A 7-night break to northern Norway to search for the Northern Lights and experience some of the best coastal scenery Norway has to offer.
This Norwegian Costal Island Explorer holiday starts in Tromso, known as the Paris of the North, before heading south to the fabulous island of Senja. There you’ll take a boat trip to Svolvaer in the majestic Lofoten Islands, the most beautiful part of the Norwegian Coast.
Senja has historically had a good population of whales in the area during the months of December to mid-February, so if your journey is made in that period then you have a good chance of seeing them. Please note that the whales migration is an act of nature and cannot be guaranteed.
The Northern Lights in this part of Norway can be spectacular, especially so as they are framed by the towering peaks of the mountains that soar out of the sea.
Location
Norway
Duration
7 Nights
Available dates
Sep - Mar
Price per person (excl. flights)
from £2,350
Overview
Highlights
- 4 nights in Tromso – the ‘Paris of the North’
- 3 nights on the beautiful island of Senja
- Accommodation in sea view apartments
- Wildlife and day fjords cruise out of Tromso
- Daily day and evening guided activities in Senja
- RIB Boat wildlife safari in Trolfjord
What’s included
- 4 nights accommodation with breakfast at the central Tromso Hotel
- 3 nights accomodation on full board basis with 3 activity choices at Mefjord Brygge
- Northern Lights Dinner Cruise
- Lyngen Snowmobile Safari
- Transfers to/from the airport and Finnses harbount (boat transfer booked locally)
A note on flights
While flights are not included in the holiday price, our team will happily provide a quote and arrange them for you. Simply ask one of our Travel Experts for details of the available options.
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive into Tromso
Arrive at Tromso airport and transfer to your hotel.
Settle in and explore the local area and either choose to eat at the hotel or one of the excellent local restaurants around the quayside.
Day 2
Morning to Explore Tromso and then transfer to Senja Island
Take some time out in the morning to explore Tromso before then departing to Finnsnes in the afternoon.
Return to port in time for your onward boat transfer to Finnsnes (this is booked locally). The journey by boat takes about 75 minutes and lets you experience coastal nature.
A driver will pick you up at the boat terminal in Finnsnes and transfer you through the beautiful Senja island to Mefjord Brygge – your base. Check into your sea-facing apartment before dinner is served in the maritime-style restaurant.
After a short briefing and introduction to your activity program, it will be time to relax, go for a small walk in the evening or finish off the day in the sauna.
Day 3
Day of Seasonal Activities and Northern Lights Hunting
Breakfast will be served at 9.00am after which you will meet with the guide who will present your plan for the next couple of days with regard for current season and weather conditions.
Typically, during daylight hours you will go for an Arctic Boat Safari to see wildlife and marine landscape. Lunch will either be on the safari or upon your return to the hotel.
The afternoon might be spent at leisure or you can go for a small snowshoeing trip on your own.
Traditional Norwegian dinner will be served in the early evening and after that you will get ready for the night time session. The guide will take you to some remote spots for a Northern Lights chasing experience. You will also visit scenic vantage points where it is possible to admire the Aurora Borealis without any light pollution.
Day 4
Day of Seasonal Activities and Northern Lights Hunting
After breakfast, you will do a different activity to the day before – depending on the season and preferred activity, it may be a minibus sightseeing, snow-shoeing or hiking trip to see different types of Senja’s nature and in case of bad weather there would be a special trip to show you the harsh Arctic coast and power of the Norwegian Sea.
After dinner, you will again set out for an evening activity focusing on experiences on Senja and the northern lights. Hopefully, you will admire the beauty of the Northern Lights reflected in the sea and with mountains in the foreground while visiting some remote spots in the nearby fjords.
The creative guides will surprise you by telling some old local stories, showing you some interesting places and introducing you to traditions linked with north-Norwegian culture.
Day 5
Arrive back into Tromso
After breakfast you will be dropped back at the Finnsesn harbour and catch your boat back to Tromso where you will check in at your centrally located hotel and spend the evening relaxing after the previous couple of days’ adventures.
Day 6
Tromso Fjord Cruise
Spend the day exploring Tromso by visiting some of the local musuem or crossing over the bridge to see the Arctic Cathedral. Then get prepared for an evening out on an Aurora Dinner Cruise. As you cruise around the Tromsø fjord, you will be presented a delicious Arctic tapas dinne which is prepared by an award-winning local restaurant.
Put together with locally sourced, seasonal and fresh ingredients, the three-course dinner is inspired by traditional Northern Norwegian cuisine with a modern twist! Carefully selected local beer and quality wine are also available for purchase. As you enjoy your meal the captain will keep an eye out for the Northern Lights, the perfect way to cap off an evening adventure!
Day 7
Lyngen Alps Snomobile Safari
You will grab an early breakfast before getting your transfer out to the Lyngen Alps where you will explore this stunning location with a local guide. On this scenic, gentle and safe Snowmobile Safari, you will see nature at its very best. The area of the Lyngen Alps offers some of the most beautiful scenery in Northern Norway. It is a big wilderness playground where you will follow some approved and well-established trails. In the afternoon you have the chance to relax and if you wish to add on additional Northern Lights excursion, one of the team can pre-book this for you or this can be done locally.
Day 8
Returning Home
After breakfast you will get your standard transfer back to the airport for your flight home. There are plenty of opportunities to extend your stay, with options to cross over the border to Sweden or Finland. You might like to spend some time in Norway’s capital city, Oslo – just let our team know and they can build that into your itinerary.
Where You'll Stay
Scandic Ishavshotel Tromso
The Scandic Ishavshotel is on a picturesque waterside location in Tromsø, which is often referred to as the Paris of the North, and offers stunning views of the harbour and city. It is located only 50 metres from the Hurtigruten ferry and 4 minutes from the Polar Museum. It has easy access to the pier where most boating trips depart from.
Almost all rooms at the Scandic Ishavshotel are located at the very end of the quay and provide panoramic views whilst there are excellent Restaurant and Bar facilities.
For a relaxing drink visit the Roast Bar, located right by the water and offering views of the Tromsø Bridge and a famous architectural landmark, the Arctic Cathedral.
Mejford Brygge
Mefjord Brygge is surrounded by mountains in the picturesque fishing village of Mefjordvær on Senja Island. Accommodation is in modern style cabin apartments which face out to the sea and offer plenty of space.
A well-equipped kitchen, private bathroom and a balcony or patio feature in all apartments and cottages at Mefjord Brygge. They also include a seating area and flat-screen TV. All cabins are en-suite.
Relax options at Mefjord Brygge include a sauna, hot tub and solarium.
The guides at Mefjord Brygge run a daily programme of activities for clients which focus in Autumn and Winter on the sea and the northern lights. They have their own boat which is ideal for whale watching.
Meals are served in a very traditional and atmospheric marine style restaurant a short walk from the cabins.
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Reviews
See what our clients say
This was a bucket list trip. The company are specialists and I’ve valued their advice. Everything from the when to go for the best opportunity to see the lights and equipment needed and provided.Our activities included, the Ice Hotel, night photo shoot, snowmobiling, guided walk and the sky station meal. All excellent and well run by knowledgeable experts and guides. The Abisko Lodge is warm comfortable and relaxing the food is excellent and the staff welcoming, friendly and very helpful. I would highly recommend if you’re looking for a different and exciting experience.
Jean Lavender
What a fantastic trip! I booked this for myself and my husband to celebrate my 40th birthday and it didn’t disappoint! Booking was simple and we were kept up to date with all the details from the office team in the UK.
From the moment we arrived at Kiruna airport all the staff we encountered were so friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. We opted for the upgraded room at the Abisko Mountain Lodge which I would highly recommend. The cold weather clothing which was supplied was fantastic and kept us really warm in the sub-zero temperatures. The dog sledging, snowmobiling and the Northern Lights photography were all superb and the staff leading the trips were really friendly and so knowledgeable. Even though we weren’t able to do the sky station trip because of the weather, there was a lovely alternative evening organised for us which included a traditional dinner and a walk to the lake where we were able to see the lights. The food at the lodge was also exceptional and showcased some lovely traditional dishes using Moose and Reindeer which were wonderful to try.
I would like to send a massive thank you to all the staff at The Abisko Mountain Lodge as well as the guides we used for our guided walks, dog sledging and snowmobiling. I’d highly recommend the trip, it was our first visit to Sweden and we would definitely return. Thanks again to everyone (including the huskies) who made it so memorable!
Carly Webster
We did the aurora nights break and had a great time overall. Everything related to flights, hire car, and hotels ran smoothly. There were a few issues largely relating to the weather and driving conditions (we travelled in mid March), but what we did manage to do was amazing.
The blue lagoon was easy to access from the airport and was a brilliant experience. We booked the standard package and it came with a free drink and face mask. Facilities were clean and organised with free toiletries in the shower rooms, which helps if you’ve gone there straight from the airport.
The drive to Hotel Ranga afterwards was long but fine (check out the road on google streetview to know what to expect). The hotel and staff were great. We were limited to one option as vegetarians on the bar and a la carte menus, but the food was lovely and if you are a meat eater you will see options of unusual dishes like puffin and reindeer.
Our northern lights super jeep trip was cancelled on both nights due to a poor forecast, but we were lucky enough to get an aurora wake up call from Hotel Ranga the first night. We couldn’t use the hottubs as there are only a few and they were always taken in the limited time we spent at the hotel, so don’t go expecting to get lots of time in one and you won’t be disappointed. View them as an add on if you can time it right. We were travelling with an 11 year old, so we didn’t stay up really late. If you are a couple you probably have a better chance of getting one later on.
The glacier/volcano super jeep trip was outstanding. Our driver, Íbí was excellent. She went above and beyond and gave us such an awesome experience. We were also super lucky with the weather the first two days and had great views across Iceland.
The ice cave tour was also incredible and the guides running it were excellent. The group size was much bigger than expected (especially after the more exclusive volcano super jeep tour), but it was broken down into smaller groups that were managed well, with plenty of time factored in for photographs. There were several unexplained delays getting to the cave during the tour that meant we weren’t able to ‘mini tour’ the rest of the South Coast afterwards, so if you plan to do the ice cave don’t overplan for the afternoon as you may not have much time. Not a huge disappointment for us as we got to experience the cave, but I imagine someone who planned a full itinerary afterwards might be frustrated by the estamiated timings not always being right and subject to change with the weather (which was wicked that day).
Driving around Reykjavik was a horrible experience as we arrived around rush hour and weren’t prepared for all the traffic, having only experienced quiet roads along the south coast. It was difficult finding a parking space, so be prepared to drive around a little when you arrive. If you haven’t driven on the right before and are not a confident driver this could leave you feeling stressed. Again, check out the roads into Reykjavik on Google maps to get a sense of what awaits if you aren’t used to self-driving.
We didn’t get to tour the golden circle because of road conditions/ice/road closures, so we spent the day in Reykjavik instead. This turned out okay for us as we did some of the attractions (Lava Centre and Fly Over Iceland – both hughly recommended), but it ended up being an extra expense and we missed out on the golden attractions. Again, not a big issue if you are aware this could happen. The weather is so changeable that having a plan B is a good approach.
Weekend a la Carte sent us a text warning us about the bad weather conditions, which we’d already seen on the Safe Iceland app, but we were grateful for anyway. It was good to know they were looking out for us!
All in all, a remarkable trip, with some unique experiences. If you book this in the knowledge that nature will have her own way, and you may not see everything you want (especially in winter), you will have a great time. Ranga is definitely the best place to maximise your chances of seeing the lights.
Sarah Brooks
Fantastic trip with great hosts & made even more special by seeing the Northern Lights twice!!
Wendy Naphine
Dear Abigail, We have safely returned from Iceland and we wanted to say a huge and sincere thank you for all the plans that you put into place to make this one of the most memorable holidays we have ever had. It was simply beautiful each and every day. The cabin was idyllic and so cosy and warm. The tour guides were so knowledgeable and friendly and the scenery was breathtaking. All the arrangements worked so well and we will remember the trip for a long time to come.
Thank you once again.
Gillian Griffiths
Hotel Ranga was perfect, with amazing food. It is in the middle of nowhere, very quiet and with the weather being bad there wasn’t the possibility of leaving the hotel in the evening so mightn’t suit all for that reason. Super Jeep tour we thoroughly enjoyed with 2 lovely guides.
Hotel Borg was in the perfect location. For us, one night in Reykjavik would be ample.
Blue Lagoon was a wonderful experience only heightened by the appearance of the northern lights on our walk home from dinner. All in all we had the best holiday and we plan to return to Iceland hopefully sooner rather than later.
Lisa McAleer
My wife and I had an awesome and memorable trip to Iceland thanks to Alex at Aurora Nights. Alex tailored the itinerary to exactly what we wanted to see and chose excellent hotels to stay at. We totally enjoyed the city of Reykjavik and the many beautiful waterfalls. He went above and beyond to not only recommend sights to see around the Golden Circle and Ring Road, but also mapped it out so we were prepared to drive through the country during unpredictable weather and road conditions. And we were especially pleased to see the Northern Lights on our visit. Alex was very flexible to make changes to our plans and choosing the wonderful Sky Lagoon to replace our tickets for the Blue Lagoon due to the closure from the volcanic activity. We highly recommend Alex and Aurora Nights.
Lisa Kovens-Harris
We had a wonderful time! The food at the lodge was amazing and there were some great vegetarian dishes. I had the best beetroot I’ve ever had (beetroot tartare).
Everyone was really friendly and all the guides were good fun and very knowledgeable.
A special thanks to William and Petri who were really friendly and really added a personal touch to our trip. The activities were really well planned and we especially enjoyed the trip with the huskies. The area we were in is stunning and the lodge was very nice. We would definitely recommend this to friends and family.
Fiona Green