SWEDEN/NORWAY - the host of the AR World Championship 2006
Sweden/Hemavan-Tärnaby
Hemavan/Tärnaby are two small and very genial villages not far away from each other. They are only 90 minutes from Arlanda Airport, Stockholm and in the heart of Lapland's majestic mountains.
In the Hemavan/Tärnaby area you can find all kinds of activities, both summer and winter.
Hemavan/Tärnaby is for most of the people far away from daily stress, a different world, where a genuine wilderness literally begins on your doorstep.
Most people associate Lapland with winter. This is the season of the Northern Lights, deep-, fresh-, white- snow, and numerous outdoor activities such as skiing and dog sledding.
For the native Sami the year has 8 seasons and long sunny days, ice fishing and glorious cross-country skiing trips typify their spring/winter. This is the time when the reindeer return from their winter pastures down in the forest. Herds containing thousands of reindeer can be seen in late April, early May.
Spring is a quick affair as within a couple of weeks summer makes its entry. Temperatures rise, migrating birds flock to the area, and the snow melts, cascading down in a multitude of waterfalls and mountain streams. Within a few weeks everything is green with an abundance of wild flowers springing up everywhere. It is no coincidence that one of Sweden’s best Alpine Botanical Gardens is located in Hemavan.
The summers are unique with the midnight sun. It will be a great memory for those of you who haven’t discovered this 24 hours light, you never know when its night or day...
Arctic Circle/Norway
Northern Norway is noted for its cultural diversity, contrasting nature and memorable experiences. It offers the world’s most beautiful coastline and a taste of the Arctic. Mo I Rana with neighborhood are renowned for their openness and generosity, and are always ready to tell you what it is like to live so far north.
The landscape changes from alpine mountains and narrow fjords with thriving coastal communities to endless tundra and wilderness. The contrasts in light, from midnight sun in the summer to northern auroras in the winter, help shape the way people live. In summer, 24 hours of daylight can be fully exploited for activities and/or relaxing.
You can also meet the Sámi, these indigenous people have strong traditions in fishing, hunting and reindeer herding, but have also adopted new technology and modern ways of living.
Arctic circle Norway is otherwise an eldorado for those who like outdoor activities. With Norway’s largest archipelago, Northern Scandinavians largest glacier, and the fact that Saltfjellet- Svartisen National park is a part of the largest wilderness area in Europe, anyone and everyone should find something of interest.
We also mention a number of caves, potholes, glaciers, rivers, lakes, mountain formations, beaches, festivals, sami culture, coast culture, city culture and Industrial history, and it’s obvious that there’s a lot to do. Of activities we can only mention a few like for example: diving, kayaking, hiking, fishing, biking, base jump, climbing, skiing, glacier walking, horseback riding and much, much more.
