Norway Arctic Adventure

Our first day is dedicated to arrivals. You’ll be met by your LHO Team Leader or a pre-arranged private transfer partner to bring you to our accommodation in Tromsø town center. Those of us arriving early will benefit from the opportunity to explore this vibrant Arctic town with its waterways, fishing ports, and market streets. Your LHO Team Leader will send a message with recommendations of places to visit closer to the time. Check-in is at 3 pm, but we can store our bags at the hotel until then. Our first event of the trip is a team welcome dinner hosted by your LHO Team Leader at a restaurant in Tromsø at 7:30 pm. This is your first opportunity to meet everyone, hear about all the details of our adventure ahead, and ask any questions you might have. A round of drinks is on us! The first night will be spent at our hotel near the city center.

Distance: 5.4 KM | Ascent: 172 M | Descent: 172 M

We’ll start our day after breakfast with a short walk to the ferry terminal to catch a 1.5-hour boat ride to Finnsnes. This ride is spectacular as it offers our first glimpse of the wild Arctic fjords while departing the modern town of Tromsø. At Finnsnes, our local lead guide will meet us, and a one-hour car journey will take us to our accommodation. Upon arrival, we’ll check in, receive a briefing about our stay, and have lunch together. After lunch, we’ll head out to Ånderdalen National Park for a full afternoon of snowshoeing. Our first day on Senja provides the opportunity to explore the island’s famous landscape. Senja, often referred to as “Little Norway,” justifies its title on this day. The trek starts immediately across the road from our accommodation, passes through a forest, and gradually climbs to a hilltop. From there, we’ll enjoy views of the mountains of western Senja and the Lyngen Alps across the fjord. It’s a tradition to start a small fire at a designated location near the top, where we’ll roast marshmallows and savor some hot chocolate. The descent is easy as we retrace our steps down the hill, through the forest, and back to our accommodation. During the summer months, the sun hardly sets, providing plenty of post-dinner photo opportunities along the pristine waters of our seafront cabins.

Cycling Distance: 50.1 KM | Ascent: 2005 M | Descent: 1999 M

After breakfast, we’ll pack for an overnight adventure, taking two days’ worth of clothes and supplies. We’ll load up our private van for a short drive to Torsken on the north side of the island. From there, we’ll embark on a road bike ride towards Ersfjord through picturesque landscapes. The electric bikes will make our ascents a bit easier. We’ll stop en route at the Skagi Hotel for a hot lunch and a break before continuing along this scenic route to reach our beachfront campsite in the Ersfjord. Upon arrival, we’ll all participate in setting up our tents and sleeping bags. Your LHO Team Leader will be on hand to assist and demonstrate how things are done. We’ll also join in making a bonfire and preparing dinner together, as this is all part of the experience in these remote parts of the world. The evening will be spent chatting by the campfire, enjoying the views, and rediscovering what it’s like to disconnect and live in the moment.

Distance: 9.3 KM | Ascent: 1,016 M | Descent: 1,016 M

We’ll start our day leisurely. As with dinner, we’ll all participate in making coffee, preparing breakfast, and packing up our campsite, ensuring we leave no trace. We’ll then load up our van for a short ride to the foot of one of the most iconic mountains on Earth: Mount Segla. The trek to Segla begins by the seaside and is split into two parts. The first part is the trek to the iconic viewpoint, and the second is the summit of the mountain itself. For those not feeling up to one or both parts, it’s possible to sit this one out at a coffee shop in a nearby town. For the rest of us, we’ll begin our trek through a lightly forested trail that quickly opens up to a region largely characterized by short grass vegetation. The trail places Segla on our left side as it ascends an adjacent smaller summit called Hesten. As we approach the summit, the trail connects to a moderately ascending ridge that we follow all the way to the top. The views from this point on Segla are breathtaking, with the fjords flanking it on both the left and right sides. We’ll take our time for pictures and truly savor the moment. Once we’ve had our fill of this epic location, we’ll follow the descending trail along the ridge in the direction of Segla. As we approach the impressive face, the trail veers around the base of the steep shard and connects with a gradual path on the opposite side, our path to the summit. It is reasonably steep but perfectly doable if we take our time. Your LHO Team Leader will be there to help set a sustainable pace that will allow us to enjoy every step to the top. The summit is small and can be impressive for those not used to such vast voids. We’ll take as many pictures as we can before descending the same summit trail we took to arrive, followed by a direct descent to the seaside, where our van will be waiting to take us back to our cabins. Warm showers, hot chocolate, and dinner await!

Kayaking Distance: 15 KM

No major distances to cover by road or on foot today—our big event starts directly from the waterfront of our cabins! After breakfast, we’ll head to the boat house for a sea kayaking lesson. Here, we’ll learn about the different gear, be given drysuits, and receive a safety briefing. Each of us will be assigned either a single kayak or a tandem kayak, depending on our preference. Before embarking on our excursion, we’ll practice a few necessary skills to ensure a safe adventure. Once our kayaking instructor is confident that we are ready to leave the shallow waters near the shores, we’ll set off for an excursion into the fjords. Our trip will take us on a tour of the adjacent waterways, bays, fjords, and beaches of southern Senja. The Lyngen Alps are usually visible on the horizon, as well as the endless forests covering the hills and mountains in our immediate area. We’ll pause for lunch on a beach in the middle of the fjord, where we’ll all assist in unloading the cooking equipment, setting up a fire, and preparing our meal together. We’ll spend some time enjoying the beach and appreciating just how special our location truly is. We’re on a remote beach in a region above the Arctic Circle, having reached it by kayak with nothing around us but nature. After eating, resting, and packing up, we’ll reboard our kayaks for the return leg of our journey straight back to our cabins, where our hot showers could never be more inviting! In the evening, we’ll build a bonfire on the beachfront of our cabins and enjoy dinner together.

Distance: 7.3 KM | Ascent: 813 M | Descent: 813 M

Our last full day of adventure together is certainly not the least. If you’re after epic views, then this is probably the best day of the trip. After breakfast, we’ll depart from our cabins by van to the southernmost tip of Senja. We’ll be dropped off at the trailhead by the seaside for our ascent of Sjusviktinden, a towering summit that overlooks the fjords to the south and the open Arctic Ocean to the west. The trail begins with a gradual ascent through the pine forest. As with most forests in the Arctic region, it quickly starts to thin as we gain our first two hundred meters of elevation. The forests give way to grassy fields that climb along the side of the mountain until they also disappear into the dry Arctic atmosphere. The path follows a series of short ascents followed by plateaus. On the second plateau, two lakes on either side of the trail add a unique character to the view. These freshwater lakes are surrounded by the literal ocean as far as the eye can see. From the lakes, the summit is clearly visible, and we’ll follow the trail as the grass transitions to the rocky surface of the higher altitude environment. The last stretch is somewhat sustained, making this one of the more physically engaging days of the trip. Once at the top, we’ll soon realize how every single step was worth it. The summit is surrounded by the ocean, the fjords, and the highest mountains of northern Norway. It’s a view quite unlike anything else on the European continent. After taking pictures and enjoying the views, we’ll find a spot shielded from the wind to enjoy our picnic. Sometimes it may be desirable to descend closer to the lakes to eat. Your LHO Team Leader and local lead guide will make that decision closer to the time based on weather conditions and the general energy levels of the group. After lunch, we’ll make our way back down by retracing our steps. Although we’ll be walking the exact same trail, the descent feels entirely different. As we ascend, the mountain dominates our view. As we descend, it’s the open ocean and fjords that dominate the landscape. Once at the bottom, we’ll hop into our van for the ride back to our cabins. Dinner will be prepared, followed by an evening in the outdoor Jacuzzi where the last round of drinks is on us! There’s hardly a better way to end an incredible week.

We’ll savor our last breakfast at the cabins and bid farewell to the wonderful family who graciously hosted and guided us during our stay. Following this, we’ll catch our shuttle back to Finnsnes and board our ferry to Tromsø, typically arriving around 10 AM. We recommend booking return flights after midday. For those with later flights, it’s possible to store luggage at the hotel where we initially stayed and explore the area. Your LHO Team Leader will offer recommendations and coordinate your transfers to the airport based on your departure times. Please ensure accurate departure details by filling out the Team Details Form before the adventure begins. If your itinerary changes, notify your LHO Team Leader promptly for necessary arrangements.