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7 days - Aurora Glass Cabin | Snow Hotel | Northern Lights | Tromsø | Coastal Voyage | North Cape
Visit one of the northernmost inhabited areas in the world and experience a unique Sami culture, amazing scenery and exhilarating winter activities with this short highlights tour. Spend a night in the magical Kirkenes Snow Hotel, cruise along the famous fjords around the North Cape and try your hand at dog-sledding, arctic king crab fishing and reindeer sledding. If conditions are right — be dazzled by the northern lights, preferably on the night you are sleeping in an Aurora Glass Cabin in Northern Finland.
This tour can also be done in reverse, starting in Tromsø.
Highlights include
- Sail on the Norwegian coastal ferry
- Catch some Arctic King Crab and sit with others to enjoy the feast afterwards by the fire
- Dress warmly and go Aurora Borealis hunting by Reindeer Sled
- Stay in two unique Northern hotels, Aurora Village and the Gamme Cabins or a snow room in Kirkenes
- Opportunity for spotting the Northern Lights
- Small group sizes from just 8 to 18
- Genuinely inclusive, no additional tour costs
- Hand selected, small hotels
- No unnecessary bus driving
- 'Down Time' guaranteed
- Day 1
- Arrive Ivalo and transfer to your Aurora Glass Cabin
- Day 2
- Reindeer Safari & Snowmobile Safari
- Day 3
- Husky Safari through the forests and then meet Santa
- Day 4
- Transfer to Kirkenes and explore the Snowhotel
- Day 5
- King Crab Safari and then board the Norwegian Coastal Ship
- Day 6
- Enjoy the last of the North - Hammerfest and Tromsø
- Day 7
- Departure Day
- Start Place
- Inari, Finland tours
- End Place
- Tromsø, Norway tours
- Destinations Visited
- Finland tours
- Norway tours
- Duration
- 7 Days
- Group Size
- 6 - 18
- Suitability
- Easy independent holiday suitable for singles, couples & families
- Carbon Footprint
- 276Kg of CO₂e Average carbon footprint per person?
- Code
- 50DN0070
Details
Transportation
Norwegian Coastal Voyage and bus transfers
Included
- All hotel accommodation in shared double room with private facilities, single supplement available
- English speaking Tour Escort, who is an expert in the destination
- Norwegian Coastal Voyage: 1 night double outside cabin with private facilities aboard coastal ship port to port Kirkenes to Tromsø, breakfast and dinner included.
- 3 nights in an Aurora Glass Cabin, breakfast and dinner included
- Kirkenes Stay: Gamme cabins or a snow room option available 20DEC to 20APR, dinner included
- Daily breakfast
- MEAL SUMMARY: 6 Breakfasts, 3 lunches and 6 dinners included
- Bus transfers between Kirkenes and Ivalo
- Winter or Autumn activities depending on the season: King Crab Safari, WINTER ACTIVITIES: Reindeer Farm Visit, Snowmobile Safari and Husky Safari, AUTUMN ACTIVITIES: Husky wagon ride, Finnish Smoke sauna experience and Aurora hunting by car. (Please note that the coastal voyage optional activities are not included.)
- Outdoor clothing for winter activities/safaris (winter boots, balaclavas, woolen socks, mittens, overalls, tube scarf) at the Aurora Cabins
- Lunch and a guided visit to cultural museum Sami Siida, Inari
- Santa Visit
- Sparkling piccolo bottle, water bottle, tea, coffee and sweets as complimentary arrival treats in your room at Aurora Cabins
- Toboggans, sleds, sliders, ice-skates, cross-country skis, kick-sledges and outdoor games are available complimentary at the Aurora Glass Cabin.
- 24-hour emergency service
- Taxes and service fees
Not Included
Flights, meals other than specified, winter clothing (thermal overall & boots) for the entire stay, items of personal nature, beverages, additional activities such as icefishing, horse riding or overnight safaris.
Portage is not included - you will be responsible for carrying all your luggage.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive Ivalo and transfer to your Aurora Glass Cabin
Finnish Aurora Glass Cabins provides 'one-of-a kind' opportunities to admire the Northern Lights and millions of stars in the crystal clear sky while enjoying a comfortable room temperature. Built with a massive special thermal glass window facing sky wards, the temperature inside the cabin always stays at a normal level. It also prevents the glass from not getting white frosted, hence keeping the view clear even when the temperature outside drops to under -30°C.
Upon arrival, check in and get ready for your night under the stars - and hopefully the Northern Lights. A 3-course buffet dinner at Loimu restaurant is included this evening.
The glass cabin has a floor space of 28 square meters including a bathroom, shower, a seating area and a bedroom area. There is a heated glass roof on top of the bedroom area towards the Northern sky. Room amenities include: a kettle, capsule coffee maker, tap water, hair dryer, mini fridge, tea bags, coffee capsules, sugar, creamer and free wifi.
Your escort will meet you this evening in the hotel lobby at 5pm and then enjoy a welcome dinner with your group. Dinner at the restaurant.
Meals
1 DinnerAccommodation
Aurora Double CabinDay 2 - Reindeer Safari & Snowmobile Safari
After breakfast, meet the reindeers. In the old days people used reindeer for transportation. Today you will meet the local reindeers at work, Manu, Pelokas and Papu. Papu will take you for a short reindeer sleigh ride. In a traditional Kota-tent you will have tea, coffee and a small snack by the open fire while our Sámi-reindeer herder tells you stories about reindeer. You can also try your skills at throwing lasso!
In the afternoon, join an exciting snowmobile safari. Two persons share one snowmobile and there will be an opportunity to change drivers during the safari.
Afterwards, if the skies are clear, head out for a walk to look for the northern lights! Dinner at the restaurant.
Meals
1 Breakfast1 Dinner
Accommodation
Aurora Village or similarDay 3 - Husky Safari through the forests and then meet Santa
After breakfast, get ready for today's husky safari - an unforgettable journey through breathtaking winter scenery.
On arrival at the husky farm we will provide you with a warm outer thermal suit, gloves and hat and then we will present your very own husky team. You will be given a lesson on how to drive the sledge and how to observe important hand signals given by your leader.
Each team consists of about six dogs, you, the driver, and your passenger who is comfortably seated in the wooden sledge. The driver and the passenger can change places during the safari.
In the afternoon, in small groups, you will have a special meeting with Santa! Take photos and chat to Santa before enjoying a hot berry juice in the yurt style (kota) building.
Relax with free use of toboggans, sleds, sliders, ice-skates, cross-country skis, kick-sledges and outdoor games this afternoon.
If you enjoy pampering, be sure to book an optional jacuzzi and sauna package or a wood-fired sauna and ice swimming experience!
Meals
1 Breakfast1 Dinner
Accommodation
Aurora Double CabinDay 4 - Transfer to Kirkenes and explore the Snowhotel
Transfer by shuttle bus door to door from Ivalo to Kirkenes (3.4 - 4 hrs). Along the way, stop in Inari for lunch and a guided tour at Sami Siida Museum - the national museum of the Sámi and a national special museum in Finland. The guide will help you to have an in-depth view of Siida’s permanent exhibitions. Siida’s exhibition tours cover the permanent exhibitions of the house.
Every room in Kirkenes Snowhotel is like a small treasure. The rooms are equipped with everything needed for a comfortable night in the somewhat extreme conditions. The pictures look like you are sleeping on ice, but that would be too cold and too hard for your back. The beds are framed with ice blocks and the beds have comfortable mattresses with thermal insulation on top. You sleep inside a sleeping bag graded for -35 degrees celcius. However, snow is a very good insulator, so even when it's -35 degrees outside, the Snowhotel remains a stable -4 degrees.
Upon entering the gates of the Snowhotel, you will receive a welcome drink at the snowbar, made from berries collected from surrounding hills. It will then be time to make the ‘coolest’ hotel check-in around!
Your evening will then progress to a delicious 3 course dinner. The food served is charmingly traditional and locally sourced. Your guide will be available to help you prepare for the evening ahead, making sure you are as comfortable as possible. After dinner you will have the opportunity to walk around the snowhotel and say hello to our resident reindeers, and with any luck, catch a glimpse of the northern lights.
There are two options for your accommodation - either a snowroom or a gamme cabin.
Meals
1 Breakfast1 Lunch
1 Dinner
Transportation
Transfer by mini-coachAccommodation
Day 5 - King Crab Safari and then board the Norwegian Coastal Ship
Today you will join an Arctic King Crab Safari - a very popular highlight for our travellers north. *Note - this tour can be either Day 3 or Day 4 depending on availability.
The Arctic King Crab is a sought after delicacy and you will learn how to catch, prepare and eat them. Your guide takes you out and you can lend a hand in sawing through the ice before your guide attempts to land you a few of these massive crustaceans. Enjoy the day's catch for lunch seated by a cosy fire in a small local farmhouse by the lake. You will travel to the lake by snowmobile sleigh.
Board the Norwegian Coastal Ship to start your voyage down the Norwegian Coast. In the afternoon, the ship again docks at Vardø, Norway’s easternmost port. Continuing south, we cruise along the Varanger peninsula to Båtsfjord, before reaching Berlevåg in the evening.
Meals
1 Breakfast1 Lunch
1 Dinner
Accommodation
Norwegian Coastal BoatDay 6 - Enjoy the last of the North - Hammerfest and Tromsø
In the middle of the night we dock at Mehamn- a small fishing village that had the biggest whaling statin in all of Finnmark in the past.
Next stop is Hammerfest which was a settlement dating back to the Stone Age and is still playing an important role as a fishing port. Founded in 1789 to develop trade with Russia, Hammerfest reconfirmed its position as Norway's Polar capital of its time, acting as a base for hunting expeditions in the High Arctic.
Make sure you visit the The Meridian Column, erected in 1854- now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As early as 1891, wave energy provided power to the first electric street lighting in Northern Europe and energy innovation is still a signature for Hammerfest with its large Liquid Gas Plant just outside town.
As you continue south from Øksfjord after crossing open water we have a quick stop at Skjervøy before sailing through Lyngenfjord- surrounded by the gorgeous Lyngen Alps.
From here we head to Tromsø. The Arctic Cathedral Midnight in Ishavskatedralen is a wonderful experience not to be missed. Depart your ship and transfer to your hotel late this evening.
Meals
1 Breakfast1 Lunch
1 Dinner
Accommodation
Day 7 - Departure Day
After breakfast, independent transfer to the local airport. For those with afternoon flights, spend today exploring Tromsø, Norway's Arctic Capital. Many of the epic Arctic expeditions used Tromsø as a starting point- the famous explorer Roald Amundsen sourced both crew and suppliers here. With the presence of the Norwegian Polar Institute, the city has cemented its position as the Polar Capital of Norway.
Meals
1 BreakfastPrice per person, two people sharing one room.
19 Oct 2023
19 Oct 2023
21 Nov 2023
21 Nov 2023
Important Information
Please note that this tour can also be run in reserve, starting in Tromsø.
Other travellers will join at various points along the way as this tour is a shorter section of a longer small group journey. The group size will never extend beyond it's maximum numbers.
MEDICAL AND HEALTH INFORMATION:
All travellers need to be in good physical health in order to participate fully on this trip. When selecting your trip please make sure you have read through the itinerary carefully and assess your ability to manage and enjoy group travel. During winter, roads and footpaths can be icey so please consider carefully how much luggage you bring as you will be responsible for carrying all the luggage on these outside paths. There is no portage service in Scandinavia and your tour escorts cannot help you, beyond reason.
Scandinavia is a fairly accessible destination for people with restricted mobility and other disabilities and is actively working to be more accessible every day. However, please note that our group tours are often not suitable for persons with limited accessibility due to inclusions and pace. 50 Degrees North is committed to making travel widely accessible, regardless of ability or disability and we can tailor-make independent itineraries for travellers when needed. Please contact us for further details.
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL:
Your glass igloo hosts in Ivalo were the first accommodation in Northern Lapland to receive the Green Key award, the leading standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry. This prestigious eco-label represents a commitment by businesses that their premises adhere to the strict criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education. Some examples of how they carry this out include offering recycling facilities in all cabins and no longer offering plastic bottles in accommodations, along with protecting the diversity of the surrounding nature, i.e., bird house and insect hotels. Hiking, biking, and skiing tracks are direct from the hotel and as such they encourage low carbon activities such as snowshoeing and toboggans.
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Travel Safe
Travel Insurance and Safety
Travel insurance is compulsory for all tours with 50 Degrees North. The safety of our travellers, staff and operators is a major priority of 50 Degrees North. With an operational office in Norway, 50 Degrees North has access to an up-to-the-minute flow of information regarding the countries we work in. We are also in regular contact with the various operators we use. Their in-depth knowledge and understanding of their various areas is vital.
Practical information about Scandinavian Hotels
Practical information about Scandinavian Hotels
- Hotel rooms in Scandinavia are normally furnished with twin beds, which can be moved together to form a double bed or placed separately. Please note that single rooms are generally smaller than doubles, and are often equipped with a shower instead of a bath. Purpose-built triple or family rooms are likewise unusual in Scandinavian hotels. Whilst it is possible for 3 persons to share a room, this will normally be a double room with an extra bed, with correspondingly less space to move about in.
- It is also unusual to have a porter at hotels to carry your luggage.
- There is free wi-fi in many hotels in Scandinavia.
- Unexpectedly, all forms of Scandinavian accommodation rarely provide tea and coffee facilities in their rooms. If you are lucky, a kettle will be supplied but nothing else. Please ask at reception for some provisions when you arrive or just carry a small selection from home.
- Please also note that in Scandinavia - in particular, during winter - the included lunch will often be a hearty warm soup with bread.
- More remote hotels in Lapland will offer dinner at an additional cost. In some spots, there will be limited choices else where. Generally, you get a very nice home-cooked Scandinavian dinner. However, you may sometimes find only one or two choices only for your main course.
- In Scandinavia, it is normal for washing and laundry facilities to be in the basement. If you are staying in apartment type accommodation, check downstairs or ask for assistance.
Practical budgeting information before your departure to Norway
Practical budgeting information before your departure to Norway:
Budget surprises:
Norway has a few items that typically surprise travellers when visiting Norway for the first time. Alcohol and luxury items are heavily taxed and therefore prices are higher than you would expect. On the other hand, necessities such as bread and milk, are taxed low and therefore are great value.
Alcohol import allowance into Norway:
We recommend that you bring all the alcohol you’re allowed to bring into the country when you arrive. There are many lovely parks and balconies where you can enjoy your duty free. However, be sure not to bring more than you’re allowed!
As of May 2014, the allowances according to Visit Norway are:
Alcoholic beverages:
Minimum age: 18/ 20*
1 litre of beverages with more than 22% up to and including 60% alcohol per volume as well as 1½ litre with more than 2.5% up to and including 22% alcohol per volume or three litres with more than 2.5% up to and including 22% alcohol per volume
and
2 litres of beer with more than 2.5 % or other beverages with more than 2.5% up to and including 4.7% alcohol per volume.
This means that you may for example bring with you five litres of beer provided you do not have any other alcoholic beverages with you.
*For importing alcoholic beverages with more than 22% alcohol per volume the minimum age is 20.
It’s illegal to bring extra alcohol into Norway and can end up costing you. Another thing you should bring and not buy in Norway is razor blades. Good razor blades in Norway are expensive.
Practical Information for travelling and packing for Scandinavian Winter
Recommended Scandinavian Winter Tour Packing List:
- Warm wind and water proof jacket and trousers large enough to fit thick woollen jumper/clothing underneath
- Rain trousers – waterproof and breathable material
- Warm windproof cap/hat
- Warm gloves or mittens. Mittens where all fingers except the thumb are together are often warmer than gloves.
- Windproof gloves or mittens, which you can pull over the warm gloves
- Warm scarf
- 2 pairs of long woollen underwear (Merino wool in a few different thicknesses is perfect)
- 1-2 warm woollen jumper(s), or one jumper and a warm fleece
- Woollen or fleece trousers
- 2-3 pairs of warm woollen socks
- Warm & sturdy footwear with good grip
- Clothes for indoors, i.e. a shirt, T-shirts and jeans or cotton trousers
- Back pack for day trips (approx. 30 litre)
- Light footwear/trainers (mainly for indoors)
- Sun screen & Lip salve (the sun reflects off the snow and the air is dry)
- Sunglasses
- Hand warmers
- Nordic Grip anti-slip soles for walking on ice
- Personal medication
- Water bottle - thermo, or include a cover to keep warm (or you can stick it into a warm sock)
- Travel documents (including insurance)
- Photo ID
- Note book and pencil
- Camera, memory cards and charger
- Chargers for other gadgets
- Extra batteries for your cameras as they are used fast in cold conditions.
- Adapters
General information about staying at the Kirkenes Snowhotel
Practical information about the Kirkenes Snowhotel.
How is the Snowhotel built?
First the Kirkenes Snowhotel engineers produce a lot of snow with water, cold air and snow-machines. Then they inflate a large balloon and cover this with snow. When this balloon is totally compacted with 2 metres of snow, they then deflate the balloon and remove it, leaving a circular room. For the corridors, they construct wooden frames and also cover them in snow before removing them.
When is the Snowhotel open?
Kirkenes Showhotel opens each year around 20 December and closes on the 20 April.
How cold is it inside the Snowhotel?
The temperature inside is a constant minus 4 degrees Celsius.
What do you sleep on inside the Snowhotel?
There are 20 bedrooms with normal mattresses. On top of the mattress is an extra thermal insulation layer. You are also provided a sleeping bag made for extreme expeditions, rated for minus 30 degrees celsius. Most guests however, find that it can get too hot inside the sleeping bag.
In the marketing pictures, it looks like the beds are made of ice! However, they have cleverly placed ice-blocks around the beds to create the illusion of an ice-bed! Sleeping directly on ice would be a bit drastic and not very comfortable.
How is the lighting in the rooms?
Every room is decorated differently which is why there is also different lighting used to create a different atmosphere. The lights are LED which gives off very little heat. For security reasons the lights are not switched off. We advise using eye covers to sleep if a small amount of light bothers you.
Do you have bathrooms and showers?
There have nice bathrooms, showers and a sauna in the building next to the Snowhotel. So you have to leave your sleeping bag for a few minutes. Brrr....
Who usually books a night at the Snowhotel?
It is usually couples. Average age is around 45, however their oldest guest has been 92 years old! Each year, the Kirkenes Snowhotel sees marriage proposals being made and of course, in such a beautiful place, weddings for many happy couples take place.
Is the Snowhotel safe?
Yes. The Snowhotel is constructed to the calculations and standards made by a Finnish professor of snow building. The Snowhotel is still standing a month after they close for the season, even with the warmer weather!
Who should not sleep at the Snowhotel?
People with claustrophobia have had trouble sleeping in the Snowhotel. There is also a minimum age of 7 years to stay in the snowhotel. There is a warm lobby available in case people may feel uncomfortable during their night’s stay.