CHASE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
10 Nights
- Duration:
- 10 Nights
From
AUD$7,190
Price per person
Package Details
Overview
11 days - Escorted Small Group tour to Norway and Finland with southbound Norwegian Coastal Voyage
Chase the Northern Lights in some of the most magical destinations in Scandinavia and the Nordics. For 11 days experience untouched wilderness, the home of Santa Claus and tour Bergen. There will be unforgettable experiences, from three nights in a glass roofed cabin where you may be able to marvel at the northern lights from the comfort of your bed to exhilarating husky experiences.
Details
- Daily breakfasts
- English speaking tour escort
- English speaking local guide for city tours in Bergen
- Outdoor clothing for winter activities/safaris (winter boots, balaclavas, woollen socks, mittens, overalls, tube scarf) at the Aurora Cabins
- Free use of snowshoes, cross-country skis, toboggans, ice-skates and kick sledges at the Aurora Cabins
- Free aurora alert at the Aurora Cabins
- Dinners at the Aurora Cabins
- Final group dinner in Bergen
- Overnight in a Gamme cabin at the Kirkenes Snowhotel including dinner
- Lunch and a guided visit to cultural musuem Sami Siida, Inari
- Three nights in Aurora cabins (similar to a glass igloo with open glass roof)
- Voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes with Havila, 6 nights in unspecified outside cabin (15m2) with window, fridge, sofa, desk, TV with international channels, hairdryer, tea and coffee making facilities, toilet & shower (Pre-booked cabin upgrades available on request subject to availability).
- All meals during the Norwegian Coastal voyage
- Transfers: Ivalo Airport to Ivalo/Inari and to Kirkenes
- Winter or Autumn activities depending on the season: King Crab Safari, WINTER ACTIVITIES: Reindeer Farm Visit, Snowmobile Safari, Husky Safari, Aurora hunting by car
AUTUMN ACTIVITIES: Husky wagon ride, Panorama sauna and jacuzzi, Floating wood sauna experience, Aurora hunting by car and BBQ workshop. (Please note that the coastal voyage optional activities are not included.) - Meals in total: Daily breakfasts, 6 lunches, 10 dinners and 2 activity snacks & hot drinks
- 24-hour emergency service
- Taxes and service fees
NOT INCLUDED
International flight tickets, Norwegian coastal voyage optional excursions, any airport taxes, airport departure transfer in Bergen, travel insurance, visas, gratitudes and any items of personal nature.
Portage is not included – you will be responsible for carrying all your luggage.
Highlights include
• Southbound voyage on the Norwegian Coastal Voyage (Kystruten)
• Sights and sounds of the Norwegian coast
• 3 nights in a glass roofed cabin in Lapland
• 1 night in a gamme (log) cabin
• City tour in Bergen
• Husky experience
• Aurora hunting by car
• Reindeer experience
• Small group sizes, maximum 18 travellers
• No unnecessary bus driving
Itinerary
- Day 1
- Arrive to Ivalo, transfer to your hotel
- Day 2
- Reindeer Safari & Snowmobile Safari
- Day 3
- Husky Safari through the forests and Aurora hunting by car
- Day 4
- Bus to Kirkenes, skirting lakes and snow-clad forests
- Day 5
- Arctic King Crab Safari and then board your Norwegian Coastal Voyage ship
- Day 6
- Enjoy the last of the North- Hammerfest and Tromsø
- Day 7
- Vesterålen and Lofoten
- Day 8
- Embrace the 7 sisters mountains in the Arctic Circle
- Day 9
- Old towns of Molde and Kristiansund, then Trondheim
- Day 10
- Western Islands, then disembark in Bergen
- Day 11
- Departure Day
Terms
PLEASE NOTE: Winter departures have unspecified outside cabins with windows on the Norwegian coastal voyage, we are able to upgrade cabins on request to superior or suites.
Activities differ when travelling in Autumn (before the snow arrives). Autumn Activites in Ivalo will be a husky wagon ride, wood sauna experience and Aurora hunting by car.
We recommend arriving into Helsinki a day or so before the tour starts and enjoying this city. The first few days on tour is very busy and not being affected by jetlag will help you enjoy the activities.
You can pre-book your optional Norwegian Coastal Voyage excursions with us. However, you can also wait until you are on board and do it then. Excursions and their contents are subject to maximum/minimum numbers and weather/local conditions.
MEDICAL AND HEALTH INFORMATION:
All travellers need to be in good physical health in order to participate fully on this trip. When selecting your trip please make sure you have read through the itinerary carefully and assess your ability to manage and enjoy group travel. During winter, roads and footpaths can be icey so please consider carefully how much luggage you bring as you will be responsible for carrying all the luggage on these outside paths. There is limited portage service in Scandinavia and your tour escorts cannot help you, beyond reason.
Scandinavia is a fairly accessible destination for people with restricted mobility and other disabilities and is actively working to be more accessible every day. However, please note that our group tours are often not suitable for persons with limited accessibility due to inclusions and pace. 50 Degrees North is committed to making travel widely accessible, regardless of ability or disability and we can tailor-make independent itineraries for travellers when needed. Please contact us for further details.
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL:
Several of your accommodations on this itinerary are Nordic Choice hotels, who we support due to their outstanding sustainability policies. This group of hotels are ISO 14001 certified (which is given to enterprises that have a high-quality environmental managing system), has launched plastic free initiatives in partnership with WWF, where possible is powered by renewable energy and are taking great strides to reduce water consumption and reduce the use of chemicals. Even though access to water is not an issue in Nordic countries compared to other parts of the world, this hotel is conscious of the energy consumed for heating, and chemicals required for purification, so reduction makes up part of their overall environmental policy. In addition to this they provide sustainable, organic, fair-trade food, and only use sustainably produced palm oil. Your hosts also encourage guests to eat less meat and substitute this for plant-based alternatives.
Your glass igloo hosts in Ivalo were the first accommodation in Northern Lapland to receive the Green Key award, the leading standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry. This prestigious eco-label represents a commitment by businesses that their premises adhere to the strict criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education. Some examples of how they carry this out include offering recycling facilities in all cabins and no longer offering plastic bottles in accommodations, along with protecting the diversity of the surrounding nature, i.e., bird house and insect hotels. Hiking, biking, and skiing tracks are direct from the hotel and as such they encourage low carbon activities such as snowshoeing and toboggans.
Your journey along the iconic Norwegian coastline comprises a large element of this tour. Traditionally the company Hurtigruten had exclusive access to this route, but in 2017 the Norwegian government ended their 130-year monopoly by granting Havila access and allowing them to also take travellers along the coastline. With this change comes innovation; traditionally the ships on this route are powered by fossil fuels however the Havila ships are fitted with batteries and can partly run on renewable hydroelectric power. Not only will the lack of noise and emissions improve the tourist experience and disruption to the environment, but the approach is essential to meet the strict zero emissions regulations for the fjord region to be introduced by the Norwegian government later this decade. We are proud to partner with Havila for this journey, and welcome their newer, greener ships.
Please note this tour is not suitable for children under the age of 14.