The Northern Lights from Ravnastua, Norway. Taken on one of my trips.
2013 Northern Lights Expeditions to Norway, travelling by road and snow scooter, staying in mountain cabins. Including food, ice fishing, snow scooter use and photo/video tuition. You must book your own flights to Tromso or Alta.
Arrive 1st Feb – Depart 7th Feb 2013 £1175 per person, Max 8 persons includes extra snow scooter excursion and overnight stay at second mountain cabin on high plateaux.
Arrive 7th Feb 2013 – Depart 13th Feb 2013 £1125 per person. Max 8 people.
Please use the contact form to hold a place and for more details. Spaces limited.
Every year I run small expeditions to Norway. These trips have proved to be so popular that I have had to turn people away most years and many people come back year after year.
These are magical experiences of a lifetime. 2012/2013 should be one of the best years for seeing the Aurora for the next 11 years. It will be close to the peak of the solar cycle, when the Aurora is at it’s most intense.
The first day is the arrival day. You must make your own way to Tromso or Alta (check with me for confirmation) in Northern Norway. You will be met at the airport and taken to a nice hotel nearby. If the weather conditions are good then we will spend the evening watching the Northern Lights.
The Northern Lights Highway.
Day 2 we have an early start to make the long but interesting drive along the “Northern Lights Highway” across the very top of Finland and back into Norway. This journey takes us through some of the coldest parts of Europe where deep snow and temperatures below -20c are normal. At about 3pm we will arrive just outside the small town of Karasjok.
One of the snow scooters. Note that we normally use sledges as well.
Here we exchange our mini-bus for snow scooters as we prepare to head off into the remote Arctic wilderness. After a 60 minute (20km) snow scooter ride up through a beautiful snow covered forest, up beyond the tree line and across frozen lakes we will come to a group of small huts at a remote place called Ravnastua.
The group of cabins at Ravnastua.
This is a magical place, far from the stresses of our modern lives where life is simple, the air is clear and fresh and the scenery breath taking. After a hearty diner of local food in the communal dining hut we will spend the evening watching out for “Thor’s Chariots” or the Northern Lights.
Day 3 is spent exploring the local area by snow scooter. We often encounter Reindeer herds and husky dog teams. I run video and stills photography workshops during the short day. Sunrise is at 9am, the sun starts to set around 2pm, but takes a couple of hours to go down, giving an incredible couple of hours where the light is breathtaking.
Our accommodation in the cabins is shared, 4 beds to a room. Heating is from a log stove. Toilets are very basic as it is too cold for running water (it can get down to -36c). But it’s comfortable and the atmosphere in the evenings is social and highly enjoyable sitting around the log burner enjoying our host Oskars local stories, enjoying a drink and watching the stars and Aurora. Ravnastua was chosen as the final destination due to it’s mountain location. The locals say that when the temperature gets down to -20c then the sky will be clear. Our experience is that this is indeed true and every year we have seen the Aurora from this location.
Day 4 will be spent further exploring the local area, possibly with an excursion to Karasjok or Alta, weather and snow conditions permitting. Again the evening is spent watching for the Northern Lights. On at least one evening Oskar will prepare the traditional Sauna Hut. This is a communal hut with a large cast iron long burning stove. Water is poured on the stove to create steam and the hut becomes a very hot Sauna. This is how the local stay clean. Rolling in the snow between sauna sessions is optional, but highly recommended! When you get back to your nice warm cabin after the Sauna there is no need for a hair dryer as you’ll be able to just brush out the ice. Your hair will freeze during the short walk to the main huts, but you won’t feel cold at all.
Reindeer Herds near the cabins.
Day 5 is another early start as we depart the cabins by snow scooter and head back down the valley to collect the mini-bus. We now start the drive back to Tromso, only this time we will travel back via Alta passing along frozen rivers and taking the coastal route crossing two fjords by ferry. Along the way we will stop for photos by some of the frozen waterfalls, lakes and fjords that are common along this route. We also cross one of the highest mountain passes in Norway and this can be an adventure in itself as the weather can be quite extreme across the tops of the mountains. We spend the night in Tromso and if the sky is clear we will find interesting vantage points to view the Northern Lights.
Day6 is departure day. You will be dropped at the airport for your flight home.
The 2010 group. It was -36c when this picture was taken!
Beautiful Ice-Scapes will be found everywhere.
Wood piles around the camp covered in deep snow.
