Rogen Nature Reserve, Sweden

Those delightful drawings of reindeer (yes, I mean Rudolf and company) one finds in children’s storybooks have it all wrong. Hate to dispel the myth but reindeer are not like that at all.

How do I know?

Well, during our visit to the Rogen Nature Reserve in central Sweden we met real reindeer.

To start at the beginning…

Looking for a timeshare trade in Sweden we found Fjallbyn, individual lodges built on a hillside overlooking vistas of the mountains in the west of Harjerdalen province. It sounded perfect for us…small, picturesque mountain village, long summer days, exploring rural areas of Sweden that most tourists from North America probably will never get to see. So we booked it.

Aside: this fits one of my strategies when planning a trip. I find a timeshare, hotel, or other accommodation in the country we want to visit and plan our travels around that. My logic…timeshares are built in places that local people like to spend their holidays, so it probably has lots of things for us to see and do as well. This planning strategy forces us to travel to areas many foreign tourists do not get to… as well it introduces us to transportation routes and modes we might not otherwise have used.

Driving from Trondheim, Norway to Tannas, Sweden took the good part of a day. But then again we did stop several times to enjoy scenic mountains, stopped for lunch, stopped for groceries in Storen as we did not know if stores would be open by the time we arrived at the timeshare.  The roads were paved, well maintained, and easy to drive.

For some reason I expected there would be custom officials when we crossed the border between Norway and Sweden, but no, we just drove across with no fanfare.

Our Swedish timeshare, Fjallbyn, was everything I hoped for. Granted, it’s not for people who want a big resort with all the amenities and planned activities. But for those of us who want to experience the local culture, scenery, and hospitality at our own pace it is perfect. (as long as you have a car).

One of our drives took us into nearby Rogen Nature Reserve. The terrain is very rugged…a rocky landscape dotted with numerous marshes, meadows, small lakes, large lakes. (A detailed brochure you can pick up when entering the reserve explains the glacial origins of this landscape.)

Few people are around but human signs are …fishing camps, hiking trails, picnic sites.

And then there are the reindeer.

Yes, reindeer (as in Santa Claus stories). They are all throughout this area as villagers from Tannis and Idre raise reindeer and the reserve is sort of like a community pasture for them. (The ear tags on some reindeer identify which rancher owns them) The reindeer we saw came in a wide range of colours , quite different from what I had imagined. Some were white, some “spotted” oranges and browns, some velvety brown.

The feet. Reindeer have big feet! Almost like snowshoes! But then again I guess I should have expected that as much of the year  they have lots of snow to deal with.

Can not say that reindeer seem to be the most intelligent of creatures. One slowly led us down a dirt road for several miles. We stopped and hoped he would leave the  centre of the road and let us pass but no-o-o, he just stopped too and looked over his shoulder at us. When we slowly started to move he continued trotting in front of us looking over his shoulder from time to time.

On the way back “home” after an enjoyable afternoon in the reserve we found a little cafe where we sampled lingon berries and the lightest, most yummy waffles we’ve had in ages. One of the joys of traveling is the conversation that begins as one meets new people… and that is exactly what happened here in the middle of rural Sweden as a gentleman from Stockholm who visits every year, a young couple from Denmark, a cyclist from Germany, our Swedish hostess, and us from Canada visited and enjoyed our food.

How to Get to Rogen Nature Reserve

• Reserve is in northwest part of central Sweden bordering on Norway
• Travel  to Tannas, Sweden on Hwy 311 or Hwy 84
• From Tannas take a local road towards Karingsjovallen

Roads are well signed and are paved up to the reserve.

How to Get to Sweden

Fly to Stockholm, or a smaller closer airport

 

Travel more of Sweden with us…click here.

Travel the world with us…click here.

Happy travels!