Chasing the Northern Lights
7 Days / 6 Nights

Clarion The Edge/Clarion Collection Aurora
****

Breakfast at the hotel. This morning we depart by private coach for a 2-hour city sightseeing tour and perfect introduction to Tromso. Tromso enjoys a subarctic climate, its location corresponding to the northern coast of Alaska. Learn about the indigenous Sami people, their traditional culture and recent history. Following this, you will continue a tour around the island, passing Lake Prestvatn where the Meteorological Institute is situated.
Travel across the bridge to the Arctic Cathedral for a visit to this masterpiece by Jan Inge Hovig. Built in 1965, the cathedral reflects north Norwegian nature, culture, and faith with a monumental stained-glass window. Afternoon at leisure.
Entrance at the Cathedral-not included

OPTIONAL: Polaria Museum & Tromsø University Museum

• PRICE: 158 EUR/PERSON
• Children 7-12:25% disc.
• DURATION: approximately 2 hours 30 minutes
• MEETING TIME: 14:00 at the hotel reception
• INCLUDES: Coach at disposal for 2:30 hours with tour leader
• Entrance – Tromsø University Museum
• Entrance – Polaria
• Min 6 persons

Polaria is the world’s most northerly aquarium and looks as though the world’s largest dominoes have been knocked over. This arctic aquarium which opened in 1998, focuses on educating visitors about the exotic, freezing waters of the Nordic North. The museum portions of the aquarium feature display on the Svalbard region as well as simulated permafrost, while the aquarium proper contains rare specimens of cold-water fish and other arctic marine life from the area. The main attraction is a large pool that houses several large-bearded seals that visitors can get remarkably close to thanks to viewing bubbles in the tank wall. Maybe the most remarkable aspect of the aquarium is the building itself. It was designed to evoke massive ice flows that have pushed up against one another, breaking and stacking into a slanted fringe. In effect, the structure looks almost as though a series of building toppled into each other like a dominoes cascade. The Arctic University Museum of Tromso offers diverse and insightful exhibitions from northern culture, including everything from Norway’s oldest chewing gum to the northern lights and Vikings. Located in Tromsø, a city Nylund describes as The Port to the Arctic Ocean, the museum is a place for cutting-edge research in subjects ranging from mosquitos and Vikings to fossils, Polar exploration, and the indigenous Sami people. The museum offers three different attractions: Tromsø Museum, the Polar Museum and the Arctic-Alpine Botanic Garden.
REQUIRES PRE-BOOKING AND SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY

INCLUDED – AURORA HUSKY VISIT

• DURATION: 4 hours (19:00-23:00)
• MEETING TIME: 18:30 at the hotel reception
• INCLUDED: transportation, guide, warm overalls, traditional Norwegian dinner

Be ready for a pick-up right outside your hotel at 18:30 where you will be met by a representative from Tromso Villmarkssenter and taken on a 25-minute bus ride to the Aurora Camp. At the camp you will be equipped with thermal overalls and boots to keep you nice and warm all evening. 300 friendly Alaskan huskies are waiting to greet you and enjoy some cuddles, followed by an affectionate and playful visit to the puppy enclosure. Once you have filled up on puppy love, it is time to enjoy a traditional Norwegian dinner in our cosy Gamme-hut (turf home). You will be served Norwegian Bacalao, prepared with locally sourced cod and tomato sauce, and for dessert their savoury signature chocolate cake. As it is impossible to predict when the Aurora will appear during the evening, your guide will keep a close eye on the sky for you and the program will be adjusted accordingly. For those of you who wish to sit outside and wait for it to appear, a bonfire will set the mood and keep you toasty.

Clarion The Edge /Clarion Collection Aurora
****

Breakfast at the hotel.
Day at leisure and time available for optional activities.

OPTIONAL: Silent Whale Watching

• PRICE: 182 EUR/PERSON
• Children 7 – 12 years: 20% discount
• DURATION: from 6 to 8 hr: (07:45-15:45)
• MEETING TIME: 07:30 at the hotel reception
• INCLUDED: English guide, transport by hybrid catamaran
• Min 2 persons

Travel out to see the majestic orca and humpback whales feeding in the herring-rich fjords of the Arctic. The silent hybrid-electric ship allows us to get up close without disturbing the animals. Depart Tromsø in the morning and head out to the whales’ feeding grounds in time to enjoy the few hours of polar daylight. Purpose-built for whale watching, the hybrid-electric ship gives you a unique perspective on the surroundings. On the way, you can take in the frozen landscapes as it slowly wakes up. Relax in comfortable, panoramic lounges and multi-level decks. Our friendly crew will share their (personal) stories about interesting sights along the way and give you in-debt information about the Orca and Humpback Whale. The hybrid engine is used to reach the whales’ feeding grounds.
As we near the whales, we switch to the silent, electric engine, which allows us to get close without disturbing them. If conditions allow, we will launch a hydrophone that captures the sounds of the whales as they work together to hunt in the herring-rich fjords. You will find a selection of food and drinks for purchase onboard (also hot lunch). Please note that the duration of this trip depends on the whales’ migration pattern and can range from 6 to 8 hours. Our crew will do their best to find the whales, but we can not guarantee sightings as Orcas and Humpback Whales are wild animals that do as they please.
REQUIRES PRE-BOOKING AND SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY

OPTIONAL: Sami Reindeer Camp and Sledding

• PRICE: 230 EUR/PERSON
• Children 7 – 12 years: 30% discount
• DURATION: 4:30 hours (18:00-22:30)
• MEETING TIME: 17:30 at the hotel reception
• INCLUDED: transfers (30 min each way), English speaking Sami guide, hot drinks, traditional Sami 3 course dinner, Stoy telling and joik, reindeer sledding
• Min 2 persons

This is an evening experience to enjoy reindeer sledding at night, then feed the reindeer before having a traditional Sami dinner with the Sami reindeer herders while they tell you about their culture and beliefs. Travel out into the wilderness and walk among 300 reindeer (with the opportunity to feed them too) before enjoying a 25- minute sleigh ride. Afterwards, enter a candlelit Gamme for a relaxed three-course meal. The meal includes bidos (a traditional Sami reindeer stew that is often served at Sami weddings), which is cooked over the open fire. After dinner, you will be invited into a lavvu (Sami herdsmen’s tent) and gather round the fire to listen to stories about Sami culture and what it’s like to be a reindeer herder. The Sami guide will also perform a joik (traditional Sami chant) for the guests. The camp is well situated north of Tromsø city centre, which gives you good chances of seeing the majestic Northern Lights.
REQUIRES PRE-BOOKING AND SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY

This content is available only for registered users, please fill out the registration form here. and if you already have an account, login here.

This content is available only for registered users, please fill out the registration form here. and if you already have an account, login here.

This content is available only for registered users, please fill out the registration form here. and if you already have an account, login here.

This content is available only for registered users, please fill out the registration form here. and if you already have an account, login here.