There are so many things to admire about Sweden. Aside from the impressive Swedish recycling revolution, where it has to import waste to fuel their energy production, the country is also a leading nature conservationist. 97% of the country is uninhabited, i.e., less than 3% of the land is developed. Sweden, also, has 29 national parks and more than 4,000 nature reserves! Take, for example, the Söderåsen National Park situated in the Skåne province in the south.

The Swedish botanist Carl Linnæus, father of taxonomy, laid the foundation for Sweden as a nature-conscious society through his influential work. I guess that it is safe to say that almost everyone in Sweden has this love affair with nature. pretty much like Norwegians. My Swedish bf and I spent most of our free weekends scouring the woods for berries, mushrooms, fish, crayfish, etc., or just wandering around the woods.

Anyway, I had the chance to visit the Söderåsen National Park in Skåne, courtesy of my aunt and uncle who live there. It is a 1,625-hectare national park and nature reserve formed in 2001, dedicated by the King of Sweden himself.

Luscious green forests, clear streams with potable water, impressive rocky cliffs, and clean man-made trails are some of the features of the huge park. We didn’t get to explore much of the deeper part, but what we saw and experienced was enough to make a good impression.

The place was very relaxing and rejuvenating. To read more about the  Söderåsen National Park and its wildlife, you can visit: Söderåsen National Park. I really hope to experience more of Sweden in the near future. Cheers!