Journey to the far reaches of beautiful Norway in Winter to witness one of the most spellbinding phenomena in the natural world by night.
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About this event
- 3 days 13 hours
WHY GO?
* Guaranteed Northern Lights sighting, else join us for free in another Northern lights trip*
What better way to experience the Aurora Borealis aka Northern lights than in the city of northern lights, Alta. In Norwegian, Eventyr means both ‘adventure’ and ‘fairy tale.’ This is the perfect word to describe Alta, as it is a perfect place for active adventures in the mountains, forests and fjords that are reminiscent of fairy tale landscapes. The cold and long winters provide excellent conditions for dog sledding, skiing, snowmobiling, and other adventure activities. A modern city in Northern Norway surrounded by the arctic tundra and mountains, Alta is the ideal combination of natural and urban elements.
The celestial dance of lights, known as Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, is a phenomena as old as Earth’s atmosphere. The first record of Aurora Borealis is believed to be in a 30,000-year-old cave painting in France. Since then, cultures around the world have marveled at its magic, giving rise to many fascinating legends and folklore.
In Norway alone, symbols linked to the northern lights are found on the Sámi shamanistic drum. They call it “Guovssahas,” i.e. “the light that can be heard.” During the Viking Age, the northern lights were said to be the armor of the Valkyrie warrior virgins that shed a strange flickering light. Today, locals respectfully refer to the lights as “the green lady.”
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS?
- Northern Lights Safari: 4 nights of hunting for the Northern lights with a local guide who would take us to the best places to experience the northern lights dancing in the sky, based on the weather forecast and their specific knowledge about the topography surrounding Alta. The local guide will also explain the history and science behind the Northern Lights and will give some camera support (if required). Guaranteed Northern Lights sighting, else join us for free (excluding flights) in another Northern lights trip.
- Road trip from Alta to Northcape (Nordkapp): A journey to the Northernmost point of Europe will let you discover unique landscapes. On our way, you may encounter Reindeers, explore the colourful fishing villages including Skarsvåg the world’s northernmost fishing village. On this trip, you enjoy breathtaking scenery and take a picture or a selfie at the cliffs and the iconic globe sculpture rising on top. Once you’ve experienced the North Cape, you will know why it is one of the absolute highlights on a trip to Norway.
- Northcape Visitor Centre and Museum: Learn more about the early expeditions to North Cape and watch a panoramic film that takes you through four seasons. The visitor centre at the top level offers amazing views of the mountain plateau and endless blue Barents Sea.
- Discovering Alta: Renowned for its rich history and culture. Alta has been a meeting place for multiple indigenous communities since the Stone Age. The town is the biggest in the northern region and features the Northern Lights Cathedral, the city’s architectural landmark. Alta houses a famous Museum that contains Northern Europe’s largest and richest rock carving site, inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The 2000 to 6200 years old rock carvings show the life of hunters and fishermen.
- Discover Karasjok: Explore this fascinating town that is the heart of the local indigenous Sámi – Kárášjohka/Karasjok. Around 90% of the local population speak Sami, and the area is home to approx. 60,000 reindeer on autumn and winter grazing. This town is also home to the Sami parliament (which time permitting we will visit on this trip). Finally Karasjok is also just 15 kms away from the Finnish border.
- Snowshoeing adventure (Optional & based on weather conditions): Experience the Arctic nature on foot. You are provided with a pair of snowshoes and then guided by a Professional around the forest that is close to Alta to experience Snowshoeing. On this trip, you are served coffee/tea, hot soup and biscuits. The total duration is 2.5 – 3 hours.
TRIP DETAILS
Start & End Date: October 30 · 10pm – November 3 · 11am CET
Starting location & time: Alta Airport / Accommodation in Alta at 10 PM on Thursday.
Finishing location & time: Alta Airport at 11:00 AM on Monday.
Note:
- If you are arriving earlier, please us know in the sheet that will be shared with you closer to the event date, so that we can accordingly make the relevant pickup arrangements.
- Exact accommodation details will be provided in the whatsapp group for confirmed participants closer to the trip date.
- Alta airport is only 15 mins drive from accommodation.
Price: Starting from €945 for Adults (before any discounts). Note: Kids are at a discounted price.
Kid Friendly: Yes
Hiking Difficulty: N/A
What is included?
- Community leader & guide for the entire duration. Note: English is the main language spoken on this trip.
- 4 x nights shared accommodation in Alta and you can find pictures of the accommodation here. Note: Additional accommodation upgrade options are available under add-on’s.
- 4 x nights Northern lights hunting with guide.
- 4 x days vegan / vegetarian breakfast spread (Consists of Milk and / or Oat Milk, Eggs, Bread, Cereals, Cheese Spreads, Vegetables, fruits, Yoghurt). Note: Vegetables based on availability.
- Transportation for the entire trip.
- Entry to Alta museum – World Heritage Rock Art Centre.
- Entry to Northcape museum (weather permitting).
- Road trip to Northcape – Northernmost point of Europe (weather permitting).
- Road trip to Karasjok(weather permitting).
- Entry to Sami Parliament in Karasjok
- Entry to Sami Museum in Karasjok
- Short tour of Alta.
Optional Activities (These will be shared closer to the trip date for booking).
- Snowmobile
- Husky Sledding
- Snow Shoeing
- More optional activities to be advised closer to the trip date
How to get to Alta?
- Alta can easily be reached via a 2-hour direct flight from Oslo with plenty of flights leaving every day (please book this asap).Alta is also just 40 mins by flight from Tromso.
- For those travelling from Europe and looking to avoid flights, there is an option of a mix of train & buses. You will be travelling on the the famous Arctic Express train (Sleeper option) from Stockholm to Narvik (Norway). Tickets for the arctic express train can be bought from here.
Other Things of Note
- You could face temperatures upto -15 degree celsius during this trip, so you need to be prepared.
- All guides speak English for all the activities.
WHAT IS THE PLAN?
Refer to Agenda for the plan on this trip.
Fun Facts:
- Some of the first modern scientific studies of the northern lights were carried out in Alta, where the world’s first permanent northern lights observatory also opened in 1899.
- During summer Alta experiences the Midnight sun for almost 2 months when the sun does not set and vice versa during winter experiences Polar nights when the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon, making it pitch dark for almost 2 months.
Click here for pics from previous Northern lights trips.
HOW DO I CONTACT YOU FOR ANY QUERIES / CONCERNS?
- WHATSAPP: Reach out to us directly by clicking here: Ask Questions
WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY TRANSACTION FEES?
Transaction fees apply only when you use the ticketing system available on this page. If you prefer to avoid these fees, we offer the option of paying via bank transfer. To arrange a bank transfer or if you have any questions, please reach out to us directly by clicking here: Ask Questions
WHAT ARE YOUR REVIEW'S LIKE FROM PREVIOUS TRIPS?
To go through our amazing reviews by participants, please click on the links below:
WHAT IS NEXT?
- WhatsApp Group: In the ticket confirmation page, you will find a link to a whatsapp group dedicated to this event. This group is where you can connect with trip mates, coordinate arrival options & stay in touch.
- Trip Briefing: You will find a link in the whatsapp group description to a detailed trip briefing document providing details on what to expect, how to prepare etc.
- Google Photos Album: You will find a link in the whatsapp group description to the shared google photos album where you can upload & view all shared photos & videos from the trip.
WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?
- Free cancellation up to 7 full days before the start of the trip. After that, cancel up to 5 days before the trip to get a 50% refund.
- If the event is cancelled by Urbanature Travel (UNT), you will get a full refund (excluding any airfares), unless you have purchased a flight inclusive package directly with Urbanature Travel (UNT) in which case you will get a refund including the flights.
- Please note that the program, as well as the venue is subject to change due to extreme weather conditions, as well as to the characteristics and size of the group.
- Urbanature Travel (UNT) needs a minimum of 5 participants for this trip to take place, else we may cancel this trip.
- UNT reserves the right to cancel the trip, modify the route, change the accommodation or re-schedule hikes and without prior notice.
- UNT is not responsible for any loss, theft, damage or personal injury that occurs during the trip.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZER
Organized by Urbanature Travel
Welcome my fellow travellers! We are looking to provide you with options to travel to amazing places with our like-minded community guides. Our trips would involve a mash-up of urban exploring and comfortable nature trails & hikes planned & designed by us to ensure that you have a great time & have a more holistic experience.
Looking forward to seeing you on our trips!!!
Itinerary
22:00
Travel to Alta from our respective homes and meet the guide directly at the accommodation (or at Alta airport based on your arrival time), and then we are off on our first night of Northern lights hunting.
08:00 - 01:00
Post breakfast, we are off on a road trip to North cape. During the road trip we would be making a few stops along the way to see some of the cute fishing villages. At the north cape, we checkout the museum and the amazing views offered from the visitor centre. On the way back, we stop for dinner in a town along the way and then post dinner we are off Northern hunting on the way back to Alta.
09:00 - 01:00
Post breakfast, we head to Alta museum to see historic rock art inscribed over 2000 years back. Once we are done with the museum, participants that have signed up for optional activities get dropped at the respective places. After the optional activities are completed, we head back to our accommodation for barbeque dinner and then followed by Northern lights hunting.
09:00 - 01:00
Post breakfast, we are off on a short tour of Alta followed by a roadtrip to Karasjok(home to the SAmi parliament). Today we will be spending the day exploring this beautful town and then we would wrap the trip by hunting Northern lights for one last time. Note: For those that wish to do more optional activites, there is also an option to do more activites in the morning.
10:00
Checkout of the accommodation and head to the airport and say our goodbyes before heading back to our respective homes. Note: If you have an earlier flight, we can drop you off before to the airport as well.
