Planning to do something adventurous this summer? Nothing can be more fulfilling than hiking and explore nature at its best. Summer days are much clearer and considerably longer, thus, the idea of hiking in Helgeland, Norway can never go down. On looking from a certain distance, the area appears unconquerable with the sky high hills covered with white snow. But going closer makes you believe that it's just a beautiful illusion.

The finely spotted pathways assist even new hikers to reach these mountains with an ease. There's plenty of space to rest your feet and body in the timing day trip in comfy cabins placed around the area.

The pathways

One can easily find the trails here by tracking the bright red ‘T's (the sign spots large pathways of Norwegian Trekking Association). One can get a detailed hiking gear list on the website of Norwegian Trekking Association and an illustrative map of the area from the tourist information centre from the biggest city Mo I Rana. Mo I Rana is the doorway of the Helgeland too.

The pathways pass through series of fast-flowing mountains with the smothering lakes beside them by the wildflowers meadows. The environment here is always like a rain-forest with sky-high mountain slopes heading directly towards to the gabber meadows. These stones are dumped by the glacier movements many years ago; some of them are spotted a hundred kilometres away back to positions.

Norway's population is considerably smaller according to its area. The country has the population of only 5 million whereas the area is extended up to 320,000 so km. It is not a surprise here to pass the whole day long walking alone. Infrastructures here are not so large in number. There are few man-made structures which come occasionally between a footbridge and a shack built in gabber years ago to help the travellers get shelter.

One should come extremely prepared to hike in Helgeland. It's a big amusement or better said a gift to find a pathway here.

Hiking Experts/Guides

Though the pathways are not too tough to be followed, but they better be walked along with an expert. Frank J. Persheim Langseth & Kulturformidling are famous and certified trainers of Helgeland. They can explain you about the plantation and animals around, real good. One has to be totally knowledgeable about safety, camping and shelters in the night to make the quest more enjoyable with safety. More importantly, a guide becomes much essential for the journey when deciding to go to a downtrodden track.

The highest apex of Northern Norway

The area is suitable for an all-day hike, most of the peaks are unmarked except cairns, and it mounts high at the top of Oksskolten which happens to be Norway's highest peak. The 1,916m high hill which flaunts itself alike a Bull's Head is often covered up with fog but when the clouds get apart occasionally, it builds up an inverse scenario to the lavishness of the ground around the lake. The scenario from the summit stretch into Sweden and the Okstind glacier on the other side intersects on to the lakeside ground.

Do not forget here to experience the most pleasant locations of all- the Okstind region. It is a horseshoe-shaped wide plateau west to the Oksskolten. Reach here with the help of a guide and feel the extremity of the silence of nature, the beauty of the surrounding gets enhanced with the chirping of birds and insects. All you are going to hear is the noise of footsteps and the rustling sound of the waterproofs covered with mist.

Places to stay

Apart from enjoying the pleasure of hiking and exploring Helgeland's incredible beauty, there are plenty of cheap accommodations with modern amenities to stay comfortably here. One can choose to go to the Scandic Meyergården hotel in Mo I Rana as a base. Hire a car and get to the most assorted and largest destination of the country i.e. the Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park where one gets the suitable place for camping. There are other various campsites around the area. One can also head to one of the most inherent places like Nina. It is a coastal village from one can get the conveyance to reach Tomma. It is a small island with the only peak which mounts up to 922m situated in the archipelago.

Rabothytta is the newest and considered the most alluring cabin here. Rabothytta is located at the Okstind glacier corner. One can access the area easily walking the path from Leirskardalen valley. Hikers on the way to Rabothytta from Leirskardalen valley gets to see overwhelming viewpoints in the trails. With ample of provision stores in the supermarket at Korgen and well-equipped kitchens of the cabin, one can enjoy the supper at its fullest with a gracious over-the-glacier viewpoint. Nothing can be more fulfilling than enjoying life in the lap of Mother Nature.

There are many unique areas offered by Sweden and this is all thanks to the various structure of the landscape of the country. It offers vast lakes and forests and with the scape of the land, an inspiration for cutting edge designs in lodgings.

The Ice hotel is found near the village of Jukkasjarvi to the north of Sweden. This hotel is made from blocks of ice taken from the Torne River. The hotel displays ice suites that were individually carved by hand and features rooms and furniture created from ice. The works differ each year and this is a factor that helps to attract visitors. Visitors spend the night in Sweden military grade deluxe sleeping bags if they only have an overnight stay. The visitors that have extended stays are relocated to satellite bungalows. The bungalows offer the visitors a chance to view the northern lights form their skylights. The ice hotel is a winter only attraction that offers the services of their restaurant that serve only exquisite dishes on plates that are made from the same ice the hotel itself is also made from.

Sweden's leading architects are to be thanked for the design and construction of the tree hotel. This stricter is found off the ninety-seven route that lies to the west of Luleain. The structure is comprised of six unique treehouse constructions that are equipped with all unique and custom made furniture, fittings, and fixtures. The sauna and the bathroom are also custom made and is designed to reflect the eco-friendly theme of the entire complex. The hotel is suspended form the route by very old pines and hovers high above the ground. It includes a spaceship designed treehouse with retractable steps, a mirror cube design that reflects everything around it and a giant bird nest design. These are just half of what the hotel has to offer.

The Sala Silvergruva is located a hundred and fifty-five miles in Sweden's most important silver mine. The hotel offers a tour of the candle lit labyrinth of tunnels, underground caverns, and lakes. It boasts a vast banquet hall and provides you with a very cozy area cut in the rocks complemented by a champagne dinner. Your only outside link to the world is the small intercom radio that is installed in your area.

The Salt and Sill is Sweden's floating hotel. As the name suggest, thus is a hotel that floats on water. This construct is found on the island off Kladesholmen. This island is found to the west off the coast of Sweden. The hotel features six two-story buildings. They are designed in contemporary Scandinavian style with light rooms divided into bright areas. The hotel's namesake restaurant provides some of the best that is to be offered in seafood in that particular region. The hotel is tugged by a boat that boasts its own spa and it frequently venture out to sea.

The Kolarbyn Eco-Lodge is found near the Lake Skarsjon off Route 233. This is found in central Sweden and is the country's most primitive hotel. This hotel is geared at the lovers of minimalistic retreating. The hotel has no indoor plumbing, running water or electricity. The stove that is provided is a wood stove. The only source of water is a near-by stream and it has to be boiled n the wood stove. His stove is also where food is prepared and it is consumed in a communal dining hut designed in a Sami-style. The only bit of pampering that is provided by this minimalistic designed hotel is the rustic sauna.

The Jumbo Stay is the conversion of a seven forty-seven jumbo airplane into a hotel. The hotel is found at the Stockholm Arlanda airport. The pilot cockpit along with the black box room has been redesigned as luxurious suites. The rest of the airplane is designed in small room and snug dorms.

The Varghotellet is a hotel that is located next door Jarvzoo. This is a wildness animal park that is home to many of Sweden's Nordic animals. This may include bears, reindeer, muskoxen, lynx and wolves among another animal native to the country. This hotel is for the visitors that want to get up close and personal with the wild life of the country. The Gardsjo Elk Park is also a hotel that is much like the Varghotellet and is designed for the enjoyment of nature and wildlife. This is a self-contained cottage for two people that is found in the middle of Gardsjo Elk Park. It was once an 18th-century farm but has since been converted.

The Woodpecker hotel is similar to the tree hotel but it is a completely different thing. It is suspended above Vasteras's public park. To enter this hotel requires you climbing a rope ladder. The hotel provides no running water or electricity but they provide meals and water for its customers.

The first look of the island appears to be a streak beyond the cluster of gray clouds. As the sky gets clearer with the whipping of wind, it reveals a slight spot of the galaxy and the satellite's minor arc. The streak begins to illuminate and erect, striking off the successions of anguishing rotations before falling to the earth's surface.

In the old times, the people of Lofoten considered these northern lights as the angry gods' visible form which is hopeful to expose the unconscious souls in the sky to forever roam across the darkness. Even nowadays, to prevent from the unknown danger, local people here have a superstition to not to whistle during dawn. The life of a fisherman is full of perils here.

The icy paths, the uninvited cyclones here make it really tough for fishermen. The fishermen used to wear woolen clothes in the nineteenth century,' says guide Rahner Palsson adding that if the fisherman falls overboard, there is no chance to come up rubbing his hands to keep warmth. Then he led the way to the Lofoten's oldest fishing town-Nusfjord now turned into a living museum.

The temptress that made fishermen risk their lives is the reason what Norway is today was the cod fish. The life of fishermen was very difficult. This nutritious fish was one of the biggest reasons that made the pirates travel farther and this fish was the preference in their voyage's stuff. Cod has been the biggest export material for centuries now.

Some hundred years ago, almost 90 percent of Norwegian income used to come from taxation on stockfish-says Hartvig Sverdrup, a fish factory owner in Reine, a town surrounded by mountains in the form of a horseshoe. Hartvig's ancestors established the factory precisely five generations ago and the trading is quite same till date.

The export of the Great crates of fish is done directly to the markets of Nigeria, to the British chip shops and restaurants in Italy. The guide says taking a bite from a dried fish by whacking it with an axe that most of the population loves to eat fresh fishes only. He adds that the pirates used to take stockfish with them instead of raping and killing often, the cod fish became their prime source of trading.

The Lofoten islands' people's interest in fish has gone beyond the thoughts of commerce for years now. Lofoten people are insane about the cod fish. The fisher department would travel 500 miles long from the Barents Sea to the south where meets the cluster of island's warm waters to spawn en masse. Their meat becomes leaner and the prices are high after that very lengthy quest. Olga Wiesniewska, a Polish Ph.D. student completing his studies of fisheries in the famous town of Å adds that Norwegians wait for the code to arrive whole year long. His all the fishermen friends are eagerly waiting for the fish and now they can't be seen anymore as they are always out fishing 24x7.

Even in the beginning of the season, the sea is paved with fishing boats and these boats staggering over the bouncy tides following the seagull's pathways in the quest to drag a magnificent green-grey fish. For commercial traders, the limit is 13 tons on a fine day of good luck but most Norwegians are satisfied with a line and one or two can be taken out with beer for a supper too. The crusher rewarded a kilogram of coffee by theLofotposten newspaper after Lofoten got its first ‘coffee cod' – the first 30kg catch of the year.

Umea was granted as the capital of European culture. It is important part of nor land and the capital of Vasterbotten; it is also the northernmost region of Sweden. It has been able to get this title due to the attractive river side, outdoor activities performed whole year, a lot of cultural events and highly energetic student living around.

As per the history, Umea was formed in the 14th century on the land which was used by the nomadic Sami for its reindeer grazing. In the whole year of celebration, the culture of Sami has an important role. If the culture could not give celebration then Umea also has large number of celebrity daughters and sons from the profession of the novelist, fashion experts, brands and the number of athletes out of which two have won the gold medal at Olympic.

Umea organize the continuous program of cultural functions throughout the year 2014 along with Sami which is a part of Sami. Umbeje is the region that is part of cultural tradition occupied by reindeer that encompasses northern part of Sweden, Finland and Norway and also part of Russia's Peninsula. The whole year events are separated into eight parts according to the calendar that showcases the Sami's tradition according to a different time when reindeer herd. The Bildmuseet show different artist for each of the part and the Vasterbotten which is a museum has a responsibility to focus on the culture and the life which Sami's live.

The main parts of Sami's cultural fest of whole year highlights are showcase here- Winter (from 30th of January to 27th of February) The event opens on the weekend with lots of focus on the Sami's theme. There is sound of snow burning and lighting show that creates a ghostly performance on icy river, Radhustorget occupied by teepee that is temporary, reindeer, cooking smell, and courtesy that is in Sapmi slow food. This is coldest and darkest part of the year so it is the perfect time for making sculpture form ice, making firs and conducting laser shows in the city. It is the best time for presenting the arctic show, aurora of Borealis on the skies of Umea and doing lots of activity in the snow at a different time and with different people or one can play its their own steam cross the country sky and also snowshoes.

Spring (from 28th of February to 29th of April) It is the perfect time to perform the activities as it is not cold as winter and also the light are brighter than that time. The celebration of Sami's week thus increases with shows of art, exhibitions of handicrafts, films, lectures, performance of dance and theater in the museum of Vasterbotten and also other places. In March last, Umea presents the grand slam open for 2014 which was the greatest festival for rock type music in Sweden. While in the last of April in the weekend there are shows related to the modern type of dance in Umea Norrland. As the part of the fest going on the authors of all over world and Sweden also descends the city.

Total spring (from 30th of April to 19th of June) With the start of spring the rivers and other water bodies become ice free, the people living in Umea start the water activities in place of ice ones. They start doing boating, fishing, and canoeing. The museum of Vasterbotten also focuses on the crafting events like leather work, textile, the carving of bones, silversmith creation all done in Sapmi. The sound entertainment is done by the Norrland people as the native people refuse to play while the stadion Musik have presented the collision of music and sport that are part of the athletic game.

Summer (from 20th of June to 10th of July) The days are very long in the arctic region as the sun is lit from midnight and it is the best time for having a feast in the restaurant over the boat on the river with fresh grilled food. Umea tells about their pagan talent by doing the celebration in mid of summer season that involve enjoyment by playing tradition song, dancing, enjoying food and drinking. Though Umea is the metal region of the Sweden but it has its festival showing that it has more things apart from it that are its musical ability.

Deep summer (from 11th of July to 28th of August) It is the warmest part of the year and people take advantage of this time. With U x U which is the mix festival of art, film and music held at Hedlunda Park and many other places like a river barge. The Elektra opera Richard by Norrland is organized at old barracks of the military.