The Nature of the Archipelago in Roslagen

Roslagen's archipelago is located in the northern part of the Stockholm Archipelago and is the perfect place for kayaking. The area has 13,000 islands and is one of Sweden's most unique water landscapes. Thousands of years of exposure and erosion have helped to form their smooth and undulating appearance. The islands are home to a diversity of flora and fauna. You can, for example, find rare and protective orchids and see various species of sea birds like eiders, sea gulls and the impressive sea eagle. In spring and autumn migrating birds can be seen resting among the islands before continuing their journey.

The archipelago is divided up in two parts, the inner and the outer. The inner archipelago starts in the Community of Österåker and follows the coastline eastward to Furusund, here it changes into an intermediate archipelago before it becomes the outer archipelago. West of Furusund, one of the most beautiful islands, is called Ängsö (Meadow Island) and is Sweden's oldest and smallest National Park. It is famous for its variety of rare and protected orchids. In this inner archipelago you can find countless islands and islets where the vegetation is a combination of conifers and deciduous trees. Most of the mainland beaches of the inner archipelago are inhabited, but there are plenty of beautiful places suitable for camping.

The landscape changes dramatically as you enter the eastern part of the outer archipelago. The islands are more spread out and the landscape tends to be rockier and rougher. You will start to notice that the sea is not far away. Not many people live here during the winter.

Roslagens archipelago is very diverse. From the mainland you can do fantastic one day or two day kayaking trips. Some of the recommended destinations are Vattungarna, Röder, Fredlarna and Norrpada. The nature here can be described as a small network of channels going through thousands of islands and islets. When paddling between the islands you will see that the sunlight will reflect a beautiful red colour from the granite on the islands - a spectacular colour show. There will be no problem for you to find an exclusive place to camp for the night. However, be aware of the fragile environment and that some islands have landing restrictions due to nesting sea birds.

Another area worth visiting is Söderarm - one of the oldest lighthouses in the Baltic Sea

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