AUD 1878 / pp
Norway
Dates:
December 2020 - March 2021
Duration:
7 days
Tour:
Private
This exciting 7-day tour gives you a full week of winter adventures in the remote and wild northern Norway. Enjoy the spectacular nature of the wilderness centre Camp Tamok, the scenic destinations of Tromsø and Kirkenes, as well as action-packed arctic activities like dog-sledding. You will also have a chance to stay at the famous Snow Hotel and have many opportunities to view the northern lights!
Day 1: Welcome to Tromsø & Norterhn Lights Hunt
Upon arrival at Tromsø Airport, meet the driver to take a transfer to the cosy hotel in the city centre. We recommend spending the rest of the day exploring the charming city of the "capital of Northern Norway". There are many restaurants in the city centre for an early dinner to start the holiday with a taste of a true arctic meal. Overnight in Tromsø.
Day 2: Dog Sledding & Aurora Borealis
After breakfast at the hotel, spend the first half of the day at leisure in Tromsø exploring many attractions such as the Polar Museum, Arctic Cathedral and the Fjellheisen cable car. In the late afternoon, you will be taken to the wilderness centre, Camp Tamok. There you will join a thrilling dog sledding tour into the white landscapes, through an uninhabited forest landscape surrounded by majestic mountains. After the tour, you will have another opportunity to look for northern lights while enjoying dinner in a lavvu, a traditional Sami tent, at Camp Tamok, before being transferred back to your hotel. Overnight in Tromsø.
Day 3: Experience Tromsø
After breakfast, explore Tromsø at your leisure today. You can choose one of the optional tours or stroll around the city. Notable city attractions include the Art Museum of Northern Norway and Polaria. For a fantastic bird’s eye view over the city, you can take a ride up the Fjellheisen cable car to Mt. Storsteinen (421 m / 1382 ft.). Another alternative is booking an optional activity such as a reindeer sledding tour. Overnight in Tromsø.
Day 4: Journey to Kirkenes
After breakfast, meet the driver and take a transfer to the airport to take a domestic flight further north to Kirkenes. Kirkenes is located about 400 km (240 miles) above the Arctic Circle in northern Norway. With just over 3,000 inhabitants, including the native Sami people, this is a remote, scenic slice of Norway. Surrounded by fjords, mountains, forests and lakes, this area is a heaven for nature lovers, especially winter sport enthusiasts. On the arrival at Kirkenes meet the driver and take a transfer to the hotel. Time at leisure. Overnight in Kirkenes.
Day 5: The Snow Hotel Experience
After breakfast at the hotel, spend the morning at leisure exploring Kirkenes including the Border Country Museum (Grenselandsmuseet), which tells the story of war and peace along the border, or the Andersgrotta Cave, a vast underground bunker that sheltered the town's residents during WWII. In the afternoon, meet the driver and take a transfer to the one-and-only Snow Hotel. There you will enjoy a drink at the Snow Bar and feast on a 3-course meal by the fireplace at the Høyloftet Restaurant before preparing for an amazing night in your special suite made of snow and ice*! Spend the night at the Snow Hotel. *Please note that we offer the option of choosing to stay in a private cabin instead of in an ice room at the Snow Hotel.
Day 6: The Arctic North & Kirkenes
Spend the morning warming up in the Snow Hotel’s sauna and enjoy a hearty breakfast. Visit the hotel‘s on-site friendly reindeers and meet some happy Huskies before travelling back to Kirkenes. Overnight in Kirkenes.
Day 7: Departure from the North
After breakfast, meet the driver and take a transfer to the airport in Kirkenes.
Reindeer Sledding & Camp Tamok
You’ll start the morning with a transfer from Tromsø to Camp Tamok, where you’ll meet the reindeer herd. For the reindeer sledding, you’ll be provided with warm clothes before taking your seat in the sleigh. You will be driving in pairs with one reindeer pulling each sleigh. All you need to do is make yourself comfortable, sit back and enjoy the magical scenery. You’ll then have time to enjoy the cabins, tents and facilities at the camp. Warm-up over a bonfire in the cosy lavvo (Sami tent), where you will learn more about Sami people, their culture and history, feed the reindeer, and try the lasso-throwing method that Sami people use to catch reindeer when they are rounded up for marking. You’ll then enjoy a hot meal by the open fire of a cosy dining lavvu (Sami tent) before joining the evening dog sledding tour, as per your schedule. Please note this is a full-day program where you join both the snowmobiling tour and, as scheduled, the dog sledding & northern lights tour. Pickup in the morning is at 9:00 and you’ll return to Tromsø around 24:00 (midnight).
Accommodation
Accommodation (3*/4*) for 5 nights
Accommodation (1 night) at the Snow Hotel in Kirkenes
Meals
Daily Breakfast except Day 1
Dinner: Day 2, Day 5
Guided tours
Northern Lights Tour in Tromsø
Dog Sledding
Transportation
Transfers to and from the Snow hotel
Domestic Flight (Tromsø to Kirkenes)
Support
Norway Travel Guide
24/7 phone support line
Not Included
Flights to/from Norway
Domestic Flight (Kirkenes to Oslo) on departure
Transfers to/from all airports
Meals, drinks & entrance fees, unless otherwise stated
Personal travel insurance
Visa fees
Optional tours and activities
Personal expenses
Watch the fascinating Aurora Borealis
Experience a dog sledding tour
Stay overnight at the Snow Hotel
Stacey Filrose
Australia
Me and my family just returned from an Easter break to Moscow. I found the tour very good value for money and the company's assistance with the visa application was also helpful. Reservations, payment, visa letter, and pre-departure correspondence prior to trip (via email) was prompt and well explained with no problems. Final arrangements information were detailed. We knew exactly what to expect, who will be waiting for us, time and venue to meet even with any guides with us. Transport transfers and driver were punctual.
Jacinta Ami
Australia
Highly recommend!! Well organised, friendly and knowledgeable staff who go out of their way to make sure you have the best experience! If you ever intend on visiting Russia, definately try this company!
J. Stone
New Zealand
Xmas in Georgia and Armenia. We wanted a personalized custom vacation to a rarely visited area of the world and found World of Discoveries tour of Armenia and Georgia fit just perfectly. Very well organized and planned, and guides were awesome. Our tour guides in both countries were packed with knowledge of architecture and cultural history, but above all they were friendly and helpful. Rafik in Armenia even took us to his parent’s home in the centre of Yerevan and we enjoyed home-made meals and talks with the locals. It was a very special evening. Be prepared for some long journeys to reach the most exciting destinations in both countries.
Brett B
Australia
I am a very active person and did have some hesitation about the amount of driving which was required to complete this tour. However, despite bumpy roads, I found it pretty bearable overall. Distances are big, country is vast and underdeveloped but once it’s get more developed, you will not this sense of freedom and tranquility any more. I recommend going to Mongolia if you’re looking for a varied, culturally enriching experience of a life time framed by unbelievably beautiful landscapes. Locals were very welcome and guides were great and were always ready to help to explore more of their home country. Very safe country, very friendly people. Interesting food, but vegans might be starving.
William Watt
Australia
I am a Sydney-based journalist who travelled to the 2018 World Cup with Discovery Russia, the sister company of World of Discoveries. Following is my review of that fabulous experience ... What a trip ... the World Cup, five cities, amazing camaraderie, and great tour leadership against the background of one of the globe’s most amazing countries ... Russia. My World Cup tour with Discovery Russia was one of the great experiences of my travel life. The Discovery Russia team provided a wonderful platform with an itinerary both practical and flexible. The local tours in each of the venue cities - Moscow, Kazan, Samara, Sochi and St Petersburg were informative and, importantly, fun. Considering the accommodation pressures created by the huge influx of Cup tourists, the hotels selected by Discovery Russia were more than adequate. Special mention goes to the Grand Hotel Tchaikovsky In St Petersburg. The tour leadership provided by the company was both expert and considerate. Importantly each traveller’s individual enjoyment and safety appeared to be the paramount consideration. This World Cup holiday was meant to be a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience for me but I am now planning for the next Cup. Bring on 2022 in Qatar!
Rick, Emily and John Stewart
Australia
Impeccable service, incredible Trans Siberian! In fact, the great services provided by your team started from my first correspondence with Julie. She has been very professional with providing details of the itinerary and assuring and re-assuring that the trip will be well-planned, It was because of her assurance that gave us the confidence to take the next step and book our Trans Sibetian holiday. And everything ran like clockwork from Moscow to Vladivostok. The Russian people were extremely friendly throughout. The Trans Siberian was a great experience and fulfilled our dreams. The scenery and ever changing vistas were spectacular. The train facilities were adequate but perhaps a shower facility in 1st Class would have been nice. I will recommend your services in the future!