Lapland
The last great wilderness of Europe or the land of the midnight sun, that is how Lapland is
called today. Endless forests, silence, white winter magic, fascinating northern lights, clear
lakes and rivers and colourful Indian summer make it a dreamland for nature lovers.
Lapland
is the settlement area of the Sami people, it extends in its impressive expanse around and above
the Arctic Circle over the countries Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia.
Swedish Lapland
has more than 4000 lakes, 4 big rivers and many small tributaries which are mostly crystal
clear. The lakes and rivers are home to countless species of fish, e.g. trout, whitefish, perch
over char, grayling, pike and salmon. It is also the home of bear, wolf, elk, wolverine, eagle,
capercaillie and reindeer, to name but a few.
Lapland is worth a visit all year round. Over
the seasons the country shows itself again and again in different faces, colours and in new
light.
Winter
Winter & spring in Lapland are synonymous with lots of
snow, ice and temperatures sometimes well below freezing point. The winter season is
long and offers a wealth of exciting activities, a beautiful winter landscape and the
opportunity to experience the Northern Lights. The Latin name for this phenomenon is
Aurora Borealis, and they are so beautiful that they look like pictures from a fairy
tale.
Since we are so close to the Arctic Circle, you will actually experience the
midwinter darkness. The shortest day is around 20 December and offers about 4 hours of
daylight. But when the landscape is embedded in a white veil of snow and the sun sets on
the horizon, there are beautiful twilight colours. A campfire with blazing flames is
even more beautiful during this time of year, whether it is outside or inside by the
fireplace.
Summer
Summer in Lapland and northern Sweden has long, bright days
and nights where the sun never sets. This phenomenon is called the midnight sun or polar
days. The longest day is always around 20 June. Since we are north of Arvidsjaur, just
south of the Arctic Circle, the midnight sun appears around Midsummer and lasts well
into July. This means that we have daylight around the clock during most of the summer
months (June, July and August). Because of these long days, the activities we offer can
be done at almost any time of the day. Since our activities take place in the
wilderness, you could not imagine a greater feeling of freedom. How about a fishing trip
or a hike in the middle of the night in bright daylight.
Autumn mushrooms and berry season
During the autumn season, nature
is transformed by the magical autumn colours orange, red and yellow and offers a feeling
of Indian summer.
In the woods berries and mushrooms grow in abundance. Besides
blueberries, blueberries and cranberries that are ripe as early as August, you can also
pick the famous cloudberries that only grow in the latitudes of Lapland. Only one berry
grows per stalk, the yield is therefore low and therefore it is the most expensive
berry. The cloudberry is also called the "Gold of Lapland".
Picking these
delicious forest fruits on a walk in the forest, during a break in fishing or during a
hike with the huskies is for many a very relaxing and stress-relieving activity. We
cannot offer organised berry picking, but we can give you some tips on where to look for
them. As we are just south of the Arctic Circle, our autumn season is quite short and
intense, and the first snow can fall as early as October. Autumn offers a variety of
exciting activities and experiences in nature.
The occurrence of mushrooms is also
very rich and varied. The red cap is the typical mushroom of Lapland. Besides the very
popular porcini and chanterelles, there is also the butter mushroom or birch mushroom.
Spring
Spring is a part of winter with a smooth transition. The
snow usually stays until late spring (May), which means that it is still possible to do
winter activities in spring. Up here in the north, spring is a wonderful time of year
when the sun and light return. As the days quickly get longer and longer, the snow and
ice begins to melt, the animals and plants and the whole forest come back to life.