In my previous article, I’ve shared a very compelling reason why from 2021 to 2025 is an extremely good period to catch the brilliant colours of the Northern Lights. If you haven’t already saw that, below is a quick link to bring you there.
And if that still isn’t convincing enough, perhaps this news article from last year November 2021 about the strong Northern Lights display should do the work.
I mean, you can literally see them dancing in the sky all the way in the Northern parts of Utah. That’s rare!
So now that you know and possibly excited about it too, the next question that always come to our mind is: where and when?
Let me suggest an itinerary that I personally wanted to go as well, but at same time may also provide the perfect condition to see these lights.
Since it’s a trip I’ve yet to go, naturally I would recommend that you modify it to fit your needs and wants and ensure it’s all checked out.
Note: This is a new series of “Go Where Next?” Where we explore some itineraries worth going and serve as a reference point when you create your own.
Where are we going?
Quite possibly the most beautiful country and one of my favourites thus far, Norway is a really good location to catch these Northern Lights. Besides, it’s also one of the most Northern parts of the world that may be accessible for us in Scandinavia.
And yes, you would’ve guessed. This time around we are heading much deeper in and further up North. In my previous trip to Norway, I’ve covered some of the popular and beautiful sceneries that Norway has. And can I just say, it’s an extraordinary experience and I will still go again.
So without further ado, here’s the plan I’ve saved sometime ago.
Pretty up North huh? I like the fact that it’s one straight line up without too much detouring or wasted time going back and forth.
Let’s take a look at all the major stop points in this itinerary.
What are the locations we’re covering?
Our starting point will be in Oslo, as are most of the time. In this itinerary, we will not be taking some time away to Bergen as that on its own could’ve been a separate journey altogether.
You can take a look at the previous article where I shared more on my trip to Bergen and Alesund.
Immediately after touching ground in Oslo, I would definitely head straight up to Lofoten for 2 reasons.
The first being, I’ve been to Oslo and it being a city, I’ve no intention to dwell further.
As for the second reason, well it’s much easier logistically to head to Lofoten from Oslo than anywhere else it seems.
If you haven’t already notice, connecting flights from Lofoten and Tromso aren’t really always available in every domestic airports.
And yes, the itinerary is specifically arranged to go to Lofoten first then Tromso for the exact reason.
The next spot point after Lofoten would’ve been Tromso, the 2nd most important and significant location in this trip.
I’m convinced that Lofoten and Tromso are the two best location up North in Norway to get great conditions for Northern Lights.
Apart from terrific conditions, both locations present some of the best scenery for night photography.
I believe a quick search would prove it so.
Our last stop would be Kirkenes.
If you’ve also done a bit of research on Norway, you would’ve come across this epic location.
Besides being the furthest North you could go in Norway, Kirkenes also presents incredible scenery and offers plenty of activities as a winter destination.
In short, we’re covering Oslo, Lofoten, Tromso and Kirkenes.
How long is this trip, from start to end?
A short answer – it will be a total of 14 days, including departure and arrival in Singapore.
So if you deduct the average time for domestic flights and transits, we’re probably looking at 11 active days on ground exploring these white landscapes.
In most of my Northern trips, I tend to optimise them between an average of 14 to 16 days in total.
It seems to be the perfect balance of having enough time exploring the locations and before you actually got tired of the cold winter days.
The duration we spent on each location is entirely up to your choice.
For my preference – as I’ve visited Oslo before – I would reduce my time in the big city and head out to the wilderness as much as possible.
And it’s always been my dream to visit Lofoten one day, as well as Tromso being mostly a port for fishing vessels, I can’t find a reason to dwell in those locations more than 3 full days.
In my mind, a nice enjoyable time split between the locations would be:
1 day in Oslo, 4 days in Lofoten, 3 days in Tromso, 1 day in Oslo
It’s cutting in pretty tight as you can see. The only reason why this itinerary would work is because at the time of planning, there were flights departing to Lofoten on the same day.
And naturally, your arrival flight must land you in the early mornings, so you have some buffer for flight delays or other concerns.
Note: Yes, it’s entirely possible for most flights to Norway to arrive in the morning based on my past experiences.
Of course, you’re free to shift the days around based on what you want. Flights for Lofoten, Tromso and Kirkenes are quite available throughout the day.
Well, unless you’re visiting during the periods of deep winter perhaps?
What’s the flight path and transits?
It’s very tricky at the time of planning for this itinerary, as it seems that moving from Lofoten and Tromso doesn’t have a more optimised route.
Eventually, with this arrangement of the locations sequence, this is probably the best I can fit.
If you have a better suggestion or route, feel free to comment down below!
Oslo > Bodø > Svolvær, Lofoten > Bodø > Tromso > Kirkenes > Oslo
What do you think? I thought it looks pretty neat. The only “detour” here is heading back to Bodø twice.
Tips: Technically, you can also do Tromso first before Lofoten as there is direct flight from Oslo to Tromso. Only problem is, there isn’t always a 1-stop same-airline flight from Tromso to Lofoten or vice versa all the time. So either way is fine, it all depends on your preferences.
What’s the estimated cost we’re looking at?
Alright, you’re digging it aren’t you? If you’re reading this far, I supposed this itinerary did caught your attention.
In that case, the last thing that comes to your mind when pre-planning a trip, is cost.
Don’t worry, I got your back. The big figures are mostly worked out.
All the flights are likely amounting to SGD1,750 per pax. Yes, including domestic flights.
Wait. Are you kidding me? Only SGD1,750 per pax?
I kid you not. Why does everyone think that flying to the North is always very expensive?
I mean it can be, of course. But it’s not always expensive throughout the year.
Note: The flight costs are based on the time of writing, and the prices do fluctuate.
The accommodations for 12D8N will land you nicely at around SGD3,000. This includes the expensive SGD1,000 stay at Snow Hotel Kirkenes.
However, as per my usual travel preferences, I don’t always stay in hotels. So these prices reflect Airbnb or local stays, except for Kirkenes where it’s a resort establishment.
If you’re considering hotels throughout the 12 days, you may wish to buffer upwards of SGD5k for a more reasonable estimation.
| Item | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| All Flights (including Domestic ones) | SGD 1,750 |
| AirBnb Accommodations (including Kirkenes stay) | SGD 3,000 |
| Activities and Transport costs | SGD 800 |
| Personal Expenses (your own preference here) | SGD 1,000 |
| Total Estimated Cost | SGD 6,550 |
All in all, the estimated cost per pax for this itinerary amounts to SGD4,750, just below 5k.
Note: This does not include any activities or expenses for your daily needs or shopping. I’ve added an estimation above for your reference, and you should adjust it to your liking.
While this exceeds my normal itinerary standards – where I tend to stick with a total budget of 8k to 9k for 2 pax – given the location we’re covering, it’s considerably affordable.
I would’ve taken alternatives in Kirkenes, which would significantly reduce the cost. But unfortunately, Kirkenes has little options for us to pick.
On hind sight, without Kirkenes this itinerary fits entirely into the norm for me at just about 6k to 7k leaving a 2k range for expenses and activities.
So how much do you think we need for activities then?
This itinerary is still in the making, but the locations picked here are generally for sightseeing and views.
Apart from Northern Lights tours, which will be the main attraction of this itinerary, some winter activities like snow mobile can be fun if you haven’t experience that before.
During winter times, most outdoor activities are closed except for winter-specific ones. I would think a budget of SGD800 per pax should suffice.
Last Thoughts And Suggestions
I am a 90% nature and sightseeing person, only 10% city roaming or dwelling just because you would normally land in the main city.
And also because you do generally get your supplies there first before heading outskirts.
So you can clearly see how the itinerary is shaped towards that style and very little to none city-time. There are many interesting landmarks and locations to visit within the city for sure, but that’s best left for another story to tell next.
If there’s any last suggestion I could give, that would be if you’re truly ambitious or had more time at hand to play with, I would say it might be really interesting to do a cross-border trip between Norway and Finland.
But hey, that’s gonna take a fair bit more planning too. Hope you enjoy this and there will be many more “Go Where Next?” Series to come!
See ya around, stay safe and let’s hope we could all travel REAL soon.
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