Years of admiring beautiful photos of the Northern Lights (also known as the Aurora Borealis) on the Internet, it has always been my dream to witness it with my very own eyes. But you know... plan remained a plan...
But one day, one of my bestfriends from university brought up the idea. Ok this time, it's game on!
Based on our readings; Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland have good chances to see these phenomena. We decided to go during Chinese New Year holiday so we started looking for flight tickets in September during Matta Fair. Found very cheap ticket with British Airways but somehow we mixed up the booking dateline so we missed the offer. *fail
So flight tickets on hold. In the meantime, we planned our routes. But we couldn't finalize everything since we haven't bought the flight ticket yet. Gahhhh!!! We were dragging to buy the tickets, waiting for the fares to go down. But finally we agreed for a cut off, we must buy the tickets by December to proceed with all the accommodation and transportation bookings.
We flew to Oslo via London. Went sightseeing in London, Oslo, Flam and Bergen before flying to Tromso, a city in northern Norway for our main hunting place. On a clear night and when the aurora is very strong, you can see it from the city. Many locals can see it from their house. *jealous max*
But we didn't want to take the risk. We wanted to maximize our chances. I mean, we traveled thousands of miles for the aurora it'd be a pity if we couldn't see it.
So we booked a tour from The Green Adventure AS, a company we selected from the lists available at Tromso Tourist Information Office. You can check and book the tours online as well as offline at the office. It's situated right at the city center. If you go to the office, the staffs might be able to give advice in case you're unsure which tour to choose. They also have free WiFi there so it's very convenient. *posted a photo on Instagram whilst booking the tour ;p
Apparently, these tours to hunt the aurora isn't cheap. The cheapest you can get is around 900 NOK (~ RM450) per person. I saw from the list it goes up to 3000 NOK (~ RM1500). Generally the price is based on the duration, what's included in the tour such as warmsuit, drinks and snacks, what kind of transport they provide, the number of participants etc. The tour can be a minimum of 5 hours and can go up to 11 hours. Some companies commit to hunt the aurora even if they have to drive to Finland so that explains the long hours. The number of participants can be between 2-50 person. If you choose small group, usually up to 14 person, you'll travel in a minibus. If you don't mind traveling in a large group, then go for the big bus..
There's plenty to choose from. Just go with the one that suits your budget.
The Green Adventure was not our first choice but I loved the trip with them. Initially we were looking for a cheaper tour but we were late (we booked in the afternoon on the day itself) so there weren't many choices left. Paid 1200 NOK (~ RM600) for the tour but it was worth it.
While waiting for the tour time, we went for lunch and walked around the city after.
The Green Adventure staffs, lead guide Anna and the driver-cum-guide Karolis picked up the group in front of Scandic Ishavshotel with a minibus around 6.30pm. That night, there were only 10 participants so yeay smaller groups means you can interact more with the guides. Anna explained what we're going to see, what to expect and stuffs.
We drove about an hour before stopping at a site by the beach. Anna told us, we'd stay here.. it's coming. Everyone got out from the minibus and put on our Teletubbies warmsuits. I scanned the dark sky but couldn't see anything. The sky was clear. But green lights? No I didn't see it. Anyhow, I trusted Anna cos I believed they knew the local weather patterns better.
And true to what she said, after a while, faint green lights appeared in the sky.
Everybody took out their cameras, ready to click away. Don't forget to bring a tripod for good photos. Anna and Karolis helped us with the camera settings and even shot portrait photos of everyone later.
Over time, the lights became stronger and stronger and swirled around. It looked like the aurora, now a strong green with hints of pink hues were dancing across the sky. Oh my God! I couldn't believe my luck. It was too beautiful especially when it danced above us! We cheered excitedly, thrilled to see such magical phenomenon.
While we were busy with the aurora, they set up bonfire to keep us warm. We were then served hot chocolate and salmon sandwich. We also grilled marshmallows while getting to know each other.
* photos credit to The Green Adventure. Thanks Karolis for capturing this moment :)
By midnight, the aurora slowly faded. Anna asked us whether we still wanted to chase it, because we still had time. Everyone seemed happy and contented with what we had witnessed earlier so all of us agreed to go back.
Tromso, Norway. 12 February 2018
Ahhh what a night! Dream do come true :)
Part 2 . Part 3
But one day, one of my bestfriends from university brought up the idea. Ok this time, it's game on!
Based on our readings; Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland have good chances to see these phenomena. We decided to go during Chinese New Year holiday so we started looking for flight tickets in September during Matta Fair. Found very cheap ticket with British Airways but somehow we mixed up the booking dateline so we missed the offer. *fail
So flight tickets on hold. In the meantime, we planned our routes. But we couldn't finalize everything since we haven't bought the flight ticket yet. Gahhhh!!! We were dragging to buy the tickets, waiting for the fares to go down. But finally we agreed for a cut off, we must buy the tickets by December to proceed with all the accommodation and transportation bookings.
We flew to Oslo via London. Went sightseeing in London, Oslo, Flam and Bergen before flying to Tromso, a city in northern Norway for our main hunting place. On a clear night and when the aurora is very strong, you can see it from the city. Many locals can see it from their house. *jealous max*
But we didn't want to take the risk. We wanted to maximize our chances. I mean, we traveled thousands of miles for the aurora it'd be a pity if we couldn't see it.
So we booked a tour from The Green Adventure AS, a company we selected from the lists available at Tromso Tourist Information Office. You can check and book the tours online as well as offline at the office. It's situated right at the city center. If you go to the office, the staffs might be able to give advice in case you're unsure which tour to choose. They also have free WiFi there so it's very convenient. *posted a photo on Instagram whilst booking the tour ;p
Apparently, these tours to hunt the aurora isn't cheap. The cheapest you can get is around 900 NOK (~ RM450) per person. I saw from the list it goes up to 3000 NOK (~ RM1500). Generally the price is based on the duration, what's included in the tour such as warmsuit, drinks and snacks, what kind of transport they provide, the number of participants etc. The tour can be a minimum of 5 hours and can go up to 11 hours. Some companies commit to hunt the aurora even if they have to drive to Finland so that explains the long hours. The number of participants can be between 2-50 person. If you choose small group, usually up to 14 person, you'll travel in a minibus. If you don't mind traveling in a large group, then go for the big bus..
There's plenty to choose from. Just go with the one that suits your budget.
The Green Adventure was not our first choice but I loved the trip with them. Initially we were looking for a cheaper tour but we were late (we booked in the afternoon on the day itself) so there weren't many choices left. Paid 1200 NOK (~ RM600) for the tour but it was worth it.
While waiting for the tour time, we went for lunch and walked around the city after.
The Green Adventure staffs, lead guide Anna and the driver-cum-guide Karolis picked up the group in front of Scandic Ishavshotel with a minibus around 6.30pm. That night, there were only 10 participants so yeay smaller groups means you can interact more with the guides. Anna explained what we're going to see, what to expect and stuffs.
We drove about an hour before stopping at a site by the beach. Anna told us, we'd stay here.. it's coming. Everyone got out from the minibus and put on our Teletubbies warmsuits. I scanned the dark sky but couldn't see anything. The sky was clear. But green lights? No I didn't see it. Anyhow, I trusted Anna cos I believed they knew the local weather patterns better.
And true to what she said, after a while, faint green lights appeared in the sky.
Everybody took out their cameras, ready to click away. Don't forget to bring a tripod for good photos. Anna and Karolis helped us with the camera settings and even shot portrait photos of everyone later.
Over time, the lights became stronger and stronger and swirled around. It looked like the aurora, now a strong green with hints of pink hues were dancing across the sky. Oh my God! I couldn't believe my luck. It was too beautiful especially when it danced above us! We cheered excitedly, thrilled to see such magical phenomenon.
While we were busy with the aurora, they set up bonfire to keep us warm. We were then served hot chocolate and salmon sandwich. We also grilled marshmallows while getting to know each other.
By midnight, the aurora slowly faded. Anna asked us whether we still wanted to chase it, because we still had time. Everyone seemed happy and contented with what we had witnessed earlier so all of us agreed to go back.
Tromso, Norway. 12 February 2018
Ahhh what a night! Dream do come true :)
Part 2 . Part 3
5 comments:
Wow... lucky u...! some people dont get the chance to see it even though they are there... Anyway, another one of my bucket list to be fulfilled... not sure when...hahaha...
@Farikica: Yup! I was lucky I guess! Cos my friend's friend was there earlier for 5 days, and he didn't get to see it at all! InsyaAllah one day hopefully u'll see it too :)
Envy u! Insha Allah my turn to witness the aurora next year. Amin amin. I definitely understand what u mean in the 1st paragraph. Years of admiring pictures by others...and finally, ur own pictures to admire. Can't wait for ur Bergen entry plak. My wishlist gak tu (sebab Kpop je hahaha)
Bie: Wahh.. plan pegi mana? Go to Norway pleaseeee!!! Hopefully you get to see it next year! Eh apa kaitan Kpop dengan Bergen? I ni ketinggalan zaman sikit hahaha..
Plan Norway,Sweden & Finland. May Allah ease insha Allah. Doa for me tau hihihi. Kaitan kpop sebab my fav group gi vacation kat sana aritu. Motif sangat nak trace jejak diorang kan hahaha.
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