Alta is known as the city of the Northern Lights — but does it deserve this self-appointed title? This post is dedicated to helping you decide just that. As one of the northernmost cities in the world, Alta definitely has some solid rationale behind its claim to fame when it comes to the Northern Lights side…
One of the main reasons why people visit Northern Norway is to enjoy through its snow-coated, glittering white landscapes. And there’s no more special way to celebrate the beauty of a crisp Norwegian winter day than by mushing your own dog team through the landscapes of Alta, a beautiful small city north of the Arctic…
Of all my memories of the frozen world of my February visit to Longyearbyen, snowmobiling out to a remote ice cave in Svalbard was definitely the highlight of my trip. … even though it was an activity I almost didn’t do because I had the worst anxiety I’d experienced in the last decade. Luckily, my…
The furthest north you can fly on a commercial flight, Svalbard is so far above the Arctic Circle that it’s equidistant to the North Pole and the northernmost point of Northern Norway! Since it’s known for its polar bears, the Svalbard archipelago conjures up icy images, but in reality, Svalbard is generally a bit warmer…
While Svalbard is a beautiful place to visit, it’s also an extremely expensive one… which means it becomes even more imperative to pick the right time to visit Svalbard for the experiences you’re hoping for. Here’s the rub: for many, Svalbard is a “once-in-a-lifetime” type of place. Between expensive flights and the necessity of taking…
Svalbard is home to the world’s northernmost settlements, endless nights that stretch on for months, and enough polar bears that residents can’t leave the main town without a firearm. So it’s logical to assume that the Svalbard archipelago, located far north of the Arctic Circle at 78° N, would have some of the best chances…
Usually, when I create an itinerary for a place, I take my cumulative experience there (often collected after multiple trips — I love going to the same place and seeing it in different lights and seasons) and streamline it into one timeline with only the best options. However, that approach creates a problem when creating…
There are many ways to see the Northern lights in Norway: going on a husky sledding tour under the aurora, snowmobiling through the wilderness, sailing through a fjord, or the classic standby, going on a Northern lights chase in search of the perfect place to spot the Northern lights. But perhaps the best and most…
Some people are surprised to find out that Norway has a small but significant Indigenous population: the Sámi people. Like the Inuits of Greenland and North America’s Arctic region, the Sámi have been able to carve out a life — complete with its own traditions, cuisine, art, languages, and beliefs — in some of the…