Sweden island hopping hiking vacation

Planet

Carbon reduction

All our trips are about enjoying and experiencing the natural and cultural beauty of the region, in a respectful and considerate way. Our trips are only run with small groups, most often from two people to six people, to ensure that impact on the environment is a minimum at all times, and the most personal and rich experience can be had by all.

This is a hiking trip using the newly established Stockholm Archipelago Trail. The purpose of the trail is to care for the sensitive nature in the archipelago by managing the flow of people on the islands in a controlled manner. This ensures that little stress is put on the natural environment and allows you to appreciate the surroundings in an environmentally friendly.

Grinda Wärdshus where guests spend two nights make use of air source heat pumps. They also use produce from the local farm, as well as environmentally certified products for tea and coffee, and for cleaning products. Vegetarian food is available at both Grinda Wärdshus as well as all our other accommodation along the route.

Transport between the islands predominantly uses the ferry public transport system Waxholmsbolaget and Stockholm’s public bus system. All transport is therefore shared and bags are taken on board the boats, therefore removing the need for private water taxis. We also where possible choose accommodation close to the boat jetties to minimise the need for additional baggage transfers, and encourage our guests instead to bring luggage that they can transport themselves 200 m.

Environment and wildlife

We are a member of the Naturturismföretagen (Swedish Nature & Ecotourism Association) which works towards an improved tourism that protects and takes responsibility for our delicate natural and cultural environment. Our company beliefs reflect this vision.

We are sponsor to Skärgårdsstiftelsen (The Archipelago Foundation) whose mission is to preserve the natural values and landscape of the Stockholm archipelago while promoting outdoor recreation, culture and tourism. This trip takes place through many areas owned by the foundation, as well as many nature reserves.

Guests booking this trip are given information in their tour information about Skärgårdsstiftelsen (The Archipelago Foundation) and their objective of preserving the Stockholm archipelago. We encourage our guests to either become ‘friends’ of the association or make a donation to the foundation.

All our accommodation takes the environment seriously, with emphasis on recycling, plastic reduction and water reduction. In particular Seglarhotellet is certified by The Nordic Swan Ecolabel - one of the world's toughest ecolabels and also the official ecolabel of the Nordic region. It is only given to goods and services that meet ambitious environmental requirements.

As our trips are self-guided, we make extra efforts to provide travelers with as much information about the local area as possible, including information about bird, animal and plantlife as well as historical and cultural information. This knowledge ensures that, even without a guide, we can inform travelers about the region. With additional knowledge, travelers can go one step further to protecting the environment.

People

Local Economy
We wholeheartedly support the local economy - our guests want to experience the genuine region in which they are traveling, and our aim is to let it be seen and enjoyed.

Encounters with the locals is a fundamental aspect of our trips, and we therefore make all efforts to use suppliers from the area where possible. With this in mind we prefer to use accommodation that is more personal and traditional which allows an insight into the local community, for example, Grinda Wärdshus is a family-owned inn welcoming guests since 1994. They employ where possible local residents from the island and use products from the neighbouring farm. Our aim is to support these local ventures to the full.

Waxholms Wärdshus is a privately owned hotel, with the two owners working hard to restore the glory of this traditional inn. Our choice of hotel in Stockholm, the Hellsten chain was started and run by Per Hellsten until 2019 when the next generation took over. The four hotels are all personal boutique style hotels with a family, local feel, contrasting with the many neighbouring international chain hotel.

Our trips always encourage visits to local businesses, be it local bakeries, cafes, restaurants or handicraft shops, and details are pointed out in the self-guided manual. Since this trip runs in the spring and autumn seasons, many small businesses are no longer open - the Stockholm archipelago is a region that experiences substantial seasonal irregularities, with busy, short summers, but quiet periods before and after the high season. Our aim with this trip is therefore to encourage our visitors to explore this region in the quieter seasons to help local businesses such as Finnhamn Krog, which guests reach at the end of one of their hikes, to extend their season.

Our trips would quite simply not be the same without the support of the local community.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY
We have few employees but instead have built up a network of locals based in the areas we operate who help with day-to-day running of the business. They are all from the local areas and are paid in line with Swedish standards.

Anyone with limited hearing of vision is more than welcome on this trip, as any other of our trips. We are always happy to ensure a memorable experience is had by all despite any limitations.