2010 Lofoten - Aurora borealis

Day 1
Arrival with public bus in Lödingen. Staying on the sailing-ship "Noorderlicht" in the harbour of Lødingen.

Day 2
Departure from Lødingen and sailing for the Tysfjord. Afternoon landing to climb the hill at Skarvberget which is an outlook post for Sea Eagles. We stay for the night in the small harbour of Korsnes, a village at the entrance of the Tysfjord.

Day 3
Morning walk to the Stone Age petroglyph´s at Leiknes. Images of animals such as a Killer Whale and Elk have been carved into the hard rock in the hills. In the afternoon we sail to the island of Skrova where we arrive late in the afternoon. We stay there for the night. Skrova is a small, rugged island where the 200 inhabitants mainly live from fishery. It is one of the few places in Norway from where whale hunters still hunt for Minke Whales.

Day 4
Morning walk on Skrova. A easy walk brings us to a nice bay on the other side of the island. The active passengers can climb the 255 meters peak of Skrova for the 360º view. Good chances of Sea Eagles during these walks. In the afternoon we sail for Kabelvåg. This beautiful historical village was until the beginning of the 20^th century the centre for the Lofoten Cod fisheries.

Day 5
For the hiking minded a morning walk from Kabelvåg to Svolvær is offered, following a hiking path through the hills. The Noorderlicht will sail with the sailing enthusiasts to Svolvær. In the afternoon there is the possibility visit to Svolvær which is the biggest town of Lofoten. We stay for the night in Svolvær so there is a chance to enjoy the famous Svolvær night-life.

Day 6
In the morning we sail into the Trollfjord, a famous steep fjord a few hours sailing from Svolvær. Afterwards we head for Tranøy, on the Norwegian mainland, where we stay for the night.

Day 7
In the morning we walk to the nice lighthouse of Tranøy and admire the works of art that are placed in this small artists village. Tranøy is known because of the Norwegian writer and Nobel-prize winner, Knut Hamsun. With a good wind we might sail in the afternoon to Hustadgaard in Vestbygd. Here we will have the opportunity to see the "Øye I Stein", "Eye in Stone", a sculpture of 37 tonnes made by the Indian artist Anish Kapoor. Then we have to head for Lødingen again. Arrival in Lødingen late in the evening and staying there for the night.

Day 8
Disembarkation from the Noorderlicht in the morning, public bus to the airport.
The Lofoten voyages take place in late autumn, when the days are short in Northern Norway. We can expect the first snow showers, and sometimes temperatures just above freezing. The autumn colours will be beautiful during the day time. At night, when there is open sky we may be able to admire the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). The Lofoten voyages are very dependent on the weather, which can be quite rough. Therefore the outline of the voyage, given above is just for guidance.