A woman missing for nearly two weeks in the NSW Snowy Mountains is being treated for a suspected snake bite after being found alive on Sunday.

Lovisa Sjoberg, 48, was found “dazed and confused” shortly before 5pm on the Nungar Creek Trail at Kiandra.

It was the first time the photographer, who lives near Jindabyne, had been seen since October 15, when police believe she was spotted driving a car in the Kosciuszko National Park.

The alarm wasn’t officially raised for Sjoberg until October 21, when she failed to return a hire car. The unlocked vehicle was later found at Kiandra, an abandoned former gold-mining town, as family, volunteers and officials searched for her.

On Sunday afternoon, a National Parks and Wildlife official found Sjoberg on the Creek Trail, and immediately treated her for exposure and a suspected snake bite.

Superintendent Toby Lindsay said Sjoberg was “dazed and confused” when she was found.

“She advises that she was bitten by a snake approximately four days prior and had rolled her ankle and was dehydrated. She’s, in fact, pretty fortunate to be alive and went through a pretty tough time,” he said.

She was taken to Cooma District Hospital in a stable condition.

Sjoberg, who is also known as “Kiki”, was officially reported missing on October 21 when police began an inquiry into her whereabouts.

Local horse track operator Peter Cochran, who was involved in the search, said Sjoberg would often head into the wilderness and take photos of brumbies as she was a “devout supporter” of their cause.

He said she had been tracked down with an “intense” effort by volunteers and community members, along with officials.

Police officers, including from the horse and dog units, SES, National Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW Rural Fire Service and a Surf Life Saving helicopter, were all part of the extensive search.

“The scrub is incredibly thick … you could ride within five metres and not see [someone] because the regrowth as a consequence of fires in 2020 has left an incredible amount of scrub up there, dense scrub that you’ve got a job to ride through,” Cochran told ABC Radio South East NSW.

“Kiki was a devout supporter of the brumby cause and photographed many of those horses, which are now deceased. So it was no doubt an emotional drain on her and all of us involved.”

Several Facebook groups were set up to help in the search for Sjoberg, with hundreds of people organising searches and sharing information to try to find her.

-with AAP