Moose tracking vacations in Sweden

Sarek National Park is the most mountainous area of Sweden, located in the far north of the country in the Laponia region, a 9,400sq km wilderness area tended by the reindeer-herding Sami people. Surrounded by other parks, Padjelanta and Stora Sjofallet, as well as a handful of nature reserves, with no road access, Sarek is not the easiest place to reach. Expeditions depart from the Sami town of Jokkmokk, just north of the Arctic Circle. The town can be reached by air, but the best way is a pleasant overnight train journey from Stockholm (tickets can be arranged for you). From Jokkmokk, a helicopter drops you off at the border of Sarek, saving you a lot of walking, and picks you up again five days later.

The silence and the stillness can be overpowering. “If you want to really get away from everything, if you want beauty that has lain untouched for thousands of years and will be the same for thousands of years after we’re gone, you will find that in Sarek,” enthuses Marcus. This pristine landscape, and the challenge within it, make this trip one of Marcus’ favorites among those his award-winning ecotourism company organises.

“The terrain is difficult, there are no trails,” Marcus continues, reminiscing about an experience he clearly loves. “We must cross many small streams of meltwater, which is very cold. We have to remove our trousers and shoes and cross quickly, and dodge branches. For a few days we climb up gravelly peaks, where we need sturdy boots with ankle support. There are bogs too, sometimes your boots get stuck. It’s normal for boots to become wet very quickly in Sarek, and they don’t dry for the whole week. It’s all part of the experience, though. You wake up in the morning and it’s -1 degrees and you have to put on wet boots and get going. You just deal with it.”

There are about 400,000 moose in Sweden, but they’re not always easy to find. Usually solitary animals, they are rightfully wary of humans, who hunt around 100,000 of them every year. If they work out that they’re being tracked, they won’t stick around to find out if you’re carrying binoculars or a rifle. Moose will often wander the streets of towns and cities in search of food, but if you want to see them against a natural backdrop then your best bet is with an expert guide. Sweden moose tracking tours take place during September – rutting (mating) season. Moose are solitary animals, and this is the only time of year you’ll see them grouping together. You’ll climb to the top of hills for a vantage point and sweep the area with binoculars. When you see a moose, perhaps two or three kilometres away, it’s a matter of working out how to approach from upwind, to ensure it doesn’t get spooked and run away.

When you can’t see a moose, you need to rely on your guide’s tracking skills. Hoof marks in the mud can indicate whether a moose has been in the area recently, how big it was, and how fast it was traveling. Trees can also help. If the branches have been broken off, it’s an indication of a female moose (cow), who do this so their calves can eat. In early September, the males (bulls) will scratch their antlers against the trees to rub off the velvet, making them shiny and pointy, and attractive to cows.

You might also see a hole dug by a bull in the mud. This is a rutting pit. The moose digs a hole, urinates in it, then rolls around in the mud to coat his antlers and bell (a fold of skin under the jaw) in the scent, which cows find irresistible, apparently. “Finding a pee hole means we’re on the right track!” Marcus assures me gleefully.

Now, watching as a large moose wallows around in a pit of its own urine may not sound like everyone’s idea of fun, but trust me – when tracking moose is the entire purpose of your vacation, it can get pretty thrilling.

You may also witness another classic moose courtship ritual, ‘the rivalry’. A favoured cow will be pursued – at walking pace – by one or more bulls. It’s rare that the males will lock horns and do battle for her affections, though. Instead, they showcase their prowess through the size (and stench) of their antlers, and through their stamina; during the pursuit, the bull won’t eat or sleep for several days. Again, it may not be as dramatic as watching a pride of lions take down a gazelle, but when you’ve been tracking your moose for days, to watch as he puts everything on the line for love is a very moving experience.

There are brown bears in Sarek, though you’d be lucky to spot one. “The closest I’ve come is finding the tracks of a mother and her cub by the river,” says Marcus, “and hairs in the sap of a spruce tree which they had rubbed against.” Occasionally you’ll see white-tailed eagles above the valley, and there are lynx in the area too, though they’re vanishingly rare. “You don’t really see much wildlife in Sarek,” notes Marcus. “In March I was skiing there, and all I saw the entire time was a couple of ravens, and some wolverine tracks. It tends to be on the approach to the park where you see most animals. It’s a two-hour drive from Jokkmokk to the helicopter base, during which we might see capercaillies, black grouse, and herds of reindeer.”