North Norway Whale Safari + Northern Lights

Arrival in Harstad. We have time to have a look at this small town and possibly the first chance to see the Aurora borealis.

We sail north towards Senja. Depending on the weather conditions west of Senja and information about whales, we might either go clockwise or counter clockwise around the island. Most of the short day is spent sailing. Just before sunset we will arrive at Gryllefjord, where we might see the first Humpback and Killer Whales. We spent the night at Gryllefjord, a small village in a beautiful fjord. In the twilight we will make a short walk deeper into the fjord.

The next days we spent searching for whales along the west coast of Senja and the fjords just to the north like Vengsøyfjorden, Ersfjorden or Kattfjorden. We hope to observe feeding behaviour of Killer and Humpback Whales, who often work together to get to the schools of Herring which are so plentiful in this area at this time of year. If we’re lucky we may see the feeding frenzy when gulls, whales, and maybe even a White-tailed Eagle feed on herring next to the ship. In the evening we will find a place for the night in one of the scenic villages on Sommarøy so we can go ashore for a walk.

In the morning we still have time to look for whales, but around lunchtime we have to sail south. This time we sail along the eastern side of Senja through Gisundet, the narrow sound between Senja and mainland Norway. We spent the night in Finnsnes, a nice town on mainland Norway.

This morning we start with a walk through the snow covered forests above Finnsnes before we continue our journey back to Harstad. Noorderlicht carries snowshoes for all so walking is relatively easy. We arrive in Harstad in the evening and prepare for disembarkation the following morning.

Departure by scheduled flights from Evenes to Oslo and beyond.