Northern Scandinavia in Winter

Tervetuloa! Welcome to Finland. Your adventure begins in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. This city is an urban oasis in the Arctic wilderness, full of culture and scenic hiking opportunities. If you arrive early, maybe explore the city at your own pace, visit Santa’s workshop, or go hiking among the rapids and aapa mires. After the meeting tonight, consider heading out with your leader and fellow travellers for an optional welcome dinner.

Head out on a leader-led orientation walk of Rovaniemi this morning. Almost totally destroyed during World War II, this modern city is known for being the ‘official’ hometown of Santa Claus, as well as a popular spot to see the Northern Lights. After your walk, you’ll take the bus to the Arctic Snowhotel – carved differently every year and with a temperature of 0 to -5 °C, the walls and furniture inside are all completely made from snow and ice! Explore the rooms, adorned with snow art and light installations and maybe stop at the ice bar for a drink. After, return to Rovaniemi and maybe visit Arktikum – a museum and science centre that explores the Arctic region and the history of Finnish Lapland. You might like to spend the afternoon pedalling through the city on a bike, or on the Ounasvaara walking trail – here, you can wander through the forest, past a ski area to a wooden observation tower for views over the white expanse.

Drive to Lulea – a coastal city in Swedish Lapland known for its cluster of well-preserved wooden houses and the stone Nederlulea Church, built in the 1400s. When you arrive, head to the open-air museum of Hagnan for a bread-baking workshop. You’ll learn about the Swedish baking traditions of kladda bread, try the techniques out for yourself and hear about Swedish folklore beliefs (it's said that the number of folds on your bread will reveal how many suitors you’ll have!). Tonight, head to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Gammelstad Church Town – unique to northern Sweden, these towns speak of the past when there were few churches and locals had to travel from far away. With no way to get home, the people built small homes around the church to stay the night. You’ll meet with a local guide who will take you on a tour of the town by lamp light. Later, maybe go in search of the Northern Lights!

Travel like the locals this morning and hop on a public bus from Lulea to Kiruna – Sweden’s northernmost city. When you arrive, take a leader-led orientation walk to get your bearings, then take the opportunity to rest at your accommodation. Tonight, you’ll head out in the darkness to the incredibly scenic Abysko National Park to go hunting for the magic of the Northern Lights with a local guide. If you’re lucky, you might see the natural displays of colours – green, red and purple – light up the sky. Did you know that the Vikings believed the Northern Lights were Valkyries taking fallen soldiers to Valhalla?

Today, you’ll head out on a daytrip to the Sami Village – the Sami are Europe’s only recognised Indigenous people. When you arrive in their homeland, you’ll meet with some of the locals and learn about traditional Sami culture, traditional knowledge and their relationship with nature. Meet with a local reindeer herder and hear stories about how reindeer are integral to their livelihoods. You’ll then sit down to enjoy a traditional lunch with the locals. After, head back to Kiruna for the night, where you’re free to find a good dinner spot or rug up and sit outside, in search of a sky lit up by colour.

Today will be a bit of a long travel day as you head to Tromso. You’ll first take the train to Narvik, where you’ll have a couple of hours to stretch your legs and find some lunch. Narvik is an ice-free port, originally built to ship iron ore from the mines in Kiruna – Nazi Germany tried to gain control of this vital supply during World War II and the Allies tried to stop them. If you like, you can visit the war museum here and learn more about the town’s history. Then, take the bus to Tromso – this picturesque city in Norway is one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights!

This morning after breakfast, head out on an orientation walk through Tromso’s colourful houses, backdropped by snowy peaks. With your leader, you’ll explore some of the sights of this gorgeous city, then you’re free to choose your own adventure. Maybe go on a show-shoeing mission to help the local Arctic owls! This project aims to provide nesting sites for three species of local owls and monitor their population in response to a mission for sustainable tourism. You’ll meet with a local guide from Wild Lab Projects – this organisation partners with The Owl Team and Birdlife Troms to connect travellers with nature conservation – and, depending on the time of year, put nest boxes in trees, check existing boxes for owls and learn about these amazing birds. In the afternoon, regroup with your fellow travellers and head over to MACK Brewery for guided visit. This is the most northernmost brewery in the world and was founded back in 1877. After the tour, enjoy a final evening in Tromso.

With no further activities planned after breakfast, your trip comes to an end this morning. If you’d like to extend your stay in Tromso and increase your chances of seeing the Northern Lights, just speak to your booking agent ahead of time and organise additional accommodation.