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Visiting the Arctic Circle isn’t the most
conventional way to celebrate your wedding
anniversary, but it is definitely a memorable one!
We spent an amazing week exploring Tromsø,
in Northern Norway. Tromsø (pop. 72,000) is
considered to be the northernmost city in the
world and is located 350 kilometres above the
Arctic Circle. We were there in the first week of
March, which gave us plenty of snow as well as
enough daylight hours to fully enjoy the city.
The main reason we travelled to Tromsø was to
see the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), and
to maximise our chances we chose a package
offered by a company called Chasing Lights,
which included night-time Aurora chases,
daytime excursions and accommodation at
Clarion Hotel The Edge. Chasing Lights was
fantastic to deal with and we cannot speak
highly enough of its service.
First up was a snowmobile safari. We were given
thermal suits, boots, gloves and helmets and,
after a safety briefing, we were off! Luckily it was was in constant contact with the other guides
a beautiful sunny, albeit cold day, and zipping
across the snow between towering peaks gave
us views that are hard to forget. We were very
lucky to be the first group out after a fresh
snowfall, so when we reached the turnaround
point, a frozen lake, it was covered by a couple
of feet of fresh, untouched powder. It didn’t take
much encouragement from the guides before
we were all racing around the lake and seeing
just what our snowmobiles could do.
This first night was also the first of our four
Northern Lights chases. For each trip, Chasing
Lights provided thermal suits and boots and we
were picked up from our hotel around 6pm, to
return sometime between 1 to 4am, depending
on how far we had to drive to find clear skies.
Chasing Lights also provides camera tripods
for each camera, as often the Aurora is much
more visible through a camera than the naked
eye. Each night they also provided plenty of hot
drinks and biscuits and set up camp somewhere
for dinner. Dinner consisted of rehydrated
tramping food but when you’ve been out in
minus-12 degrees for five hours it is incredibly
well received! All of the four guides we had were
incredibly knowledgeable and helpful and their
passion for their job was evident. They were also
skilled photographers and as well as assisting
us with our own cameras, took plenty of photos
of their own which they then shared with us via
Dropbox a few days later.
On our first night we were lucky to have clear
skies and didn’t need to drive far before we
spotted the first signs of Aurora activity.
Excitement levels amongst our group of 12 were
high but our guide just laughed – this was only
the beginning! Throughout the night our guide
who were out that night, with everyone going to
slightly different locations to find the best skies. and waiting to run. One person sat in front
We eventually made camp on the shore
of a fjord with just a few houses scattered
around, and our guide quickly had a roaring
campfire going.
It didn’t take long until we were treated to
what even our guide described as one of the
best and longest-lasting displays he had seen.
Green bands of light floated and swept across
the sky for hours, strong enough to be visible
to the naked eye. Lying flat on my back on a
rocky snow-covered beach looking up at these
magical green lights dancing across the sky in
front of millions of stars, with only a crackling
fire to be heard, is something I will never forget.
It was truly breathtaking.
We went out on three more chases and while the
first night was by far the most spectacular show,
we saw the Lights again on two of the three
other trips. Each trip was different and while the
weather was against us, with quite a bit of cloud
and wind on the second and third trips, we still
caught glimpses of the Lights.
On our last chase, despite brilliant clear skies,
there was absolutely no Aurora activity. Even
so, we spent a pleasant evening around the
campfire on the shores of a fjord framed by two
perfect peaks. We roasted marshmallows and
watched the constellations move across the sky.
We were also lucky enough to experience the
Aurora from Tromsø itself, from right outside
our hotel. Despite having to contend with light
pollution from the city we were still able to make
out the swirling green lights with the naked eye
and snap some great pictures, complete with
the city’s famous Arctic Cathedral below.
On our last full day in Tromsø we went dog-
sledding. Arriving at the farm where the tours
start from we were greeted by 105 dogs, ready
and the other stood behind the sled to steer,
with each sled pulled by six dogs. Again, we
were fortunate to have good weather and the
experience of shooting through the snow,
shouting to the dogs and spotting reindeer and
moose, was great fun. Holding on tight was
definitely necessary!
Our time in Tromsø was over all too quickly. We
had an amazing time and would recommend this
experience to everyone.
HELLOWORLD : EXPLORE : SPRING EDITION