Hike, Kayak and Chase the Aurora in Lofoten

I did this Lofoten adventure with my husband this past February and must say it was absolutely magical.

The landscapes are like a dream, and this part of Norway is so remote and wild feeling. Beautiful vistas, dramatic peaks, the cold sea filled with floating ice, being deep in woods with snow-covered trees. There’s something so special about hiking in the snow. (And let me tell you the snowshoes make it a whole new kind of workout) 😂

Our guides, Carlos and Lucio, were absolutely wonderful. So encouraging, knowledgeable, and just genuinely fun people to spend the week with - they clearly love what they do. There were lots of laughs with the group, great conversations, and plenty of snacks! (Shoutout to those unusual but delicious chocolate corn chips). Special mention to Joaco, who made delicious home-cooked dinners for us every night. After long cold days outside, sitting down to our warm tasty meals at night was such a treat.

If you’re hesitating because of the cold - I’m Canadian and still have a fear of being too cold 😂 - don’t let that stop you. With proper layers, you’ll stay plenty warm on the hikes/kayaking.

A few tips:

Wear breathable waterproof gloves while hiking, but always pack warm mitts in your bag in case your gloves get wet or aren’t enough. You’ll be very glad you did.

Bring a wool snood everywhere. Absolute game changer.

Kayaking is stunning… but yes, it’s chilly 🥶 You don’t wear gloves because your hands get damp, but there are neoprene mitts attached to the paddle which help. Your hands will eventually get cold - try not to think about it 😂 I wore two pairs of hiking socks, the dry suit, and my winter boots and still had cold feet but it was manageable and 100% worth it for the experience.

This trip was unforgettable. 10/10 recommend. If you’re considering it, don’t think about it - just book it. It’s an incredible adventure and you won’t regret it. 🩵

Definitely a trip to remember: very cozy lodge with amazing views of the water, incredible landscapes from the top of the mountains, BBQ in the snow, night under the stars (although none of us slept much it was very special), the guides Carlos and Lucio were excellent and are clearly still passionate about nature and the Lofoten, lovely food cooked by Joaquim. Kayaking including breaking the ice was brilliant. The list could go on but I should mention seeing the northern lights 3 nights in a row, a lucky treat! A truly memorable experience with a lovely group of people from all over the world: The power of nature bringing people together. Thank you MBA!

Such an amazing adventure

This trip was mind blowing ! The beautiful beach house , the lovely yet experienced guides, and the scenery. . just WOW. We got lucky with the weather so everything ran as planned. Steep ridges , majestic peaks, frozen beaches, sunbathed kayaking , 3 sightings of the majestic aurora borealis and top that with very good company and imminent bonding . . I couldn’t have asked for more!

My third trip with MBA, and each one just as good as the last, Norway and Lofoten was truly magical, blessed with amazing weather and lots of fresh snow, the activities were superb, snowshoeing through thick snow to incredible views, cayaking through ice and seeing some seals and eagles. The accomodation was brilliant and added a touch of luxury after each day, our guides Carlos and Lucio were brilliant and a big shout-out to both of them for going the extra mile and organising the saunas for a suprise one night along with surprising us wit sausages and marshmallows on our hikes with bonfires by the sea, and also a shout-out to our chef who prepared 5 incredible meals each night along with dessert. This trip was a must for me and I'll be back to Norway again soon I hope.

What a fantastic few days in the Lofoten islands. The country is stunning, views in every direction. The Aurora are everything you want them to be. Our accommodation was fantastic, great for evenings reliving the days experience and warming around the fire.

What really made this trip though is our 3 fantastic hosts. They shared there genuine love for the country and the outdoors whilst paying an intrest in our lives, the days were spent laughing and being in awe of the country and the evenings eating fantastic food and sharing storys around the table.

I still have a massive smile on my face and would return in a heartbeat.

What an amazing and truly unforgettable trip with MBA. I am not a winter, snow kind of girl and was convinced to join in by a friend so wasn't expecting to fall in love with a winter Norway. . . However, the landscape is stunning, colours vibrant and activities fantastic. From hiking in spikes and snow shoes to kayaking and ice dipping the whole trip was so well organised to take full advantage of every second. The itinerary is not set in stone as the guides work hard to incorporate activities best suited to each day to maximise enjoyment, views and weather. The northern lights came out to play a couple of nights and the camp out, though terrifying initially ended up being soooo much better and easier than anticipated. The kit provided is high quality and I was never cold despite the minus 6-8 temperatures. I would definitely recommend and am already looking for another wintry adventure. !!

Lucio and Bianca were supportive, funny, informative guides who really care about making sure we all had the best experience. The uphill hikes require a decent level of fitness as they are tough and the activities are packed in with very little down time so be prepared to be on the go! However, this ensures you see the most of the Lofoton islands within a short space of time. Take foot warmer to go in your dry suit to keep feet warm when kayaking and you'll be fine! Roll on the next adventure. . . Thanks MBA for an amazing experience. I really don't know how I'll top this one!

Absolutely loved every minute of this trip ! So we'll organised with the best team of hosts snd guides who really were passionate about us getting the most out of this trip . I cannot put into words how beautiful the island is especially in its winter coat . Our group got on so well , I haven't laughed as much in along time . The camp out was a night il never forget , sleeping under the aurora was so magical .

Excellent trip, well organised and brilliant group of people

This trip is insane. Amazing place. Wonderful instructors. Great group.

For me this was a childhood dream, to travel into the Artic circle and see the landscape, wildlife and enjoy the challenge of activities while meeting a new group of people.

My expectations were exceeded on every front.

Add in the team of guides and support that made the trip whether it was the food , which was great, or the guides for the activities. They went the extra mile and made the trip seamless. Great personalities, sense of humour, and skill and adaptability to work with the full range of weather we experienced and make good calls when they had to be made.

I felt like I left the trip with not only friends in the group but also with the guides.

Excellent job, well done.

Wonderful, great organisation and it was a lot of fun. Beautiful scenery really

A trip full of nature (both land and sea) and northern lights, what's not to love! A great way to explore Lofoten and great hosting and food to keep us going through the trip. It would've been great to have arctic surfing as an option whilst we we there but made do with a sea swim and sauna!

An amazing trip hiking and kayaking in beautiful Lofoten. Our kayaking was curtailed by the weather, but we managed an afternoon on the water made magical by sea eagles swooping around us. The views from hikes were magnificent. We also enjoyed a sauna and sea dipping as well as some sightseeing. A well organised trip, flexible to accommodate the weather. On our last evening we even saw the Northern Lights- spectacular! Our guides were friendly, encouraging and kept the whole group safe and happy.

We were looking for a Nordic adventure and this ticket all the boxes. The hiking, kayaking and guides exceeded all of our expectations! The food was amazing as was the communications from the organisers. The accommodation is basic but perfectly acceptable as most of our time was spent outside. The dynamic of the group was great with solo travellers, couples and a diverse age range. We simply had the most amazing time!

My first adventure with much better adventures. It exceeded my expectations. Everyone involved in making this trip memorable were amazing, nothing was to much trouble. Had a fabulous time with great people and looking to book another trip for next year.

Being in the artic means you’re at the mercy of the weather, as luck would have it we were blessed with sunny skies, incredible auroras and even some snow. The guides were very knowledgeable, the food was great and they catered to our individual needs, the accommodation was spacious and clean.

There’s downtime allocated for snacks and lunch, personally I’d be happy to curtail some of that time to do more hiking (although I was working up an appetite so the snacks were much appreciated!). I’m confident that the ‘world’s best cinnamon roll’ really was the world’s best!

Overall I’ve come away having had a fantastic experience and would love to do it all over again.

We will blessed with excellent weather conditions for 3 out of the 4 days in Lofoten. The guides were great at packing in activities on the 'good' days.

However, we weren't able to make use of these great conditions and enjoy the classic Lofoten hikes advertised by MBA.

The management at the 'Northern Lights' company who ran the tour only allocated one guide per day (even though there were two guides for our group). The other guide was sent to assist other groups (not a MBA tour). This meant that on the hikes, the sole guide had to cater to the slowest members. Usually, there are two guides to accommodate for the differing abilities.

Of the two hikes we did, we had to turn back on both due to time taken. We didn't complete any the actual hikes advertised. This was not due to adverse weather conditions or for safety reasons. We managed a full hike on one of the days, but only because management asked the 'slower' participants to sit the day out which I thought was unfair. They were completely capable but just slower. Had a second guide been made available, they may have been able to partake in some of the activities, rather than being 'asked' to stay at the beach house.

Otherwise, the kayaking was fantastic. The weather and conditions were great. Most of use signed up for an active adventure, so it was a shame we weren't able to utilise the favourable condiirions to its potential and complete the advertised hikes.

Still a great trip, despite an unseasonable warm spell that meant we didn’t have as much snow as expected. We literally hiked, kayaked and chased the aurora! The surf camp beach sauna and running into the Arctic sea followed by ‘The worlds best cinnamon roll’ was a definite highlight.

Our trip to Lofoten was incredible! Amazing group, amazing guides, amazing experiences! Even though some of the activities had to change because of the weather, Lucio and German made sure that each day was full of fun hikes, sightseeing, etc. I couldn’t recommend this trip enough!

An amazing adventure! The northern lights were stunning! Kayaking in the snow and watching sea eagles was fantastic and snowshoeing was so much fun! The leaders were all brilliant, they really looked after everyone and were sensitive to the different levels in the group. They also ensured that we had a great time regardless of the weather. Would highly recommend this trip.

This was a fabulous trip in one of the most amazing places you could hope for. The scenery was stunning and Lucio and German were fantastic guides and conscious of everyone’s abilities and needs. The weather is quite changeable but the team are really great for getting the most out of your time there to allow for that. The food was all home made and really delicious with more than enough snacks and hot drinks. Excellent trip with a great team, only wish it was longer!

This was a brilliant trip with a great bunch or people and some excellent guides. A couple of things could have been better.

1. there was 8 of us in total and 6 stayed in one house with 2 staying somewhere else down the road. That was a shame as we’d have loved to all be together. Also 6 people sharing one bathroom although we managed well, could have been better with a second shower.
2. the food for allergies. One of us had a dairy and egg allergy and that was a challenge. On every hike it was great that the guides brought snacks but apart from once they were all dairy. When you’ve hiked and earnt a break and everyone is diving in to the snacks, it’s a shame that one person can’t have anything. Also the kayaking day was SO cold when we all stopped for lunch which was hot soup to warm us back up. The soup also had dairy in it so no that meant while everyone had snacks and hot soup, the dairy meant that one person couldn’t have anything. Info was provided way ahead of time so I think that could have been covered better. Same as the dinner first night, the desert was a cheesecake which was delicious but again no desert for the allergy person which is a shame. I can’t fault the team, they were excellent. They brought coffee and hot chocolate which was dairy free to be fair and they guided us brilliantly. So just a few dietary things that could be better but a fabulous trip all in all.

This was an amazing trip. The scenery is stunning and we were lucky enough to get an amazing display of the Aurora during our night-time hike. German and Lucio were excellent guides, always trying to make the trip more fun for us. The food is all home made and delicious. The cod in particular was 10/10. There are plenty of snacks and hot drinks for the breaks. We had a sauna experience on 2 of the afternoons. The schedule is constantly changing to allow for the weather so you need to keep an open mind but the team is very experienced. The hikes were probably moderate difficulty and they all start from sea level so there were no issues with altitude. Excellent trip for anyone looking for an adventure and an escape into the Arctic.

Super lucky with the Northern Lights, the snow and the hikes. Good fun guides used to I would say a more experienced level of group. A typically full on non stop adventure with little down time. Would have liked some more sightseeing as the islands are so gorgeous. The Cabin could have used an extra shower with 6 people sharing and it would have been great to have had vegan options with a dairy and egg allergy and water available before and after hikes. Overall a well considered, variable and enjoyable adventure with some tweaks needed as it matures.

Unfortunately our trip started with a cancelled final flight to Leknes due to strong winds and heavy snow, so we ended up on the ferry the following day and missed the first day. However, once we arrived Carlos, Lucio and German did so much to make the trip unforgettable. We didn't have the snow we were all hoping for but we did see the Northern Lights and had such an amazing time. It was a trip I'll never forget. Thanks to the team for everything and the food by Marta was unreal!

Amazing trip. Fantastic guides, magical landscapes, lovely accommodation and lucky to be a fantastic bunch of people.

Straight up - fantastic. Our lovely team from Northern Explorer - Carlos, Nacho and Krisztina were attentive, kind, very funny, adaptable to all weather keeping us warm, entertained and VERY well fed! I can say it was a wonderful week that was very needed. A soul reset in wonderful Norway. Lofoten is stunning at every angle. So glad I came on this trip and had the chance to meet wonderful new friends. Can I move to Lofoten please? Great job MBA 5 stars ❤️🇳🇴

Amazing trip, well organised, met a great group of people and had two brilliant guides for the snowshoeing and kayaking. The Northern Lights were incredible 🌟

I don't even know where to begin, everything about this trip was incredible. The local guides were incredibly welcoming from the start. Nacho and Carlos did an amazing job working around the weather, while making sure we got to experience the area to the fullest. Not only did we do iconic hikes in the area, we capped off the trip getting the see the Northern Lights on a night hike. The Lofoten Islands are an incredible sight all on their own, being surrounded by beautiful white capped mountains was surreal.

This was my first MBA adventure and I couldn't have asked for a better group to experience it with. I genuinely left the trip with 7 new friends. I'm already looking forward to booking my next MBA trip!!