
Humpbacks and Huskies Under the Aurora in Norway
Sail, kayak and husky sled around the fjords in search of whales and the northern lights
Humpbacks and Huskies Under the Aurora in Norway
Sail, kayak and husky sled around the fjords in search of whales and the northern lights
DURATION
3 nights
LOCATION
Norway
ANNUAL LEAVE
3 days off work
SEASON
Nov-Jan
GROUP SIZE
Up to 12 people
MEETING POINT
Tromsø Airport, Norway
ACCOMMODATION
Hotel
DIFFICULTY
Easy
This is an easy trip for anyone with basic fitness levels, but come prepared for the sub-zero temperatures
Set sail on a silent boat into the fjords, eyes open for Norway’s famous winter residents, the orca and humpback whale
Drive a husky pack through the alpine tundra and paddle the wintry waters of the Arctic Capital
Featured as one of the ‘Best Northern Lights Tours’ by The Times
All our reviews are verified
— Kirsty, December 2021
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Included
Guides
Local, English speaking guides, skipper and mushers
Accommodation
3 nights in a 4-star hotel in Tromso
Meals
3 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 2 dinners
Transfers
All transfers between your hotel and each activity
Not Included
Flights to and from the meeting point
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Some meals as described
Travel to and from the start point
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Clarion Hotel The Edge, Tromsø
Anytime on Day 1 (but arrive before 20:00 if you want to do the aurora sailing that evening)
Ends
Clarion Hotel The Edge, Tromsø
1pm on Day 4
Transfers
Airport transfers are not included. You can book any flight to Tromsø arriving on Day 1 and easily get to your hotel to check-in via a 10-minute taxi or regular shuttle bus from the airport to downtown Tromsø. The easiest way to get from the airport to the hotel is to take a taxi, which costs about 250 NOK (£20/€24/$29). There are taxis waiting right outside the arrival hall. There is also a shuttle bus running several times per hour for NOK 100 £8/€10/$12) each way. You will meet your local guides and fellow adventurers in the hosts lounge on the first evening located in central Tromsø.
On Day 4 after your dog sledding experience, you will be dropped back off in central Tromso at 1pm. If you are flying back on day 4, please book your return flight to depart from 4pm onwards.
Travel options
There are regular direct and indirect flights to Tromsø from major airports across the UK and Europe.
Day 1
Hotel · Twin share
Day 2
Hotel · Twin share
Day 3
Hotel · Twin share
Day 4
Departure day
What is the food like?
Breakfast in the hotel is a large buffet using a wide range of produce from the local area, with choices of cereal, fruit, cheese and meats, pastries, toast, hot cooked options, juices, tea and coffee.
During the activities, the food provided is home-cooked by a local chef and prepared that day. Expect fresh fish soups from the day's catch, a light picnic, warm drinks while kayaking and a warm meal on the northern lights trip. While meals are served on the northern lights sailing on Day 1 and land-based aurora hunt on Day 3, you may want a light dinner at the hotel beforehand as the meals are served rather late (dependent on the conditions for the night).
Lunch is not included on the whale safari on Day 2. Please budget 150 NOK (£13) for a packed lunch, or 500 NOK (£42) for a 2-course meal on board the boat. Dinner on Day 2 is not included, so you can venture out into Tromsø or enjoy dinner at the hotel.
Vegetarian, vegan and other dietary requirements can be catered to, please request this on your passenger information form after booking.
What is the accommodation like?
Tromsø
You’ll be staying at the Clarion Hotel The Edge, a sleek, ultra-modern 4-star hotel in a high-rise location overlooking Tromsø's waterfront. There is an amazing view over both the harbour and the mountains from the only rooftop bar in Tromsø. A breakfast buffet is served in the hotel's trendy international restaurant.
You'll stay in same-sex twin-share rooms as standard. Couples can request a double room at no extra charge. Solo travellers wanting their own room can upgrade to a private room, see further details below.
Upgrades
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability).
Day 1
Arrive in Tromsø and sail beneath the Aurora
Northern Lights Watching
3.5hrs
Head to your hotel in Tromsø, settle into your luxurious base and take a stroll around the city if you have time. This evening you’ll wrap up for your first aurora chase and head out on a catamaran into the fjords surrounding Tromsø. Undoubtedly one of the most unique and comfortable ways to witness the northern lights, your skipper and crew will navigate the Arctic waters far from any light pollution whilst you watch the skies and, fingers-crossed, plenty of aurora action.
Day 2
Whale watching
Wildlife Watching
7-8hrs
After breakfast you’ll hit the water again, eyes peeled for your next natural wonder. Every year, from November to January, humpback whales and orcas gather in the Norwegian fjords to feast on herring during the rough winter months. You'll hop aboard a special hybrid-electric boat, which is silent to minimise disturbance to the whales. There are multiple decks with plenty of space to get a great view, if you're incredibly lucky, you may even see a humpback whale breaching.
Day 3
Kayak the fjords, chase the lights
Kayaking
2-3hrs
Northern Lights Watching
6-8hrs
Head back out into the fjords by kayak this time. Your host will kit you out with everything you need for a winter kayak in the calm waters around Tromsø. Keep a lookout for more Arctic wildlife such as eagles and seals. Warm up back in Tromsø and in the early evening, grab your camera and chase the northern lights by road, venturing out to the spots with the highest chance to witness the aurora borealis dance in the sky above. You'll have a warm meal and tell stories around the bonfire before tucking back up in the hotel in the early hours after an amazing evening.
Day 4
Dog sledding and goodbye Tromsø
Dog Sledding
90mins
Tuck into a final breakfast before heading over to Tisnes on the other side of the fjord from Tromsø. On arrival at the kennels, you’ll meet your team of Alaskan huskies while your guide talks you through how to mush. You'll ride in a two-person sled, taking it in turns to 'drive'. After around 90 minutes of exploring you’ll be invited into a Sami lavvu (similar to a tipi) to warm up around the fire and enjoy your host's famous chocolate cake with a hot cup of coffee.
In the afternoon your host will drop you off in the centre of Tromsø, where you can take a taxi or shuttle back to the airport in time for your flight home.
15% Off Outdoor Gear
Kit List
BAGS
- A main luggage bag or suitcase
- A small day pack (20-30 litres)
CLOTHES
- Base layers: thermal leggings and a long-sleeved top
- First layers: tracksuit bottoms or hiking trousers, a warm jumper and a soft shell jacket e.g. a fleece or a down jacket (or both if you feel the cold)
- Top layers - an outer weatherproof jacket and trousers e.g. ski or all-weather hiking clothing
- Winter hiking boots
- A hat that covers your ears
- Scarf or neck gaiter
- Insulated or Gore-tex gloves
- Wool socks
OTHER
- Camera (and a tripod if you'd like)
- Spare batteries or power pack - the cold means that devices run out much quicker than normal
- Universal travel plug adapter
- Passports (and visas)
- Travel Insurance documents
- Ear plugs
- Personal items
- Alcohol hand-gel
- Reusable water bottle (x1 litre)
Optional Private Room Upgrade
Payable Before Departure
Optional Private Room Upgrade
…
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 45kg 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.
The kayaking is an easy paddle through the calm waters of the fjords, tailored to the average fitness level of the group and conditions on the day. You won't need any fitness for sailing and dog sledding. Temperatures will be low, so pack warm layers and prepare mentally for the cold. Your host provides special winter clothing for each of the activities.
The northern lights start appearing above the Arctic Circle from the end of August until the end of March. The strongest lights can be seen when the seasons are changing, during September and March, however, October to February are also excellent times to see them. They are unpredictable and can be seen at any time from 18:00 to 06:00, with the most ‘popular’ viewing time between 20:00 and 02:00.
Absolutely. Our host uses a local outfit called Arctic Adventure Tours who have a lot of experience looking after the huskies and running a sledding business in the local area. The dog's welfare has and always will be their top priority.
The breed they work with is a polar type of dog called the Alaskan Husky. They have 95 Alaskan Huskies living at their kennel in Tromsø. At the core of their business is the love for their dogs, which they consider part of the family. You can read an extensive run-through of all things to do with Alaskan Huskies and how our host looks after them on their Animal Welfare Policy page.
While we can never guarantee that you'll see the spectacular northern lights if you're travelling from November to January we have an 88% success rate.
Yes! Tromsø is a fantastic Arctic destination and there's a whole host of other adventures that you can enjoy if you have a little more time, such as reindeer sledding - just ask your host for more information.
Aside from the humpbacks and orcas stealing the show, you will likely spot eagles soaring overhead in search of prey and large flocks of migratory seabirds, along with seals and dolphins.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Arctic weather can be unpredictable, but Tromsø is a ‘mild’ Arctic destination due to its position next to the Gulf Stream which brings warmer air to the north.
The average winter temperature in Tromsø is around -4°C, though if you travel inland it can get as low as -25°C. The weather can be very changeable so you should be prepared for all eventualities! The snow tends to arrive in December.
Anything you're not using can be safely left in your room at the hotel.
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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