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Authentic activities in Dalarna: Experience the Swedish nature

Staying on the Swedish countryside, a little further away from the tourist attractions, has its charm. We have adjusted the activities that you can book with us to this by taking into account that unique natural phenomena are experienced more clearly in the countryside. The light, the darkness, the colour, the shadow, the cold, the ice, the snow, the heat, the scents, the sound and the silence: you will stimulate all your senses during an activity.

Choose to experience them yourself or let us help you!

Join us for our torch trip to our cosy bakery in the village. It is a magical and exciting experience to go with a torch in the dark or dusk. It should often be just us there on the trail. When we are very quiet, we will probably see deer, foxes or other forest animals. If there is a lot of snow, we tie snowshoes underneath, which is an even more unique experience.

We walk through the forest to the cosy Snitts Hantverksbageri, a small bakery in the middle of the village. We warm up in front of the fireplace and enjoy a Swedish Fika. Baker Kärsti can tell you how it used to be here. Her grandmother had a large bakery/pastry shop in the '40s. After the trip, we walk back to Näsets Marcusgård.

What do you get?

• Adventure feeling
• Learn more about nature and the village of Furudal
• Enjoy the aroma and coffee in the bakery
• Energy by being active and having a fun time together
  

Meeting point: Näsets Marcusgård

Time: about 3 hours

Your adventure already begins when you drive to the farm of Below Zero husky tours through Dalarna’s beautiful countryside. When you arrive the owners Josefine and Niklas welcome you and introduce you to their huskies.

When you and the dogs are ready to go on our adventure, Niklas and Josefine open the gates and you rush out into the wilderness, straight into Dalarna’s forest. Be overwhelmed by the winter scenery.

Feel the power, joy and the will of the dogs. Be surrounded by an environment filled with the excited anticipation and barking of the huskies as their adrenaline rises. Then, soon as the line is released enjoy a quiet silence. The only sound to be heard are of the dogs breathing as they run together through the pristine, snowy Swedish countryside.

You are now out enjoying nature on a dog sled ride.

You can choose from two options:

1. Go by dogsled: Enjoy the tranquility and proximity to the wilderness, sitting on a dog sled pulled by a bunch of eager and happy Siberian huskies. Behind you is a guide who steers the sled through the scenic wilderness of Dalarna.
2. Run your own dog sled: Experience how it feels to be a dogsled driver. Learn how we work with the dogs, to harness them and put them in front of the sled. Let the dogs lead you out into the wilderness of Dalarna and feel their cooperation as a team.

What do you get?

• The tranquility and proximity to the wilderness
• Feeling of bygone times
• Cozy Dala environment
• Äventyr känsla

Meeting point: Below Zero Husky farm

Time: about one hour

The high north is known for its summers full of long light days. The sun goes down late and returns very early. This is extreme between May and mid-July, although that will soon be later and later after July. The most special is the sunrise, the time when nature awakes, still undisturbed by people.

Get up early, join us and witness the awakening of the forest. If you are lucky you will be treated to amazing colours in the sky. But even when it is cloudy, it is special to see and hear how Swedish animal life wakes up (or who is still awake). On the way, we enjoy the silence, colours, the fresh scent of the forest, animals such as moose, deer and foxes and other wild animals. And when does the first chirping of early birds begin? Maybe when we have our breakfast at a nice spot.

The midnight sun is the phenomenon where the sun does not go under the horizon at night. In the period between the end of May and mid-July, the sun does not want to go under above the Arctic Circle. The further north, the longer this period. Here in Furudal, we are dealing with a short twilight, and around two o'clock at night the sun is shining again. The strange thing is that you get extra energy from those long days. You will see that getting up is a lot easier. Come walk with us and discover for yourself what this early light does to you. On the way, we enjoy the nocturnal animals such as elk, deer and foxes, and we and we treat you to a typical Swedish midsummersnäck.

We can’t think of a more Swedish pastry than kanelbullar, cinnamon buns. Both children as adults love their kanelbullar, and they have had a prominent place in the Swedish coffee table. They like them so much, and they decided to dedicate a whole day to its existence. They celebrate cinnamon buns every year on the 4th October, since 1999. But it’s not all that easy peasy to bake them. Book this workshop and learn the secret of baking them yourself. In her cosy kitchen baker Kärsti shows you how to make the best knot, how to make them juicy and how to give them an authentic look.

Knäckebröd workshop: You can also choose to bake another typical Swedish delicacy: knäckebröd (crispbread). Which ingredients taste best? How do you work with knäckebröd dough? How do you get your knäckebröd crispy?

While you’ll baking, you can ask baker Kärsti more about our little village Furudal. Her grandfather had his bakery on the same spot during the 40/50’s. The baking class ends with Fika (Swedish coffee break).

A 1.5-hour forest bath in Näsets Marcusgårds forest. During this stay, you will meet the owners who will tell you about, and will show you their tree house Supermåne and forest shed Oddis Öga. We cook coffee or tea on the wood stove in the Supermåne and finish with a simple but cosy Swedish Fika.

Cycle great distances in no time, sometimes on forest roads, dirt roads, up and down the hills, discover brand new places where you normally never go. You can do everything on a mountain bike. You do not need to transport them here if you live here. Just rent from us, choose a trail that suits you and enjoy. Through good cooperation with Utesport in Rättvik, we can offer quality bikes. We have already developed some beautiful routes and put them on Strava. Please add new ones. When you want to try but feel insecure, we can help you. We have different trails to beginners and can arrange a guide for you.

Do you come with a large group? Just ask in advance: we can arrange bicycles for you.

a SUP is a perfect way to explore the beautiful lakes and rivers in our area. Hop on a SUP-board and start your exploring adventure!

Explore on a SUP:

Three hours use of all-round boards (incl. life jacket and leash, waterproof mobile case and drybag), towel, picnic bag.

SUP and picnic: Paddle to a nice beach and have a cosy picnic.

Three hours use of all-round boards (incl. life jacket and leash, waterproof mobile case and drybag), towel, picnic bag.

Romantic SUP night: What can be more romantic than paddling together in the beautiful evening light? We surprise you with something romantic.

Three hours use of all-round boards (incl. life jacket and leash,  waterproof mobile case and drybag), towel, romantic surprise.

SUP-pa & Soup: First, paddle, Snitth's delicious soup lunch afterwards!

Three hours use of all-round boards (incl. life jacket and leash, waterproof mobile case and drybag), towel, soup lunch at Snitths hantverksbageri.

Snowshoes are an ancient invention. The modern, light variant gives you the opportunity to experience absolutely stunning places that otherwise, in winter, are completely inaccessible, down-embedded under deep snow. It is quite difficult to go with snowshoes, but also smoothly because you get even where it is too complicated with skis. Make a pleasant walk through the forest and will have many opportunities to find tracks from animals in the woods. Have a nice stop in between and drink something warm. You should surely sleep well afterwards. Through good cooperation with Trapperservice in Rättvik, we can offer quality snowshoes.

Do you come with a large group? Just ask in advance: we can arrange snowshoes for you

When there is enough snow, there are fantastic cross-country tracks in Furudal. They consist of 1 km, 2.5 km, 5 km, 7 km, 9 km and 12 km of trails. The one kilometre and five-kilometre track are electrically illuminated. When the ice on Lake Oresjön and Skattungesjön is thick enough, our villagers also create lovely trails on the lake. And that it is nice here proves foreign cross-country groups that came especially to Furudal, to train here in the village. Through good cooperation with Utesport in Rättvik, we can offer high-quality cross-country skiing equipment (wax-free).

If there is less snow or you like to train a longer distance, then you can best go to Orsa Grönklitt.

Our Favourites

On Visit Dalarna, you will find complete information about what to do and see in our region. Of course, we have a list of favourites of our own. For example, visiting the summer farms of Ärteråsen is a must. Climb the watchtower for great views. In the summer, there is a lovely beach hopping along the Orelake. Or start at Ore's Lanthandel and go to all the “loppis shops” around the lake and drink a nice coffee at the Lanthandel in Dalfors. You can also take a walk from our walking booklet, which will be ready for you upon arrival.

Here in the village, there is also a real ice hockey arena. Experience the vibes of the Swedish ice hockey scene here in the town and go to watch a game. Well, as long as you applaud for IFK Ore (home team). Try skating on a lake? Around February, there is a good chance that you can skate on Lake Siljan from Rättvik. We can tell you from experience: it’s a special feeling on such a vast lake.

For children, the fairy tale park Tomteland winter is excellent. Santa Claus, trolls, fairies, witches and wizards, and other fairy-tale characters walk around, and there is a lot to see and do in their houses. If you want to look at real wolves and bears (animals that live here but usually hide), go to the Orsa Bear Park. Water lovers will certainly like Leksand Sommarland, but remember it can be jam-packed there.

As far as culture is concerned, the Zorn Museum is our favourite. The next-door house of the artist Zorn and his wife is also worth a tour. The Zorncafe is also highly recommended. The Falu Gruva in Falun is also high on our favourite list. And maybe your favourite pop artist will perform this summer in Dalhalla (an outdoor concert stage in a former quarry). For shopping, the (covered) Kupolen in Borlänge is fun. Many shops are together, warm and dry when the weather is terrible.

Food? In Furudal, you can buy groceries at the ICA supermarket. Or lunch at Snitths Hantverksbageri. If you want a dinner experience, Solgårdskrogen in Nittsjö is a top. During the summer you can dine in their greenhouse in the middle of the meadow. For a cosy mix-and-match dinner with original decor, Bistro Apan in Vikarbyn is cool. And if you take a walk on the longest pier in Sweden, which happens to be in Rättvik, then restaurant Sjövillan is a nice place to eat. Smidgården in Fryksås is our personal favourite if we need a little “Alpine” feeling and a beautiful view. More tips can be found in the manual, which is ready for you upon arrival.