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Welcome to the aurora borealis trip. On day one, we arrive in Lødingen on a public bus. We spend the night on the sailing-ship 'Noorderlicht' in the harbour of Lødingen. For the next seven days our stay will be aboard the s/v 'Noorderlicht', a schooner with a passenger capacity of 20.
Lofoten is an archipelago in northern Norway. The islands around Lofoten, 80 in total, are located above the Arctic Circle. Most of the islands are mountainous, the highest peak (Higravstinden) measuring 1161 meters (3800 feet). Lofoten stretches out like a wall of mountains (the "Lofoten Wall"). Between the mainland and Lofoten lies Vestfjord. It is here that we carry out our autumn and winter voyages in our sailing vessel s/v 'Noorderlicht.'
One of the great attractions of the Lofoten area is the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). Not many people know that the islands are located at exactly the right latitude for seeing the Aurora Borealis. The Northern Lights are caused by eruptions on the sun and can only be seen when it is dark. The fairly long periods of darkness in November and December make our Lofoten expeditions an ideal opportunity to admire this unbelievable phenomenon. Furthermore, the Northern Lights can only be seen when there is little light disturbance, something that is guaranteed in Lofoten.
Lofoten voyages take place in late autumn, when the days are short in Northern Norway. We can expect the first snow showers, and sometimes temperatures just above freezing. The autumn colors are beautiful during the day time. At night, an open sky gives us an opportunity to admire the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).
Today we leave Lødingen and set sail to Tysfjord. At noon we land at Musken, which is largely populated by the Sami community. Musken houses the entrance to the deeperst cave in Europe. In the evening we arrive at Hellemobotn near a deserted summer camp.
On day three, we go on an extensive tour to explore the untouched wilderness area of Hellemobotn (this area is close to the Swedish border). If you are lucky you can catch sight of a Reindeer! Later in the afternoon we sail to Drag, where we meet another Sami community. We spend the night here.
In the morning on day four, we take a morning walk to the Stone Age petroglyph´s at Leiknes. Look out for the images of animals, such as Killer Whales and Elk, carved into the hard rock of the hills! In the afternoon we climb the hill at Skarvberget which is an outlook post for Sea Eagles. In the evening we sail to Tranoy to spend the night and may visit the small museum there.
Today we walk to the lighthouse of Tranøy and admire the works of art that are placed in this small artist’s village. Tranøy is known because of the Norwegian writer and Nobel-prize winner, Knut Hamsun.
After this, we sail to the island of Skrova where we arrive late in the afternoon. We stay here for the night. Skrova is a small, rugged island where the livelihood of the 200 inhabitants is mainly fishery. It is one of the few places in Norway from where whale hunters still hunt for Minke Whales.
Day six starts with a morning walk on the island, Skrova. A relaxed walk brings us to a nice bay on the other side of the island. The adventurous ones can climb the 255 meter peak of Skrova for a 360 degree view of the island. On this walk, one has a good chance of spotting Sea Eagles.
In the afternoon, we sail for Henningsvaer, commonly referred to as the Venice of the North. This beautiful historical village was, until the beginning of the 20th century, a centre for the Lofoten Cod fisheries.
Later we sail to Svolvær the biggest town of Lofoten. We will spend the night in Svolvær. You now have a chance to enjoy the famous night-life of Svolvær!
In the morning we sail into Trollfjord, a famous steep fjord (a long, narrow inlet with steep sides, created in a valley carved by glacial activity). A few hours of sailing from Svolvær gets us to Trollfjord.
We sail in the afternoon to Hustadgaard in Vestbygd. Here we get to see the “Øye I Stein”, “Eye in Stone”, a sculpture of 37 tonnes made by the Indian artist Anish Kapoor. Afetr this, we head back to Lødingen again. We arrive in Lødingen late in the evening and stay here for the night.
On the last day of the Norway tour, we disembark from the Noorderlicht in the morning, and take the public bus to the airport.
Please Note: A typical itinerary to the Arctic and North Atlantic Islands could be as given above. However, the itinerary should be treated as a guide only and not as an exact program. Flexibility is the key to all our cruises and our exact route and program will depend on such factors as weather conditions, wildlife encounters, the experience of the expedition leader and the advice of the ship's captain and crew.
Requires a spirit of adventure and some degree of fitness, as the trip might consist of many activities or long journeys. These adventures involve walking, trekking, hiking, cycling, rafting, sea kayaking, or driving for long hours, at times for up to six to eight hours a day at a steady pace. The maximum altitude is 3000m, so it requires you to be reasonably physically fit because you may be travelling in extreme weather conditions. The trips are usually 6 to 12 days in duration.
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