At end of January I got to visit the majestic landscapes of Northern Norway. After landing in Tromso in a dreadful weather where you couldn’t see anything until you were basically touching the ground, we were taken to the hotel to check in and freshen up a bit before heading for a quick tour of the town and then dinner.
Tromso is a charming town in Northern Norway, enjoying the reputation of being the Paris of the North. It boasts of beautiful wooden buildings giving it the air of history as a fishermen’s village once upon a time. It is the biggest city in Northern Norway, located just beyond the Arctic Circle.
In the evening we were treated to a beautiful meal at the Fiskekompaniet, with fresh caught fish as a main and delicious cloudberry cheesecake for desert. The restaurant is just by the harbour and offers lovely views towards the sea. After dinner we were all ready for bed and with a view of the harbour from our rooms as the last thing before slumber, we slept really well.
The next day it was time to start the activities and so we headed to the harbour after breakfast for our first Whale Watching Safari. We boarded the boat, which can hold up to 146 passengers plus the guides and the crew. In Tromso you can see Orcas (Killer Whales) and Humpback whales together as they come to feed on the herring. The season is from beginning of November to end of January. So, when we were in Tromso, it was already the end of the season and many of the whales had already left the area or were leaving. This meant that we might need to venture out further to the open sea to find any whales. Once on board we were given safety briefing and information about the whale we could expect to see and how to spot them.
After quite a bit of searching on the rough seas we finally got to see some whales! First we spotted 2 Orcas, recognising them by their black dorsal fins. After as we were looking for them to come up again, suddenly we spotted a low grey fin that could easily be mistaken for a small wave and then the huge fluke splashed out of the water and dove under the surface. After this we went a little further to the next fjord and saw another orca pair.
The sea was really rough and many passengers got very seasick unfortunately. My advice, if you are prone to seasickness, is to avoid the end of the season as you need to venture further out, have light breakfast (preferably no coffee) and always take a motion sickness pill before going on the tour. This will allow you to enjoy the experience a lot more, I can assure you!
Once we had survived the rough seas and were safely on dryland, we headed for a bite to eat and then boarded another boat, a speed boat to Lysnes, on Senja Island south from Tromso. Our first destination was Mejfjordvaer on the northwest part of the island. Here, after checking into our apartments with a view of the fjord, we were treated for a lovely dinner. After we were told to wrap up warm as we were heading out to gaze the sky for the Northern Lights. When we were heading out it was snowing heavily and we were convinced we wouldn’t see a thing. However, our guide told us to just hop on and off we went. After 10 minutes we found a spot where the clouds cleared and snowing stopped.
They had a little platform just by the water and as we were gazing toward the sea, somebody said to turn around and there they were, the green lights of the arctic sky dancing above our heads, shooting from behind the mountains. The lights got stronger and we started seeing different colours and then suddenly they burst out in a shape of and arrow’s head in white, red and green. What a spectacular sight framed by the majestic mountains and the sea. After some time clouds started gathering up again but the Auroras were so strong that they would great an eerie green light shining from behind the clouds.
After our toes and fingers started to get so cold that not even the Northern Lights could distract us, we headed back to catch a few moments of sleep. The fact that we could still see the Auroras from our window, made it hard to put our heads to the pillow and go to sleep.
The next day we were supposed to take a boat from Gryllefjord to Andenes in Vesteralen, however the arctic weather had other plans for us and the boat was cancelled. This meant a 9-hour bus ride instead of few hours on the boat. Luckily we had some daylight most of the way and could enjoy the lovely winter scenery. The bus driver was also very talkative and friendly, telling us stories about the area and about life in the Arctic in general, we even passed his house.
When we arrived, we were all quite tired and after dinner we were all ready for bed. Good night’s sleep and we were as good as new for the second Whale Safari of the trip. Few of our group decided to skip this one due to the previous experience but us who decided to go, truly had a great experience. Before the safari, we had a tour of the Whale Centre, which provides information on the biology, culture and habits of the whales as well as about the ongoing research. The boat itself was a lot smaller than the first one, a converted traditional fisherman’s boat. The operator has installed high frequency microphones on the boat to be able to locate the whales by listening to their calls. This way they have a higher chance of locating the whales instead of looking for them ‘blind’. We were lucky enough to see two Sperm whales and the boat being smaller also allowed it to get a lot closer to the whales. They are truly magnificent creatures!
After the whales it was time to get closer to the Sami culture (the original people of the Arctic regions). You can find Sami people in Norway, Sweden, Finland and even Russia. Most still live very traditional lifestyle by herding reindeer and handicrafts. In Norway and Sweden only the Sami people are allowed to own reindeer by law.
After a memorable visit to North Norway and having witnessed whales and the northern lights, it was time to head home again. Until the next time!
Text: Saija Kokkonen. All images: Saija Kokkonen. All rights reserved.