Norway Winter Wonderland and Snow Hotel

Our winter expedition begins with your arrival to Kirkenes, the northernmost town in Norway. Start your day here by checking in to the beautiful Snow Hotel Resort. With pickup from airport arranged, your very first night will mark the beginning of adventure, as you sleep in spacious, white, decorated, enlightened Snow Suites for the night. Yes, these are really made up entirely by snow and ice! Since today will be your first day, your guide will take you around the resort, showing you the reindeer farm, huskies, and various winter gears available for any activity. After a welcome welcome drink in the Snow Bar in the evening, they will also help you prepare for spending the night in the snow hotel. Meet your fellow travelers, and later on, enjoy a traditional, locally sourced 3-course dinner, served at the wooden cabin, overlooking vast expanse of forest. Once you are tucked into your cocoon cum sleeping bag at the snow suite, experience a night like never before! If you find it hard to sleep, maybe just step out to watch out for the Northern Lights by the open fire place.

After spending the night in a sleeping bag in the Snow hotel, it’s quite the feeling hitting the sauna and shower located in a separate building close to the hotel. Once feeling warm and refreshed, you can enjoy a tasty breakfast. Before we head out on new adventures, we check in to modern wooden cabins, manufactured based on traditional hunting and fishing hut “gamme”. These types of gamme are found in the Sami areas of the Arctic wilderness. They are fully equipped with air conditioning, under floor heating, natural tiles and a bathroom with a separate Aurora wall. This is where you will be spending the night for today. During day time, your guide will call you for your frozen ride across the fjord over the snowmobile or husky sled, whatever your choice.

Enjoy your breakfast in the restaurant before you check out from your gamme cabin. You will be transported to the Kirkenes port, where your ship awaits to continue the journey by sea. Once you embark, familiarise yourself with its interiors and various sighting spots, as this acts your basecamp on sea for the adventures to come As the ship starts its voyage south, you can first enjoy lunch followed by views of the surrounding Arctic landscape on deck or from the panorama lounge. As we depart Kirkenes, you’ve only begin to see what the Norwegian coastline has to offer. Prepare yourself for many new experiences. In the afternoon, the ship docks at Vardø, Norway’s easternmost port. Weather permitting, we may invite you to experience ice bathing in the Arctic Ocean. Heading south, we cruise along the Varanger peninsula to Båtsfjord, before reaching Berlevåg in the evening. The latter town is home to one of Norway’s most famous male choirs, consisting mainly of local fishermen.

In the middle of the night, we dock at Mehamn, where it is possible to join an unforgettable snowmobile trip through one of Europe's most extreme and exciting natural areas during winter time. Experience snow-clad valleys, fresh winter air and perhaps the mesmerising Northern Lights in the clear, starry sky. At Honningsvåg you can join an excursion to tour the northernmost town in world. Before stopping in Hammerfest, you can enjoy an 'energy coffee' and short introduction to Melkøya - the world ́s northernmost natural gas terminal'. Hammerfest was founded in 1789, and over time became Norway's polar capital, serving as a base for hunting expeditions into the High Arctic. Here you can see the UNESCO-listed Meridian Column, erected in 1854 to commemorate the first precise geographic measurement of the globe. In winter, you can also join a mini-mountain expedition to experience the Arctic outdoors and learn about local polar hero and cook, Adolf Henrik Lindstrøm. We continue south to Øksfjord. After crossing open water, we make a brief stop at the old trading post of Skjervøy. We then dock at Tromsø, just in time to enjoy a magical midnight concert at the Arctic Cathedral. A walk around the town provides you the chance to explore the town in its tranquility. The ship departs Tromsø at 01.30 am, and if you are not too tired, we recommend staying on deck, so you can see the Northern Lights or the moonlight reflecting on the sea

We arrive at Harstad this morning, where you have the opportunity to participate in one of our classic excursion programmes, or explore on your own. Those who choose to stay on board can admire views of this old church as we sail towards the Risøyrenna, a shallow 7- metre-deep channel made especially for Hurtigruten in the 1920s to provide an 'inside route' between Harstad and Sortland. The sand banks along the Risøyrenna are visible through the clear, green water. Today will be a feast for the eyes as we sail through the Lofoten and Vesterålen island groups and some of the most stunning scenery of your voyage. The Lofoten region is renowned for its natural beauty with steep mountains, wild nature and small, picturesque fishing villages. The daylight sailing route through the Lofoten Islands is a highlight for many of our guests. Now we reach the spectacular Trollfjord, only 2 km long and 100 metres wide, surrounded by majestic mountains. If the weather and time permit – the captain makes a detour into the fjord. Steep cliffs hug the ship ́s sides and the dramatic landscape conjures fairy tale images of an imaginary land of trolls. The ship turns around in the narrow fjord, a magnificent sight in its own right! Risøyhamn is a small village with only 200 inhabitants, and we make a short stop here to deliver passengers, groceries and mail. As we sail south, you’d be forgiven for thinking we are heading straight into a mountain wall, but as we approach, the captain finds an opening and steers the ship deftly through the narrow Raftsund. The journey along this 20km passage between Lofoten and Vesterålen is both impressive and imposing, with mountain cli s rising up to 1,000m on both sides. In the evening, we reach Svolvær. The world’s largest hauls of cod are made here between January and April, putting this small coastal town on the map. But Svolvær is not just a centre for fishing. During winter, artists flock here for the local scenery, bustling street life and, perhaps more than anything else, the light. Come ashore and join one of our excursions or explore this charming town on your own. Join our Lofoten Islands tour to learn more about the fishing communities, beautiful scenery and art from this area. From Svolvær, we continue on to Stamsund, where the majestic peaks of the huge Lofoten Wall can be viewed. Then we say goodbye to these beautiful islands and set course for the mainland, but don’t worry – there’s more outstanding natural beauty to come.

Crossing the Arctic Circle at 66°33’N is an important ‘rite of passage’ even today. Stand on deck as we pass the small island of Vikingen and celebrate the event out on deck with a `taste ́ of Arctic tradition – a spoonful of cod liver oil. As we sail along the Helgeland coast, you pass hundreds of islets, fertile farmland and steep granite walls rich in local lore. Another highlight is sailing past the Seven Sisters mountain range. All seven mountains are between 900 and 1,100 m high, and it is easy to understand how these ‘ladies’ influenced ancient myths. Stay our on deck as the expedition team tells you an interesting story of this myth and wonder at the majestic at the same time Next we make a short stop at Nesna, an idyllic old trading post before moving on to Sandnessjøen before reaching Brønnøysund. Arriving in Brønnøysund, you’ll have time to go ashore and discover this charming little town on one of our excursions. Then it’s time for more magi- cal sightseeing from the ship. Torghatten Mountain is known for its natural tunnel through its centre. The tunnel is 160 metres (520ft) long, 20 metres (66ft) wide, and 35 metres (115ft) high. It was formed during the last Ice age. Ice and water eroded the looser rocks, while the harder ones in the mountain top have resisted erosion. Legend claims that an arrow red by the troll Hestmannen formed the hole in Torghatten Mountain. We hope you can see the mountain as we sail past by it in the evening

Today provides another opportunity to explore the city of Trondheim. Back on board, the ship heads out into the majestic Trondheimsfjord, which is 170 km long and up to 25 km wide. Like all other Norwegian fjords, it is deep, plunging to 577 m. Along the way, we sail past Munkholmen island. Later, we pass Smøla, an island chain at sea with at least one skerry or island for each one of its 2,400 inhabitants. Then we encounter the magni cent mountain peaks of Tustna, rising some 900m above sea level. Soon, the island of Grip and its light- house come into view. Clusters of houses were built around a small stave church here dating back to 1470. The tiny community has clung to Grip’s rocky shores for centuries, even defying huge waves that have occasionally swept over the island. As we sail along the coast, you realise the importance of fish to Norwegian coastal communities. Kristiansund’s location has steadily provided the town with a wealth of opportunities in the fishing, shipbuilding and oil industries. Kristiansund is today regarded as Norway’s ‘dried cod capital’ because of its long-time export of salted dry fish. Here you can join for plenty of excursions to explore the town enthrallingly. Those choosing to stay on board at Kristiansund will experience the ship ́s crossing the open sea on our way to Molde, known as Norway ́s ‘City of Roses’. Along the way you see the steep, grey, pointed peaks of the Romsdal Alps.

During the night, the ship calls at Ålesund, Torvik, Måløy, as the world’s most beautiful voyage draws to a close. Before we dock in Bergen, there are some nautical miles of fascinating scenery ahead of us, including the picturesque Nordfjord below the enormous Jostedal Glacier. Here the fjord widens to the east and forges 90 km inland to Loen and Olden. The rugged coastal areas are a striking contrast to the inner fjord regions where the wind is gentler and less rain falls. Fertile fruit orchards and glacial fingers stretch towards glistening lakes and gushing rapids. This landscape has its own distinctive charm and you are encouraged to experience it. In the morning, we call at Florø, a modern coastal seaport that is also the Sogn og Fjordane region ́s oldest town and Norway’s westernmost community. Despite constant changes, the city of Florø has maintained its special features. A few nautical miles south of Florø, we navigate the mouth of the mighty Sognefjord, and enjoy superb views of this magnificent island-studded coastline en route. Finally, you disembark in Bergen, taking with you memories of a unique journey filled with unforgettable experiences and meetings with local people, wildlife and stunning nature. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, but we hope to see you on board for new adventures in the very near future.