Get to know Stockholm on a wooden bike!

The unusual guided tour has earned Ugandan-born Faizal Luttamaguzi the 2019 Environmental Innovator of the Year Award in Sweden

Sweden is often ranked as the world’s most sustainable country in terms of environmental protection, social care and governance efficiency. Boasting 760 kilometers of bike lanes, its capital Stockholm is constantly voted as one of the most bike friendly (and beautiful) cities in the world.

For the casual tourist, however, it is rarely possible to join the dots regarding these accomplishments. And this is exactly what Ugandan-born Faizal Luttamaguzi, owner of Tours of Stockholm, has done.

Faizal has long been a proponent of sustainable tourism, his company offering many ‘off the beaten track’ sightseeing tours, incl. yoga, jogging, vegetarian food, cycling etc.

He came up with the idea of wooden bike tours after several years of experience with traditional cycling and other types of tours. As Faizal noticed, many tourists knew that Stockholm was a leader when it came to sustainability, but few knew why. And he wanted to change that, by giving people a new perspective that a traditional bike tour is not capable of.

Now the company’s wooden bike tours take avid or less-experienced cyclists around Stockholm’s historical sites and parks, including the first national city park, the splendid Rosendals Garden and the islands that have earned the city its sobriquet “Venice of the North”. Lunch breaks at restaurants serving sustainable food are provided. 

The tours, conducted typically in English, take two hours, cost SEK 500 (46,81 euro) and run from 1 March to 31 October. Zooming down bike lanes that only locals know about, visitors not only snap pictures and hear stories about the city’s rich cultural and natural heritage but learn how Stockholm has become one of the most innovative and sustainable cities globally. 

Sustainable and stylish bikes

The wooden bikes, hand-made by Greek company Coco-mat, combine style and sustainability. The bicycle frame, handlebar, and splash screens are crafted from sustainably produced oak, and the remaining parts are recyclable. 

Faizal’s efforts for creating and promoting fossil-free tourism have earned him the 2019 Environmental Innovator of the Year Award by the Swedish Transport Administration. Role models like him are in high demand, as the transport sector accounts for one-third of all carbon dioxide emissions in Sweden. They must be reduced if this nation of 10 million people is to reach its fossil-free goals set for 2045.