
Ultimate Arctic Circle Adventure in Norway
Husky sled, snowshoe and fat bike your way through the Arctic and sleep in a dome under the glow of the aurora
Ultimate Arctic Circle Adventure in Norway
Husky sled, snowshoe and fat bike your way through the Arctic and sleep in a dome under the glow of the aurora
DURATION
3 nights
LOCATION
Norway
ANNUAL LEAVE
3 days off work
SEASON
Jan, Feb
GROUP SIZE
Up to 10 people
MEETING POINT
Alta Airport, Norway
ACCOMMODATION
Arctic Dome
DIFFICULTY
Easy
This is an easy trip, suitable for anyone with basic fitness levels - you'll just need to enjoy being out in sub-zero temperatures
Mush the Arctic with Alaskan Huskies, snowshoe to a frozen lake, try your hand at ice fishing and relax in a Nordic sauna
Fat bike through snow-blanketed trails at night on an aurora-hunting adventure, weaving through hushed pine forests
Hop on a snowmobile for an epic journey to the edge of the Finnmark Plateau, one of Europe's last true wildernesses
Bunk down in the dreamy Aurora Canvas Domes, warm up by the wood burner, and watch the northern lights dance above
All our reviews are verified
— Anna, January 2022
This trip was fantastic! Intensely packed with unique and well planned activities. I have to admit I did not expect to really enjoy driving a dog sled - it was so much fun and such a different and wondrous experience racing through snow covered forest in nearly still silence under the light of full moon. Experiencing pristine magical winter this far north of the Arctic circle among the fjords of Norway definitely created memories that will last. The tent domes are as trendy and cool of an accommodation as you'd expect from the photos. All the staff were wonderful, they accommodated our various requests, anything from procuring us tea blends that we wanted and adjusting our meals to varied dietary restrictions to lighting up the dome fireplace just in time for our return from snowy activities. Chef cooked meals were definitely a delicious cherry on the cake of this trip. A definite recommendation for anyone still hesitating if it's worth it - our entire group agreed that it was much more than any of us expected.
— Joel, February 2022
The most incredible short adventure I’ve ever been on. What an incredible country, people and activities
— Marie, January 2022
We had a fantastic three days with the team. The activities were well-paced, hugely fun, and the guides were attentive, informative and very informative. Food excellent, accommodation great
— Laura, February 2022
Incredible bucket list trip, magical once in a lifetime experience. I was worried about the low temperatures and being cold, but the appropriate kit and suits were provided each time. Food was exceptional and the attention to detail and passion the people at Glød Explorer showed us has been above and beyond any expectations. Definitely recommend this adventure to anyone
— Lauren, January 2022
This was an absolutely fantastic trip which I thoroughly enjoyed. I had some difficulties accessing accurate information from MBA which I have fed back and am waiting for them to respond to, however I booked 4 days before the trip commenced and the rest of the group had received brilliant communication from the hosts directly. Thermal suits, over boots and over gloves were provided for all activities which was amazing in -20C weather! The activities were fantastic fun although due to such busy days you need to be fairly fit to be able to participate in everything. We had the most beautiful northern lights display on our first night. truly magical. I would thoroughly recommend this trip. It is expensive but the activities are brilliant and the accomodation is beautiful.
— Kate, January 2022
Absolutely awesome. Hosts, food, accommodation and activities are fantastic. Highly recommend.
— Emma, January 2022
This was truly a trip of a lifetime and filled with so many amazing experiences from beginning to end. From arriving at the Aurora Domes through to snowmobiling and fat-biking through the snowy landscape we could not have experienced a more authentic Arctic adventure. Our local hosts and guides at Glød were outstanding. They are all so passionate about the company values and really went the extra mile to make our stay the absolute best possible. This trip is packed with so many 'wow' moments I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to experience something adventurous and fun in a stunning wintery landscape. It was awesome!!
— Daniel, January 2022
Fantastic trip, I would recommend to anyone who is keen for this type of holiday. Local hosts did a great job and made the trip exceptional
— Louise, January 2022
This was an exceptional trip. The local providers were absolutely outstanding. We were involved in all aspects of the activities and the attention to detail throughout was fantastic. It snowed all the time we were here and there was very little daylight so activities were done in the dark (with torches) which just added to the adventure. There was so many little details that made this 5 star, like chocolates in the room, home made brownies after dog sledding, cooking on top of a camp fire in a tipi next to a frozen lake. I'd highly recommend this experience.
— Pamela, January 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed the trip! Full on experience, with good food and knowledgeable guides, Rikki and Calle 🙌
Included
Guides
Expert guides and a local musher for the husky ride
Accommodation
3 nights in an Aurora Canvas Dome
Meals
Munch on tasty local food throughout
Transfers
Airport transfers and everything in-between
Permits
All permits and entry fees
Equipment
All snowshoeing, fat biking, dog sledding and snowmobiling gear
Not Included
Flights to and from the meeting point
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Alta Airport
Any time before 15:00 on Day 1
Ends
Alta Airport
Any time on Day 4
Transfers
Transfers are included from Alta Airport or your hotel in Alta (if you have arrived a day early) any time on Day 1. It is only a 15-minute drive from the airport to the base where you'll spend your adventure. The dog sledding experience on Day 1 starts at 16:00, so we recommend arriving no later than 15:00 to settle into your Aurora Dome accommodation first.
At the end of your trip, you will be transferred back to the airport any time on Day 4. Return flights from Alta tend to depart in the early afternoon, and you only need to be at the airport 90 minutes before your flight since it is a small airport, so there is some time in the morning to soak up the last of the area at the base or on an optional rib boat tour of the nearby fjord.
Your base for the trip is a short distance from the airport. If you need a private transfer you can simply take a taxi from the airport to the base, this will cost approximately 400NOK (£35/€40/$50).
Travel options
There are regular flights to Alta from major airports across the UK and Europe.
Day 1
Arctic Dome · Twin share
Day 2 – Day 3
Arctic Dome · Twin share
Day 4
What is the food like?
Breakfast consists of freshly baked rolls with locally sourced spreads and toppings, juice and fresh coffee. Lunch on Day 2 will be a selection of local delicacies grilled by your host, hopefully including some Arctic Char which you have caught from the lake. Lunch on Day 3 is a sumptuous feast at the Igloo Hotel in Sorrisnova, where the chefs create unique dishes using ingredients from Arctic Norway including reindeer and moose from the tundra, seafood from the Alta River and Norwegian sea, vegetables from local farms and berries picked in the nearby wilderness. Dinner on day 1 is a simple affair of soup and bread before you head out to hunt for the aurora. On your second and third evenings you'll be treated to a three-course meal of local foods, including specialities such as fresh cod and halibut, salmon, moose, reindeer and king crab.
Vegans and vegetarians can be catered for on this trip, however, please request this at the time of booking.
What is the accommodation like?
Alta
A real highlight of this trip is the nights that you’ll stay in the Aurora Canvas Domes. These are purpose-built aluminium and canvas domes with under-floor heating and a wood-burning stove to get you as close to nature as possible. You can even open the roof – perfect for Aurora watching. All electricity is 100% renewable and drawn from hydro-electrical power produced by the nearby Alta River. You'll stay in twin-share domes.
Upgrades
Due to the limited number of Aurora Domes, it is not possible to request a private room upgrade for this trip. Your host can arrange a single room at a nearby hotel if you would like to join the trip and have your own room - however, you'll be missing out on the Aurora Domes as one of the trip highlights in this instance.
Day 1
Welcome to the Arctic Circle
Dog Sledding
2.5hrs
Northern Lights Watching
2hrs
Touch down, meet your host at the airport and head to the remote coastal town of Alta on the inner reaches of the Altafjord in Norway's most northern county. Settle into your unique Aurora Canvas Dome before heading out in the late afternoon to go dog sledding. Take in the stillness of the Arctic on a journey through the forest and open landscapes beside the Alta River, with beautiful Alaskan Huskies and a local musher for company. Later on, indulge in a feast of local food before heading out on your first hunt for the aurora. Settle in for the night beneath the stars in the Aurora Domes.
Day 2
Snowshoeing, ice fishing, fat biking and the northern lights
Snowshoeing
1-2hrs
Cycling
1.5hrs
Northern Lights Watching
1hr
After breakfast, clip on some snowshoes for a hike to a wilderness camp through peaceful pine forests surrounded by high mountains. You'll reach the idyllic camp beside a small lake and warm up around an open fire inside a Lavvu - a Sami herdsmen’s tent. Have a go at catching some Arctic Char for lunch by fishing through an ice hole on the lake. Head back to the Aurora Domes for some downtime in the afternoon before hopping on a fat bike and strapping on a headtorch for an otherworldly bike ride to hunt for the aurora. Ride through the snow-blanketed forest at night on a network of trails, the collective glow of head torches lighting the way before everyone switches their light off to (hopefully!) watch the Northern Lights dancing way above.
Day 3
Snowmobile to the Finnmark Plateau
Snowmobiling
2.5hrs
Enjoy a lazy morning at the Aurora Domes ahead of your next Arctic adventure. Hop on board a snowmobile for a journey through one of Europe's last wildernesses, gliding your way through beautiful winter Arctic scenery from Sorrisniva through the Alta Valley, all the way to the Finnmark Plateau - eyes peeled for the region's famous reindeer. On the way back you'll stop at the Igloo Hotel and tuck into lunch at the restaurant. In the evening you can warm yourself up with a traditional Nordic sauna before a three-course meal of local delicacies. If the aurora comes out again tonight you'll be able to head out for more northern lights watching.
Day 4
Farewell to the Arctic
Say goodbye to your cosy Aurora Dome and soak up the last of your time at the base in Alta with a short stroll or sauna before your host transfers you back to the airport in time for your flight home. Your host can also organise a 2-hour trip exploring the Altafjord on a rib boat if you would like to squeeze in one last adventure before heading to the airport.
15% Off Outdoor Gear
What's included?
- Thermal suit, thermal mittens and hats, and winter boots (for each of the activities)
- Snowshoes for the hike to the wilderness camp and frozen lake
- Ice fishing equipment
- Headtorch for fat biking to see the aurora
What do I need to bring?
Bags
- Soft overnight duffel bag or rucksack
- Daypack (20-30 litres)
- Waterproof liner for daypack
Clothes
- Down jacket
- Waterproof jacket
- Waterproof trousers
- Breathable wicking layers
- Fleece jacket or similar
- Thermals (merino is best)
- Warm hat
- Thick gloves x 2 pairs
- Buff or neck scarf
- Underwear & warm socks
- Light footwear for in and around the Aurora Domes base
- Something to sleep in
Other
- Swimwear for sauna
- Sunglasses
- Universal travel adapter
- Power bank or solar charger
- Passport
- Earplugs
- Personal first-aid kit
- Personal items (biodegradable toiletries, sanitary wear etc)
- Quick-dry towel
- Reusable water bottle
Rib tour of Altafjord (morning of Day 4)
Payable In Resort
Rib tour of Altafjord (morning of Day 4)
…
We've crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of this trip, and plant enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 64kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal for 2022 to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. For every person booked with us since 2016 we’re planting enough trees to suck at least 2x more carbon out the atmosphere than is emitted by their trips. All native trees, as part of amazing projects that are re-foresting degraded land, tackling the biodiversity crisis and supporting local communities at the same time. We go further than that too, also funding re-wilding projects worldwide to help protect important keystone species from extinction. See the reforestation and re-wilding schemes we support. See our carbon action plan.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
Fat bikes have extra fat, knobbly tyres that are designed for riding on soft surfaces like sand and snow and little or no suspension. The super-fat tyres distribute the rider’s mass across a larger area, so you don’t sink in and gain more traction than you would with standard tyre size. You can ride easily and with stability even over firm snow and ice. Fat biking around Alta in the winter is one of the most commonly used methods for locals to travel short distances and is becoming increasingly popular as a way to see the northern lights, both by tourists and locals alike. You won't be riding very far, so anyone who can ride a bike at a basic level will enjoy fat biking to see the aurora.
Snowshoeing is a type of hiking that uses a special type of footwear - a snowshoe - to spread your weight over a larger area to move easily across powder snow-covered terrain. While today's snowshoes look modern, snowshoeing has actually played a vital role in Arctic life for centuries, with traders and trappers using wooden versions to move freely through the wilderness.
Snowshoeing is incredibly easy, comfortable and safe. You simply clip your snowshoe to the outside of your hiking boot and off you go. You'll be in the hands of local, experienced, and trained guides who know the area intimately and will guide you safely throughout the hike.
Absolutely. Our host uses a local family outfit called Tristi & Trina who have a lot of experience looking after the dogs and running a small scale sledding business in the local area. The dog's welfare has and always will be their top priority. The breed of dogs they work with is a polar type of dog called the Alaskan Husky. They are born outside, and are happy to live outside all their life - but of course they are provided with insulated huts full of warm straw and hay to sleep and retreat into.
As this breed was bred to run, they need to have a lot of activity to stay happy and healthy. This is why your host ensures that every dog has enough possibility to move every day, depending on the dog's individual age and state of health. Young dogs, veterans or disabled dogs have reduced running. They will do a run on 5-20km running 4 to 5 days a week, and 2-3 days of rest. Normal dogs can run up to 40-50 km per day, still depending on the day and condition.
To make sure that every dog needs the care and attention they need, our hosts have a daily staff of dedicated employees tending to them. Every morning and afternoon they are trained in and provide the medical care of the dogs. They also work closely with local veterinaries in Alta, who take over where their medical expertise comes to an end.
This trip is suitable for anyone with basic fitness levels. None of the activities are hugely demanding, and you'll never be exerting yourself for more than a couple of hours at a time. The trip is a busy one though, with plenty to pack in so you'll be regularly on the go, although there is some downtime to soak up your base around the Aurora Dome as well. To get the most out of the trip you should enjoy being out in the cold during the winter and come prepared with adequate warm clothing - see the kit list for guidance. For each of the activities - dog sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and fat biking - you'll be provided with a thermal suit, winter boots, gloves and woollen socks to ensure you are plenty warm enough to enjoy each mini-adventure.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Winter in Alta and on the Finmark Plateau can be described in one word. Cold! This is the coldest time of year in this part of Norway, with average temperature fluctuating between -11.4°C (11.5°F) and -6.7°C (20°F). There are only around 2 hours of full daylight at this latitude in January, with an extended twilight either side of the short sunrise and sunset. This double to around 3.5-4 hours of full daylight in February. Of course, the short days make for the best chances to see the Northern Lights.
Sure - you can leave your luggage at your Aurora Dome accommodation for the full duration of the trip.
We recommend checking out the country specific information here and also talking to a travel nurse.
For current advice about travelling in Norway, have a read of the UK Foreign Office pages here.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our adventures. Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure.
Your insurance policy should also include specific Covid-19 cover, including cancellation and curtailment cover if you, your travel companion or a close relative are diagnosed with Covid-19.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
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