{"id":10725,"date":"2025-03-22T10:35:20","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T09:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/?p=10725"},"modified":"2025-03-22T11:29:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T10:29:36","slug":"or-see-reindeer-in-sweden-meet-sami-breeder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/or-see-reindeer-in-sweden-meet-sami-breeder\/","title":{"rendered":"Where to see reindeer in Sweden: Meet a S\u00e1mi herder"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Indigenous people originating from Lapland, the<\/strong>\u00a0Sami<\/strong>\u00a0have been herding reindeer for millennia and are the only officially recognized indigenous people in Sweden. Their culture, deeply rooted in traditions, is expressed throughreindeer herding<\/strong>, crafts, traditional clothing and events such as the\u00a0festival Jokkmokks Marknad<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, where we discover their cuisine and their captivating songs, the famous jo\u00efks.<\/p>

During our stay in Swedish Lapland at\u00a0Lev Naturanda<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, we had the chance to meet\u00a0Borje<\/strong>, a S\u00e1mi reindeer herder, and learn more about his way of life.<\/p>

If, like us, you dream of getting up close to these fascinating animals while discovering a rich and little-known culture, this article is for you!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"B\u00f6rje,\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"B\u00f6rje,\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"B\u00f6rje,\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Where to see reindeer in Sweden? Head to Vildmarkscamp Mal\u00e5<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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No need to travel all the way to the far north of the country to meet reindeer herders! B\u00f6rje and its camp are located in the municipality of\u00a0Mala<\/strong>, in the county of<\/strong>\u00a0V\u00e4sterbotten<\/strong>, at about\u00a03 hours west of Ume\u00e5<\/strong>\u00a0\u200eand\u00a02 hours from Skellefte\u00e5<\/strong>.<\/p>

The journey is well worth the detour: even if some roads can be bumpy, the\u00a0magnificent landscapes<\/strong>\u00a0of the Lappish countryside more than compensate for the bumps of the journey.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Meeting with a S\u00e1mi reindeer herder<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When we arrived there, we found ourselves\u00a0in the heart of nature<\/strong>, far from the tourist hustle and bustle. Here, there were no mass visits: only another family and our hosts shared the experience with us, making the exchange even more authentic.<\/p>

B\u00f6rje welcomed us warmly and took the time to tell us about\u00a0the history of his people<\/strong>. He explained to us how thereindeer herding<\/strong>\u00a0is passed down from generation to generation and how the\u00a0Sami today<\/strong>\u00a0continue to adapt their way of life in the face of contemporary challenges.<\/p>

We discovered the\u00a0harshness of their daily lives<\/strong>, between the extreme climatic conditions (The cold is obviously not a problem, but the ice is. It has been particularly present this winter, where temperatures have continued to play a roller coaster.) which complicate the search for food for the reindeer and the presence of\u00a0predators<\/strong>\u00a0like bears. B\u00f6rje also told us about the\u00a0difficulties related to government decisions<\/strong>\u00a0which impact their profession, an often overlooked aspect of S\u00e1mi culture.<\/p>

Even before meeting the reindeer, we were already captivated by this sincere and exciting exchange, which allowed us to better understand\u00a0the importance of these animals<\/strong>\u00a0for the Sami.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Reindeer\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Reindeer\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Approaching reindeer in Swedish Lapland<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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After this moment of sharing, we headed to the enclosure to meet the reindeer! Contrary to what we thought, these animals are not\u00a0domesticated<\/strong>\u00a0and do not live in captivity. They roam\u00a0freely vast territories<\/strong>\u00a0and simply return to the breeders to feed themselves.<\/p>

Before entering, B\u00f6rje explained to us how\u00a0approach the reindeer<\/strong>\u00a0and gave us some moss to offer them. It was a magical moment: some approached slowly, willingly accepting our offering, while others, more timid, preferred to keep their distance.<\/p>

We were struck by their\u00a0calm and their delicacy<\/strong>Unlike other animals that can be pushy about food, reindeer beg with an almost polite gentleness. They are completely free to leave if they wish, which further reassured us thatethics of this experience<\/strong>.<\/p>

A moment\u00a0out of time<\/strong>, which we are not likely to forget.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Meeting\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Meeting\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Meeting\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Meeting\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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More than just a meeting with the reindeer<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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If you want to experience this\u00a0unique experience<\/strong>, go to the website of\u00a0Vildmarkscamp Mal\u00e5<\/strong><\/em><\/a>\u00a0to book your visit.<\/p>

In addition to the reindeer activity, the camp offers other experiences such as a\u00a0traditional lunch<\/strong>, of the\u00a0fishing trips<\/strong>\u00a0and various\u00a0outdoor games<\/strong>.<\/p>

So, ready to meet the\u00a0reindeer in Lapland<\/strong>\u00a0and to learn more about the\u00a0Sami today<\/strong>\u00a0?<\/p>

And to follow all our adventures, go to Instagram<\/a> !\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Peuple autochtone originaire de Laponie, les\u00a0S\u00e1mi\u00a0\u00e9l\u00e8vent des rennes depuis des mill\u00e9naires et sont le seul peuple autochtone officiellement reconnu en Su\u00e8de. Leur culture, profond\u00e9ment ancr\u00e9e dans les traditions, s\u2019exprime \u00e0 travers l\u2019\u00e9levage des rennes, l\u2019artisanat, les v\u00eatements traditionnels et des \u00e9v\u00e9nements comme le\u00a0festival Jokkmokks Marknad, o\u00f9 l\u2019on d\u00e9couvre leur cuisine et leurs chants envo\u00fbtants, les […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[249],"tags":[],"regions":[143],"class_list":["post-10725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations","regions-la-laponie-suedoise"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10725"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10767,"href":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10725\/revisions\/10767"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10725"},{"taxonomy":"regions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sweden-life.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/regions?post=10725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}