Bring out your inner Viking with an adventure deep in a Swedish spruce forest. Twelve tiny charcoal huts, covered with earth to protect them from the elements, each house two single beds covered with animal skins, an open fireplace and candles for light (there’s no electricity or running water). Spartan? Yes. But that’s part of the joy. The rest is found in the activities: wilderness hikes, a moose safari, swims in the lake followed by time in the floating sauna, trout fishing and snowshoeing in the winter. You chop your own wood and cook your own meals, so it’s pretty much the perfect destination for anyone wanting to get back to basics. You still can, of course, bring chocolate and wine.
Hop on a train from Stockholm to Köping, then take bus 550 to Skinnskatteberg. The trip takes about two-and-a-half hours. You can purchase tickets for both modes of transport for about US$28 at sj.se
Huts start from about US$56 per person a night.
Kolarbyn Eco-Lodge
kolarbyn.se