Sweden is one of the coolest countries to visit to see the Northern Lights. It’s also great if you’re looking for a little excitement and adventure. Many people tend to explore this country during the summer months, but the winter months are just as fun. The biggest draw of visiting in the winter months is that everything from lodging to transportation is much cheaper. No matter your interests Sweden has something for you. Below are five reasons that make Sweden one of the best places to travel to.
Skiing
There are just around 200 ski resorts in Sweden giving travelers plenty of options when it comes to seeking out the slopes. The most popular area for skiing is Are. This town is in the middle of the country and about 660km from Stockholm. But if this town isn’t part of your itinerary, no worries. You can find resorts in Dalarna, Jamtland, Swedish Lapland and several other places.
Go on Safari
This one may be a bit confusing at first glance. Safaris are supposed to be in Africa you say? Well you can venture out on one in Sweden too! The only difference is that you replace the heat with some cold and grasslands with woodlands. You also seek out different animals. You won’t find elephants, lions, rhinos, giraffes or zebras here but you will run into moose, wolverines, wolves, brown bears, lynxes and musk oxen. These animals are commonly referred to as Sweden’s Big Six. Not part of the big six but just as exciting to encounter are wild reindeer. Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll see one fly!
Dog Sledding
Driving a dog sled is one of the most adrenaline educing activities in Sweden. You can organize anything from a day trip to a weekend excursion cruising around the mountain region or national parks with Siberian Huskies as your ride. This is sure to be an experience that you will tell people about for quite a long time!
The Northern Lights
Seeing the Northern Lights could be the only thing on this list and it would be enough to convince you to take a trip. Northern Sweden is one of the best places in the aurora zone to see this amazing natural feat. There are few places in the world you can visit to see the different colors of green, red, pink, and purple drape through the sky like a curtain on a clothesline. One of the best places to experience the lights is in Abisko National Park. Here they have the “blue hole” which is a patch of sky that remains clear, even on a cloudy night, so that you will see the lights without fail. To see them, make sure you visit between October and March because thats when they are visible.
Sleep Somewhere Awesome and Absurd
If you’re up near Jukkasjarvi you can stay in the first ever ice hotel. It gets rebuilt every year with water from the Torne River. Different artists contribute to its construction each year making it a truly unique experience for anyone who stays there. They have an ice bar, ice chapel, ice sculptures, and anything else “ice” you can think of. If this isn’t quite your style, try sleeping in a ice igloo. You can stay in a natural igloo formed by the Tannforsen waterfall when it freezes. Or you could travel to the Arctic Igloo Village outside of Jokkmokk and build your own igloo for shelter.
