Did you know that there are quite a few bears in Sweden, but that the chances of seeing them in the wild are almost zero? Unlike Canada and America, bears in Sweden are shy and avoid human activity as much as possible. There is enough food for them in the wilderness, which is why they almost never come into civilization. Do you still want to see bears and do so safely? Then plan a visit to the Lofsdalen Bear’s Den. I spent a night there in June 2024 and in this article I will tell you all about it!
How the Lofsdalen Bear’s Den works
I’m going to debunk a myth for you right away, because at every location in Scandinavia where you can see bears from a den or a cabin, food is put out for them. The simple reason is that you don’t see them otherwise as they shy away from people. Before I went on my visit to the Lofsdalen Bear’s Den I had quite an opinion about this, but on the other hand I just wanted to try it out. Moreover, my guide Kiki told me that they only do this for a short period of time so that the bears don’t become dependent on it. From the end of July there are plenty of berries and the bears can fully enjoy them and they no longer come to the Bear’s Den for food.
About the Lofsdalen Bear’s Den
Lofsdalen is one of the areas with the most bears in Sweden. Although there is a good chance that you will see a bear, there is no guarantee. The Bear’s Den is a cabin that’s hidden deep in the wilderness. You drive a bit away from the village by car, and then walk for about half an hour to the cabin. You do this in complete silence to disturb the bears as little as possible. Your guide walks with you and the next morning you go back to the car on your own.
The Bear’s Den has a spacious living room with kitchen, simple toilet and bunk beds. Next to it is a viewing room with seats and peepholes for your camera.
Bearviewing from the Lofsdalen Bear’s Den
Together with my partner Andreas I’m a guest in Lofsdalen in June and one of our activities is bear watching. Andreas works as a biologist and has spent large parts of his life in the wilderness of Swedish Lapland (including trail building and predator conservation) and has never seen a bear in the wild, so that shows how rare it is.
We are taken to the cabin by guide Kiki and after we get there, then the waiting begins. The bears usually show themselves around dusk, but since it is midsummer, there’s a big chance that we will have to wait a while. Since we are both quite tired from an intensive weekend, we decide to stay awake in turns. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait very long, because just as I have dozed off on one of the chairs, Andreas calls out ‘BEAR!’
And yes, there is a bear walking in front of the cabin. He is looking for food and seems very calm. He walks up and down, sometimes hides behind a tree (does he know we are there?) and after about fifteen minutes he leaves again. WOW!
We wait a few more hours but no other bears show up. However, a fox does regularly walk by, even close to the house.
How big is the chance to see bears?
Of course we browse through the guestbook and read that most visitors see bears, but that there’s also a chance that you will not see any bears. However, I can guarantee that the chance that you will see bears here is greater than that you will see bears in Sweden without going into a bear watching cabin. The photos above were taken with a zoom lens, the photo below with my iPhone to give you an idea of the distance to the bear.
Booking the Lofdalen Bear’s Den
The Lofsdalen Bear’s Den must be booked in advance, you can stay there with six people at a time. Bookings can be made online via the Lofsdalen Bear’s Den website. You don’t have to try to find the Bear’s Den yourself, because it has been the best kept secret of Lofsdalen and the surrounding area for years! The Bear’s Den is open from the beginning of June until the end of July.
Find rates, availaibility are more information here.
Conclusion and disclaimer
Although I had my doubts at first, I really enjoyed my stay at the Lofsdalen Bear’s Den and it was worth it. It is a special way to spot bears in Sweden and after seeing this huge bear my feeling that I would rather not encounter them in the wild was only reinforced. I stayed at the Lofsdalen Bear’s Den by invitation, but all opinions given are of course my own.
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