Hunting the Northern Lights: Tromso and Alta (Norway)

[JennyH]

I'm also following with interest. I have booked flights for Svalbard and Tromos for next February. I'd be happy with a single good viewing of the northern lights, given I was 0/5 from previous winter trips to northern Finland.
I couldn't get the SAS flights to link with the Singapore flights, so I am hoping that 90 minutes is enough time to transfer in Copenhagen.
@ADLhighflyer do you think Scandinavian business class was worth it for the short flights?

 

[jase05]

do you think Scandinavian business class was worth it for the short flights?

Had a few flights with SAS last year and obviously it depends on the price difference and what you want from it. They don’t have even Euro Business as such and instead call it SAS Plus. The middle seat isn’t blocked so it’s just like Economy and I felt really cramped on 2 of the flights. The meals mostly were pretty ordinary and basic but had a couple of beers so not all bad. Priority Boarding was in the second group after Star Golds back then and no extra luggage unless you go the top priced SAS Plus tickets.
I didn’t have any Star Alliance status so most of the tickets were only about an extra $40 for SAS Plus which also gives you lounge access.

 

[ADLhighflyer]

@ADLhighflyer do you think Scandinavian business class was worth it for the short flights?

@JennyH It would depend on the flight duration and extra cost. For me, the flights to/from Singapore Airlines were all in the same booking so was a continuation of the long haul flights. 90mins transfer in CPH is more than enough if on the same booking, but if on separate tickets it is hard to say as I didn't go landside.

For the Tromso-Alta via Olso flight, SAS Plus was only about 15-20 Euro's more so was worth it as it included food and lounge access. Of note though, Tromso doesn't have any SAS Lounge so nil additional perks there. On the flight Alta-Tromso which is about 40mins, I just bought the cheapo fare as it wasn't worth spending more.

As @jase05 mentioned, SAS Plus doesn't guarantee a spare seat next to you, but was hit and miss from the crew as to what you got - if they were proactive you were told, if not you got nothing. The lounges in OSL/CPH is ok, and an ok spot to spend a few hours. I was lucky to visit OSL on a Saturday afternoon when it was quiet.

 

[JennyH]

@JennyH It would depend on the flight duration and extra cost. For me, the flights to/from Singapore Airlines were all in the same booking so was a continuation of the long haul flights. 90mins transfer in CPH is more than enough if on the same booking, but if on separate tickets it is hard to say as I didn't go landside.

For the Tromso-Alta via Olso flight, SAS Plus was only about 15-20 Euro's more so was worth it as it included food and lounge access. Of note though, Tromso doesn't have any SAS Lounge so nil additional perks there. On the flight Alta-Tromso which is about 40mins, I just bought the cheapo fare as it wasn't worth spending more.

As @jase05 mentioned, SAS Plus doesn't guarantee a spare seat next to you, but was hit and miss from the crew as to what you got - if they were proactive you were told, if not you got nothing. The lounges in OSL/CPH is ok, and an ok spot to spend a few hours. I was lucky to visit OSL on a Saturday afternoon when it was quiet.

Thanks to both for the advice. It seems that SAS Plus is now called "business", but comes at a premium (around 80 -100 Euros extra for short flights). When I progressed to seat selection it shows the centre seat as blocked for flights between countries (e.g. Copenhagen - Tromso) but not for within a country flights (Tromso - Svalbard).
Anyway - I'm looking forward to the rest of your journey. NordKapp in the winter must be quite something.

 

[Drakecula]

You got a better light show than we did when we were in Tromso. We were there in December 2019, and we did see some lights, but nothing like what you saw. I'd love to go back one day, really enjoyed all the snow.

 

[ADLhighflyer]

Following on from yet another successful Northern Light Hunt, it was down to breakfast in the hotel early (The Scandic Alta puts on a very nice spread for all tastes) before being picked up promptly for today’s trip up to the North Cape, on what would be expected to be a 10-12hr round trip.

The first part of the journey was a bit bland on the scenery (our guide told us this would be for about 2 hours or so), before we eventually stopped by the edge of one of the local fjords.





The further north we went, the more the wind increased! We made regular stops for photo’s as we continued north to take in the fresh Nordic Air




Before stopping for morning tea just prior to the entrance to where the tunnel from the Norwegian Mainland connects with Nordkapp Municipality. The wind here was blowing an absolute gale, but made the made of the short stop with more photos!





Then it was on our way through the tunnel and beyond Honningsvag on our way to the North Cape – with photo stops of course!




And then the final stretch to the North Cape. The winds were horrendous, and trying to keep the beanie from flying off was becoming a real challenge!

 

[ADLhighflyer]

Arriving at the North Cape, we were told that this had only reopened 2 days prior because of all the snow that had fallen recently – and what we saw on the road up there showed this.

The winds here were the worst I’d ever experienced, but I was still determined to make the most of this stop. The North Cape is the northern most point of Norway and Europe and is 307m ASL and 300miles above the Arctic circle looking out over the Barents Sea.






Mum Trying to hold on with the huge Arctic Gales!







After what felt like an eternity due to the strong winds, and trying to take as many pictures of the Globe without other tourists, whilst also assisting with various requests to assist with a few photo’s for others (everyone came to me for their photos haha!), It was time to head back to the mini-bus to head back and grab some lunch. Everyone who was here that day had trouble staying upright, made all the more careful due to the large amount of ice on the ground.

The winds here were the worst I’ve ever experienced before, but I was super grateful to be able to see the North Cape on a sunny day given the extreme snow conditions that we have seen so far on the trip.

So the trip back commenced, but not before more photo stops! The first stop was at a local fishing village, where we could get out and climb a small hill to get some great views of the local scenery.







We stopped for a late lunch a bit later on the road home, and this was because trying to find a safe spot to stop without the huge winds was quite challenging for the driver. When we eventually stopped, a hearty soup was had along with a hot chocolate and biscuits.

The final stretch of the way home was uneventful, and arrived back at the hotel around 6pm after a very long, but awesome day.

Dinner was had in the hotel that night, with nil Northern Lights hunt planned. What an amazing day we just had!

 

[ADLhighflyer]

Apologies for not being able to post quicker than I have – trying to find time to sit down around shiftwork is challenging! So while time permits, its on with the show!



Following on from yesterday’s long day out to the North Cape, today’s trips would be much closer to Alta on our last full day here before we fly back to Tromso in the morning.

Today’s plan – Snow Showing with some Ice Fishing, and then in the evening another Hunt for the Northern Lights!

Heading down to breakfast about 0730 to find people everywhere, had a leisurely bite to eat before meeting back downstairs at 10am for the Ice Fishing Pickup. We were driven out to the Operators base approx. 20mins from town and got fitted out in the usual warm snow gear (so glad we did this!) and then drove approx. 15mins to the area to commence our snow show hike. Today’s guide brought along one of their dogs to pull the sled which had all of the required equipment onboard. The weather was continuing to snow, but not as bad as what we’ve had on the trip.

The first stage of the snow-shoe hike was approx. 1km, which ended going up some steepish hills in order to get a view of the surrounding area. This also included cuddles with the dog!





Then it was back down the hill, but not before diverting to a permanently erected tent/teepee (whatever they call it!) on the side of the frozen lake. A short walk out onto the lake, and we were ready to…. Hopefully catch lunch!




In order to catch lunch, we had to first drill through the ice using the large hand drill which was about 50cm thick. Trying to keep the drill upright was most challenging despite it looking easy! Then scooped out the frozen ice from the hole with a sieve, and placed our small little fishing rod in the hope of catching some fish. Now we waited



And waited.



And then waited some more.

Sadly, no one caught anything – but fear not, as our guide was already preparing Plan B’s lunch of a very nice salmon casserole! After some stories of the local Norwegian tales, we then packed up to commence the 1km long trek back to the car.

Then it was back into town where we had a few spare hours to chill out with a well deserved coffee before the evening northern lights hunt would begin.

 

[ADLhighflyer]

At 8pm, we got picked up again to be taken back to the Operator’s HQ – this was the same company from earlier in the day, so we were able to keep the snow gear – very handy as it least it all fitted correctly!

They provided us with a nice soup dinner whilst they explained the concept of the Northern Lights, and then it was time to set out.

After about 20mins, our guide noticed that they lights had appeared again, so found a small area to park and walked through the snow to a clearing – which I think was a lake (hard to tell in full darkness!)

The lights had indeed appeared, in various directions above us, so it involved continual movement of the camera to see where they were! The weather was cloudy which did hamper our views, so below is a selection of the better pictures I took that night!










As the cloud rolled in, it was decided to try and find a new spot on some higher ground. However when we got there, it was like the middle of a snow storm and couldn’t see anything. So it was back to the HQ we went after a good night out!

Of note though, is that we both felt that the time taken explaining the northern lights inside the company HQ was certainly different to other operators we’d been with – and this meant that there was less time out on the road hunting for the lights. I guess it depends on what everyone’s priorities are.

Eventually made it back to the hotel at midnight, which meant no more than 5hrs time when it was back off to the airport for the flight to Tromso.

Northern Lights Scorecard: 5/6

 

[ADLhighflyer]

And so began the last 3 days of the holiday!

After getting back at around midnight from our Northern Lights Hunt, we’d organised for a taxi to the airport at around 0530 for our 0730am flight. Due to the short flight time, we’d only booking the basic seats+baggage for ease knowing that we’d have time in Tromso to eat etc.


Alta isn’t a big airport, but it had enough for what we needed at that time of the morning -coffee! We pushed back at 0720 (a bit early) but were then held due to delays in de-icing with the previous Norwegian Airlines flight which took off a little before us. Once that was sorted, we took off and then landed again 30mins later in Tromso where compared to the weather in Alta which was nice and sunny, Tromso was overcast with snow storms! Could not believe the difference!

As this flight was continuing onto Olso, only approx. 25% of the passengers got off the a/c (the rest remained onboard). We eventually disembarked and made our way to the luggage hall to find that the only two suitcases appearing on the belt were ours!

Made our way into the city, but were unable to check-in at the Comfort Xpress (which was expected) so dropped off our bags and went to go and grab some breakfast at a local bakery where we worked out the plan for today. We enjoyed breakfast of coffee and croissants, whilst taking in the view of the local snow clearing worked who were trying to remove all the snow from the past 2-3 days we’d been away in Alta.






Due to the weather, we decided against go back up the cable car and instead walked (carefully) to the local Polaria Museum (an Arctic Experience Centre) which was very interesting, and the local glassworks which conveniently was just next door.

On the way back, went out and did the usual souvanier shopping before eventually being able to check in and rest for a bit.

In the evening, we elected to have a quiet night and went to one of Tromso’s local pizza places and had a great meal before having an early night with tomorrows plans still proceeding (for now).

 

[ADLhighflyer]

And so arrived our last full day in Norway. This was always planned as a spare day, in order to reschedule any tours that might have been cancelled etc due to weather. As it turned out, this was a good move.

And so, today’s plan was to head off to the Lyngen Alps, which originally was planned for a week prior but due to avalanches last time was cancelled. We thought about it, and decided to rebook whilst the opportunity was there in order to enjoy the outdoor scenery once again. It didn’t disappoint.

Due to the hotel not providing breakfast, we managed to get some very basic food which was enough to sustain us for a while (think banana bread and fruit) and headed off to where the tour would depart from at 8am. As it turns out, the guide was running late as he had to find the min-van he would use for the day (which took 45mins to find!) and then had to dig it out of the snow that had fallen overnight.



Walking to our tour again in Tromso



We did leave a little late, but this didn’t matter as we still made the 10am ferry across to the Lyngen Alps. Definitely a much bigger boat than the ferry from last week for a much shorter crossing. Big credit to the guide for the day, as due to incoming weather, the days plan was carefully crafted so that we’d continually be ahead of the weather which was coming from the south.









After a few stops for some photos around the Lyngen Alps, we stopped for a mini walk our to a wooden bridge over a mostly frozen stream. In the distance, you could hear several snowmobiles doing the rounds. Plenty of fresh snow around.






We moved further north, where after a few more stops for photos we stopped for lunch and had some great soup and biscuits, with the bad weather closing in rapidly. So far, our drive northward has proved amazing to avoid the weather coming from the south!






The weather very quickly began to deteriorate as we left our lunch spot and headed back for the 2:30pm ferry back toward Tromso. A short 30min ride later, and we were back on the mainland of Tromso where the snow had become quite heavy with snowplows out everywhere keeping the roads open.

Returned back to the hotel around 4pm where had a coffee and muffin to relax a little, before heading out for dinner for Pizza again, to the same place as the previous night as we really enjoyed the experience there. This included one last look around Tromso before our journey home started very early the following morning.

 

[ADLhighflyer]

After an amazing 12 days or so, it was time to head home. Our journey home would consist of 4 flights TOS-OSL-CPH on Scandinavian Airlines, then CPH-SIN-MEL on Singapore Airlines (all in SAS Plus and SQ Business), landing some 30+ hours later back home.

Our first flight was early (very early), so meant a 3am wakeup to ensure everything was packed etc with a taxi booked to the airport for 04:10, which arrived very promptly. Given several legs we had to travel, we tried to queue up at the check-in desks but was told by the staff to go to the automated kiosks to check-in instead. Of course, this decided it wouldn’t work so it was back to the check-in desks where staff had said it was because the kiosks only could manage upto 3 flights on a single booking. A bit annoyed, given we had said we had 4 flights previously. Oh well.

Curiously, all 4 boarding passes were printed on the one card, which was interesting as it did cause some confused looks from gate staff when they tried to work out if we could board or not as it wasn’t something they were used to seeing!

Went through to the gate area and waited out the departure time given there is nil SAS Lounge in Tromso, and most shops were still closed given the early hour.

SK4403 TOS – OSL 0615 – 0825

Boarding commenced early at 0540 and pushed back 10mins early in order to commence the de-icing process given the a/c had overnighted. Flight was quick and arrived in Oslo slightly early, but couldn’t see much during the decent due to the very low cloud cover.



Given the tight connection, we didn’t bother going to the lounge so we just headed to the international area which our flight was departing from for some reason, and found that boarding had just commenced at gate E2.

SK455 OSL-CPH 0915 – 1030

Flight was very full and pushed back 5mins early for the short hop to CPH. Landed ontime at 1015 and parked at the furthest gate there was at A23 and walked the million miles (well, it seemed like that!) back to the central area of the terminal and proceeded to the SAS Lounge that we had access to as part of our onward SQ Business Class flights. We had plenty of time in transit (90mins) so weren’t in any rush, and with the International Concourse in CPH right next to the SAS Lounge we didn’t have far to walk thankfully from there.

The SAS CPH Lounge is pretty much like a mini Qantas Club, where you can get some basic food and drinks, but nothing substantial. Given it was late morning, I only really wanted a coffee and something small to eat knowing that quality of the SQ meals that await on the next flight.



SQ351 CPH SIN 1200 0730

Following the SAS Lounge, we walked through the International Area and got the passports stamped (still a thing apparently) and arrived at Gate C33, where we entered a holding pen whilst awaiting permission to board.

Boarding commenced ontime, and before we knew it we were on our way to Singapore on schedule.

To start with, we were served a Canape of the famous Singapore Chicken Satay. This was amazing!



Followed by an appetiser of Slow Cooked Scallops with Pickled Turnip Flower



Then a Main Course of Poussin en Crepinette with Gastrique Sauce (Stuffed Chicken), with a side of Garlic Bread that I can honestly say only spent about 10 seconds on my plate before it was consumed!



Before finishing the meal off with both fresh fruit and Coconut Ice Cream



All these meals were fantastic and very much enjoyable.

Then it was time to relax with a movie (can’t remember what exactly it was) and Whiskey, before settling in for a good sleep given the early wake up earlier in the day.



Closer to arrival, Breakfast was served where I enjoyed Sen Lek Phad Si-ew, which was Fried Rice noodle with glazed chicken, squid and Chinese greens



The flight from CPH landed on schedule at 0725, and parked at Gate A3 in Terminal 3 before we made our way into the Terminal to check where our next flight would be departing from, before making our way to the Silverkris Lounge for spend the next 3hrs relaxing.

I used this time to copy photo’s from both the Phone and Camera around from the trip and share these with mum whilst time permitted as I wouldn’t have time once back in Melbourne.

Before we knew it, 3 hours had passed and it was back onto the last flight home.

SQ217 SIN MEL 1100 – 2125

We left the lounge and made the long walk down to the end of the terminal at Gate A15 and pushed back early, and in the air 15mins later. Nil photo’s for this leg unfortunately, as I must’ve forgotten to take any!

We started off with the Canape’s again of the Singapore Chicken Satay and an appetiser of Silken Chicken Salad, before having the main course of Baked Herb Crusted Barramundi Fillet. Finishing off this again awesome meal was a personal favourite – the Viennetta Ice Cream!

Closer to MEL, a supper service of Friend Hokkien Mee was served that finished what had been an outstanding 2 flights with Singapore Airlines.

Our Flight arrived into MEL approx. 25mins early, which was ideal as it was the first international arrival due to other delayed flights. As a result, we were able to get through Duty Free, Immigration and Customs quite quickly with minimal wait times. A quick call to collect my car and finally arrived home around 11pm

 

[ADLhighflyer]

This was a trip that I absolutely enjoyed, and even more special was the fact that I got to spend it with mum and helping her enjoy some tours and activities that she wouldn’t otherwise have done. Precious memories to last a lifetime, and something that I’ll cherish for a long long time to come.

Everything we had organised and planned for was well run, and with some days spare to allow for any unplanned eventualities it meant we could do everything that mum had wanted to do and more. Even more special, was the strike rate of seeing the Northern Lights again and the fabulous pictures and videos that were captured on those nights when out light hunting.

Now to plan the next trip!

 

[jastel]

Nice trip...beats the 3 day blizzard I had when I was there.
All day tours cancelled, spent some time at Macks.
Got 1 night on Lights Tour, went to Finland...saw the faintest smudges.

What camera and settings did you use?
Phone pix and point and shoot cameras were useless years ago when I went.

 

[VPS]

Great TR thanks - it makes me feel cold just looking at the snow in the last few

 

[Seat0B]

Thanks for posting this TR - I really hope to follow in your footsteps in the not too distant future!

 

[ADLhighflyer]

Great TR thanks - it makes me feel cold just looking at the snow in the last few

Thanks for posting this TR - I really hope to follow in your footsteps in the not too distant future!

It was great to write and glad you enjoyed it.

Nice trip...beats the 3 day blizzard I had when I was there.
All day tours cancelled, spent some time at Macks.
Got 1 night on Lights Tour, went to Finland...saw the faintest smudges.

What camera and settings did you use?
Phone pix and point and shoot cameras were useless years ago when I went.

I use a Canon 750D, which I think is about 8 years old or something. For this trip, I borrowed from a work colleague a Sigma 18-35mm 1.8f lense which coped with the low light greatly. Depending on the speed of the lights, the exposure ranged from 3secs to 30secs and the ISO anywhere from 0800 - 3200 as experimented a bit.

This was the first time I used my phone to take photos, so it was a bit hit and miss.

 

[jastel]

Yes thats what I found, (next time I had DSLR and tripod) keep fiddling and changing settings until the lights stop or battery goes flat. Cull them when you get home.

 

[ADLhighflyer]

Yes thats what I found, (next time I had DSLR and tripod) keep fiddling and changing settings until the lights stop or battery goes flat. Cull them when you get home.

Tripod and spare camera batteries definitely required for long nights in the freezing cold! I was gobsmacked how quickly the battery levels decreased with the cold weather, so spares are a must.

 

[drron]

I loved the TR. But it is the way I like to see the snow - in a photo.
So if anyone else is the same as me then the best place to see the Northern Lights is to visit Alberta. Never saw the lights in Thomas or Iceland but the week after we spent in Alberta and saw them every night. It is the place where the lights can be seen further south.
And anyone who is in Canada now look out at night as the lights are forecast to be seen down to the Deep South of the USA.