Nearly 300 km north of Stockholm you’ll run into Järvsö.  Home to Järvzoo (website in Swedish).  A zoo in Järvsö.  See what they did there? Very creative.

Despite the creative name, heading up that far north is no day trip.  And if you do find yourself at the Järvzoo entrance (beautiful as it may be) it is expensive to get in, 175 SEK for an adult expensive.  It’s a long ways to go for a zoo.  Actually, it’s too long.

With that being said, Järvzoo is like no other zoo I have ever been to.  The zoo is more of an outdoor park mimicking Swedish nature.  And mimicking it well.  Mostly because the zoo is built smack dab in the middle of the hills and tight forests of the area.

No zoo is complete without a strange claim to fame.  And Järvzoo has one.  As you wander through the zoo you’ll be walking along Europe’s longest boardwalk at 2950 meters.

Luckily, the boardwalk isn’t really the main attraction.  Instead the zoo boasts various animals native to Sweden.  Everything from reindeer to bears to snow owls.  Many of which I had never seen in the wild.  Some of which I was glad I had never seen in the wild.  Like the pack of wolves.

Try to be there around lunch time.  Because it turns out that the animals eat right around the same time you want to be eating.  It gives you a great opportunity to see some of the more elusive animals like the wolverine and the lynx.

If you find yourself in the Järvsö area, maybe taking advantage of the Swedish Right of Public Access, and camping in the beautiful surroundings, a trip to Järvzoo will make for an excellent outing.  If in Stockholm for just a few days, head over to Skansen.

More Tips for Things to Do in Sweden

We’ve lots more travel tips for what to do in Sweden.