Rewilding: Tracking Wolves in the Forests of SwedenRewilding: Tracking Wolves in the Forests of Sweden

We’ll meet with our guides for a canoeing excursion on a nearby lake, where we’ll search for some of Sweden’s most iconic birds, such as the black-throated diver, osprey, common tern, grey heron, and common crane. After lunch at Färna Manor, we’ll then have time to relax. This evening, we’ll head out into the surrounding forest in search of moose, accompanied by expert guides who will teach us how to identify their hoof prints and bite marks. After an afternoon of moose-watching, we’ll build a campfire and enjoy another locally-sourced meal by a small forest lake before returning to the manor for the night.

We will meet to do a wood carving workshop this morning. After lunch at Färna Manor you’re free to explore the surrounding woods. In the summer, the forest floor is covered with berries and mushrooms of all kinds; collect as many as you’d like, or hop into the lake for a swim. This evening, we’ll head to a nearby lake and quietly cruise across the water at sunset, spotting beavers and their dams. We’ll pause for an evening meal on an island, and as darkness falls, we’ll use headlamps to spy on the beavers as they work fastidiously along the shoreline—listening for the cries of other creatures that call out in the night, such as the tawny owl.

Today we’re heading into the woods to track wolves! We'll have a leisurely morning in preparation for a late night of tracking wolves. After lunch and a discussion about wolves (and how to conduct ourselves when close to them), we’ll hike out to a secret location in a nearby forest where a family of wolves keeps its territory. We’ll search for paw prints, droppings, killed prey, and other signs of their presence, and meet with one of Sweden’s foremost wolf experts to learn about lupine behavior, land management issues, and conservation efforts. We’ll find a safe place to set up our tented camp, light a fire, and enjoy an evening meal together. As darkness falls, we’ll move closer to the wolves, walking through the darkness in silence to reach a strategic location where, if we're lucky, we'll hear them howl. We’ll return to our tents after midnight for a night of rest among the trees.

After a night spent among the trees, we’ll pack up our tented camp and head back to civilization for a well-deserved brunch at the manor. Return to your room for a nap or enjoy the spa before meeting with your guides for an afternoon of foraging in the woods. We’ll take a short excursion out into the forests near Färna, where our guides will teach us the art of bushcraft and the history of fire-making. We’ll return to the manor to put our fire-building skills to use, setting the scene for our outdoor workshop on open-flame cooking. We’ll bake bread and collect herbs from the surrounding woods for tea before settling in for our final meal together under the Swedish sky.

After breakfast, bid adjö to your pack and return to Stockholm. Your guide will get you to the Avesta Krylbo train station near Skinnskatteberg with a ticket to either Stockholm Central Station or Arlanda Airport.