The northern lights have been on my bucket list for quite some time and I was thrilled when I finally got to experience for the first time in Norway. I recently visited Norway and explored Lofoten & Vesteralen chasing the northern lights early December with Norwegian Air & Visit Norway. The islands of northern Norway are special and it’s a great winter destination for the northern lights, scenic drives, beautiful landscapes, hiking, and food!

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOUR TRIP:

• Best time to view the northern lights is from September to late March during the hours from 6 pm to 1 am
• Camera: I currently use the Canon EOS R mirrorless
• Adapter & Lens: Canon adapter and any wide angle lens. I prefer the 16-35mm f/2.8
• Tripod
• Weather was not as cold as I had imagined but still be prepared by wearing layers, wool socks, gloves, scarf, beanie, fleece leggings, snow boots, and a warm jacket
• Pack hand and feet warmers
• Currency: Norwegian Krone
• Car rental

HOW TO GET TO NORWAY

I flew from JFK directly to Oslo with Norwegian Air and had one of the most comfortable experiences in premium class. Norwegian Air has the friendliest staff, great food, and very comfortable seats. I think they offer some of the best prices for flights to Europe and I do reccomend spending a little extra for premium class if it’s an overnight flight.

The flight was 7 hours on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Since it was an overnight flight I was able to sleep and woke up in Oslo well rested to start our day. The seats are the perfect size and reclined back for the best comfort.

From Olso, I flew to Bodo and landed in Svolvaer with Norwegian Air.

DAY 1 – LOFOTEN

WHERE TO STAY: Lofoten links lodges offer private lodges near the beach of Hov. It’s a great base for the northern lights.

THINGS TO DO

• Horseback riding on the beach
• Lofotr Viking Museum. This was a great experience to learn about the history of the Vikings and dine at an old Viking home.

On the first night in Norway, we were able to witness the northern lights! This was, unfortunately, the only night we witnessed it throughout the trip due to cloudy weather. The northern lights belt hits Northern Norway over the Lofoten Islands which makes it a great location to catch the aurora borealis. Our first night we went horseback riding on the beach to catch the northern lights. It was magical and it’s just as magical as I thought it would be. Since it was not very strong we were only able to see them through our cameras but it was still one of the coolest things to see!

HOW TO SHOOT THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

1. Set the camera to manual
2. ISO setting
3. Aperture = f-stop. This should go as low as you can on your lens
4. Shutter speed at 10-20 seconds
5. Mount camera on a tripod
6. Zoom and focus
7. Shoot!

Lofotr Viking Museum

DAY 2 – LOFOTEN

WHERE TO STAY: Svinoya Rorbuer in the Svinoya harbor is one of my favorite places! The fishing village is super cute with little red iconic cabins and beautiful mountains all around.

THINGS TO DO

• Surfing at Unstad
• RIB boat safari through Trollfjord and watch the sea eagles with Lofoten Explorer
• Explore the village
• Dine at Paleo Arctic
• Northern lights

Trollfjord

DAY 3 & 4 – VESTERALEN

Drive or RIB boat for a faster route to Vesteralen.

WHERE TO STAY: Huset pa Yttersiden in Ringstad for one night and do a northern lights safari.

On day 4 we checked out of our accommodation and drove to the Inga Sami Siida to learn about the small Sami family business located on Norway’s largest island, Hinnoya. The Sami people are a Finno-Ugric people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses large parts of Norway and Sweden, northern parts of Finland, and the Murmansk Oblast of Russia. Guests are able to experience Joik (The traditional song of the Sami people) while seated around a warm cozy fire. After learning about the history guests are welcome to meet the reindeers on the property which was my favorite part!

A few things I learned:

1. Male reindeers lose their antlers in the Winter & grow a new one the following summer
2. Female reindeers lose their antlers in the summer
3. Only ethnic Sami people have the right to herd reindeers in Norway

After the Inga Sami Siida experience, drive the National Tourist Road towards Andenes, and make a stop at Stave and see Hot Pools. Dine at the Arresten Restaurant for dinner and check into the Marena Hotel. 

DAY 5 – VESTERALEN

• Whale Safari
• Explore Lankanholmen Sjøhus
• Husky Andoy for dogsledding
• Lunch at Andoy Friluftssenter

Late flight to Oslo from Harstad/Narvik airport

Lankanholmen Sjøhus

Andoy Friluftssenter

DAY 6 – OSLO

WHERE TO STAY: Grand Hotel is beautiful and in the heart of Oslo. It’s located right across from the Jul i Vinterland Christmas Market from November 17 through December 30, 2018.

THINGS TO DO

• Jul i Vinterland Christmas Market (Nov 17-30) for 2018
• Damstredet: Charming and picturesque part of central Oslo with well-preserved and inhabited wooden houses from the late 1700s and the 1800s
• The Viking Ship Museum
• Vigeland Park
• The Opera House

Jul i Vinterland

If you have time I highly recommend adding Tromso into your itinerary. It’s another popular destination to view the northern lights. I had an amazing time exploring northern Norway and glad I witnessed the northern lights even though it was for one night. I hope to be back soon and highly recommend visiting Norway during the winter to experience the aurora borealis.

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