The path narrows as you push deeper into the pines outside Harads, a small village in Swedish Lapland roughly 70 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. The forest closes in, the light filters cold and silver through the canopy, and then you see it — a disc suspended between the trunks, hovering four to six metres above the ground as though it landed last night and hasn't decided to leave.

This is the UFO, one of the most distinctive rooms in Treehotel's celebrated collection. Its origins sit in deliberate contrast to the Bird's Nest, an earlier Treehotel creation built on the principle of disappearing into the landscape. The UFO goes the other way entirely. A lightweight composite shell, engineered to spread its load through hidden anchors rather than intrude on the supporting trees, it announces itself without apology. The entry alone earns its name: press a button and a ladder descends from the underside of the craft.

Inside, the 30-square-metre pod is calmer than you expect. Curved walls replace hard corners, and the room reads as larger than its footprint. A double bed sits on one side; three compact bunks tuck neatly into the opposite wall, making it a genuinely practical space for families of up to five. Circular windows frame the forest in slow, cinematic cuts. Pale wood, restrained lighting and zero clutter give the interior the feel of Scandinavian design applied to something genuinely strange. Nightly rates start from around 6,000 SEK to 6,500 SEK, varying by season and availability — a luxury tier that reflects both the engineering and the experience.

The setting rewards every season differently. Winter, running from December through March, delivers deep snow, polar darkness and a real chance of Northern Lights above the canopy. The UFO feels most otherworldly then, with temperatures that can drop to around minus twenty and a silence broken only by the crack of frost-laden branches. Summer flips the atmosphere entirely: the midnight sun keeps the sky luminous well past midnight, the Lule River glints through the treeline, and the forest smells of pine sap and warm earth. Autumn brings clear, amber days and early frosts, with aurora chances rising again as the nights lengthen.

The sustainability thinking here runs deeper than the visual spectacle. The structure barely touches its host trees, distributing load through composite ribs and anchor points designed to minimise bark intrusion. For guests who want something genuinely forward-looking, that restraint matters as much as the design.

The UFO suits families chasing a shared adventure, couples who want luxury without any trace of rusticity, and travellers who have stayed in beautiful places but want to stay in an impossible one. Children orbit it in pure delight. Adults orbit it with similar energy, just with better-maintained composure.

Harads sits in a remote corner of northern Sweden, and most guests arrive by car or fly into Luleå before driving north. Those travelling without a car will find that bus 44 stops at Harads Tree Hotel, approximately 68 metres from the property — a useful option for guests arriving on regional services. An alternative stop, Harads Hälsocentral Väg 97, served by buses 44 and 266, sits roughly 1.4 kilometres away. Service frequency and journey times are best confirmed locally before travel.