk. The peacefulness of pure nature surrounds with ice crystals forming at every breath. Solberget is far north and will be our retreat for about five days before we head further north to the Arctic Circle to meet up with Bear Foot Travel for some rigorous survival training designed specifically for the Arctic. For now, I am more than satisfied bundled up on my perch outside the hut where the skies are performing their dance of colours, the Aurora Borealis.