Best Winter Trips 2011: Treehotel in Harads, Sweden

For those who want to enjoy the fascinating aurora borealis, a trip down Lule River may be the perfect escape. Here, the scenic beauty of the shores, ancient forests and serene landscaping create a fantastic world, where imagination is the best companion. And if it is not imagination… there might be something like this:

In a small village called Harads in Sweden, imagination created a different, unique experience for those travelers who want to enjoy the Dance of the Spirits. The Treehotel is that experience – and the UFO tree house featured above is one of the 24 tree houses planned for the project, each sublimely unique, and designed and built by a different Swedish architect.

Of the 24 tree houses, only five are completed, and a sauna. For the project, officially launched 17 July 2010, the completion date seems to be 2012. But the five completed tree houses are already opened and available to travelers from all over the world.

An ambitious project, the Treehotel will eventually end up being one of the tourist highlights close to the capital of Norrbotten County, Luleå – as it is located in the boreal forest approximately an hour by car from Luleå (Kallax) airport. If you want to splurge, you can even arrange for helicopter rides to the hotel, as well as snowmobiles for that genuine snowmobile safari that’s best experienced in this part of the world, under the boreal lights. Then you can stay in your own birds’ nest…

Treehotel is a step in a right direction – a sophisticated experience for discerning travelers, and obviously not something affordable for the budget conscious. The price for a tree house goes way above the 500 USD barrier, but the once-in-a-lifetime factor makes up for the spend. There are also special packages that make this place ideal for honeymooners, for example – with a romantic weekend starting at 4950 SEK (768 USD) per person.

And if you want to complete your experience with special activities, Treehotel has enough on offer: dog sled rides through the frozen landscape, and calm snowshoe hikes in pursuit of the magic and myth of the northern lights in the winter; village walking; Treehotel sauna; sled rides; horseback riding; ice fishing and even build-your-own-iglo activities.

Summers are equally fun: day tours with a peek into the Sami culture; trekking; mountain biking; midnight riding in Norrbotten’s bright nights; horseback riding; highland cattle safari; guided tour of Caspadia´s Farm; and eening fishing on the beautiful Bodträsk River and on Lule River.