Sweden's Bears

This is a wonderful, stress-free holiday to a tranquil and beautiful spot in central Sweden where you will watch for Brown Bears from what is, perhaps, the most comfortable Bear Hide in the world! To reach it you must first take a direct 2-hour flight from London to Stockholm, Sweden’s attractive capital city and worthy of further exploration should you have time to spare after the tour. From here, your small group (maximum eight) will enjoy a scenic train journey north, arriving at Bollnas around three hours later, where your hosts will be waiting to meet you. Your destination is a simple wilderness lodge that occupies an exquisite lakeside position amongst rolling, forested hills. The views from the terrace of the lodge, looking across the large lake, are stunning. The silence and stillness experienced here are intoxicating, broken only by the eerie calls of the breeding Black-throated Divers that echo across the lake and the occasional croak of a passing Raven. Five hours from London, this could be a different planet.

Whether or not you see any Bears, this is a magical place in which to spend time. Yet it is the Brown Bears on which you will primarily focus on this holiday, in the expert company of our guide and friend, Håkan Vargas. Håkan has been studying and photographing the Bears in these forests for many years and, with his father, has built a comfortable log-cabin hide at the edge of a clearing in the spruce forest, just a couple of kilometres from the lakeside lodge which he runs with his wife, Eva, a wonderful hostess who will keep you well fortified with delicious meals that feature many local, organic, forest ingredients. The lodge is small and homely, primarily consisting of a cosy dining-cum-sitting room that looks out over the lake and surrounding hills, and is warmed on cold evenings by a splendid log stove. Accommodation is in separate, small, semi-detached cabins, set on a wooded slope overlooking the lake, views of which can be enjoyed from individual terraces. Each room is small and simple; just a bed, a small log stove, and a wash basin and jug of water; for this is how the locals like to enjoy their wilderness. There are a couple of separate, Swedish-style, shared toilet blocks and a single shower and sauna built into a jetty and terrace that jut out over the lake. This will be your accommodation on your first and last night (unless a second night is needed in the Bear Hide, an option that will be offered only if you do not see a Bear on your first night in the hide), and from it you will be able to enjoy time at leisure — walking, birdwatching, botanising or simply picking berries in the forest; raspberries, blueberries, lingonberries and cloudberries being found here in abundance at the right season! Alternatively you might prefer to row, canoe or fish on the lake, surrounded by Black-throated Divers, Goosanders and Goldeneyes, and keeping an eye skywards for a passing Golden Eagle, Goshawk or Honey Buzzard! You might even prefer to swim in the lake’s clear waters, or to enjoy a sauna.

On your first afternoon, and during the following morning, you will be able to enjoy just such time at leisure, soaking in the atmosphere of the place. Then, after another of Eva’s delicious lunches — enjoyed outside, if the weather is fine, on the lodge’s spacious wooden balcony that overlooks the lake — Håkan will guide you gently up through the forest to his Bear Hide. As you walk, you will need to be as quiet as you can but listen to Håkan as he tells you a little about the Bears and their habits, perhaps pointing out any footprints, or scratching on the trees, or raided anthills! The hide is cosy, with comfortable seats and viewing slots at the front, and comfortable beds at the back for those not prepared to sit up all through the night. At the far end is a separate toilet with wash basin. You may make yourselves comfortable … and hope for the appearance of a Bear whilst your ever-attentive host serves you drinks and dinner. No wonder the Bears (and Bear-watchers) like this place!

Realistically, a Bear sighting is not guaranteed, although one Bear a night is the average, and the success rate hovers around 80%. With two possible nights in the hide our chances are high, and European Elk and Wolf have both been seen from the hide too. But, for all Håkan’s passion, the magic of this place to us — and we hope to you! — is not just in its wild Brown Bears. It is in the beauty of the scenery, the utter tranquillity, the rich natural history, the accessibility of this wild place, and the charm, hospitality and the vision of its English-speaking host and hostess.