Birthday in the Arctic Circle, Norway

Best Bits

The people, the landscape, and the winter adventures.

Worst Bits

It’s a long, long way from home.

Trip Dates and Comments on Timing

We were told that March was a good month to go and see the Northern Lights.

Arrival Logistics

Landed at Tromso airport at about 2pm, it was pitch black and snowing hard. There was a small wait of about 10 minutes at the taxi rank, but it was mighty cold!

General Overview of Itinerary

We’d planned the big events in advance, but for most of the day we were flexible about how else we’d fill our time.

Main Activities

Adventure, Boating, Cruises, Culture, Exhibitions, Food, Historical visits, Nature, Relaxing, Road trip, Snow, Walking.

Food and Drink Highlights

Brown cheese was a highlight, unique to Norway. Have to admit I’m craving it right now.

Essential Packing for this Trip

Startup News, and I had to buy a Norwegian themed beanie.

Bruce’s experience:

400km north of the arctic circle my wife and I spent her birthday in a winter wonderland, enjoying a whole raft of activities.

The first day was spent at the Polar Park where we booked a tour in the wolf enclosure, it was an incredible experience. Driving there alone was an adventure - On the wrong side of the road, in the dark, on icy roads next to majestic fjords! But being next to those majestic animals as they howled and played with us was something I’ll never forget.

The next day we went whale watching on the icy fjords. The sights alone were amazing, but then to have humpback whales lunge feeding 20 meters from the boat was stunning. Just being on that boat in those conditions gave me a lot of inspiration and energy, the cruise back into Tromso gave me some time to reflect on the majesty of the area and prompted some life changing decisions.

The next day was sightseeing around Tromso, a gorgeous city with a lot to offer. Locals told us when the go to the gym they don’t even bother locking the locker, there’s no crime here. That evening we spent hunting for the northern lights, going out into the wilderness on a tour. Trekking through the knee-deep snow to get to a beach where the show would have been fantastic, if not for the light cloud cover! So we saw the northern lights, but it wasn’t the picture perfect postcard view that you normally see. At least we have an excuse to go back to Tromso. :)

The following day and night were on an overnight dog sledding tour on my wife’s birthday. It was without a shadow of a doubt one of the highlights of my life. We love dogs, and simply being around the Alaskan huskies was brilliant. But then to drive them out into the wilderness, with the rain pouring into our hours on a cold wet night, was an outrageously good fun! We slept in a traditional Sami hut overnight, having to wake up many times during the night to stoke the fire. And it was fantastic!

About The Traveller

Gender & Age Range
Male, 36-40

I’m from
Perth, WA

I live in
Perth, WA

My favourite trip as of late
Norway last Christmas.

Travelling Style
Book the important stuff, but leave some flexibility in the schedule.

It’s a dealbreaker when
A dirty hotel with rude staff.

Continent I know the best
Australasia / Oceania