Overview
On this hiking Adventure Tour through Lofoten, we head for some of the greatest hiking destinations in this world-famous group of islands. We travel large parts of the islands and stay in traditional fishermen's Rorbuer housing in small, charming fishing villages.
Highlights
- Hike four of Lofoten's most iconic and highest peaks.
- Journey across vast fjords by boat to view sea eagles and hike to remote, hidden beaches and coves.
- Enjoy three-course dinners with local and traditional "stockfish", a key economy in Lofoten's history.
- A challenging coastal hike along and overlooking the expansive North Sea.
- Explore the traditional fishing villages of Lofoten, dating back hundreds of years.
- Stay in traditional and upgraded "Fisherman's Rorbuers", fishermans cabins on the water.
- Experience the Midnight Sun during July and August, or the Northern Lights in September (season dependant)
In this area, the Midnight sun peaks from the end of May to the end of July. In the beginning of August the sun sets around 22:30. After that there is not direct sunlight at midnight, but it will still be light all 24 hours, the sun descending just below the horizon. As we slip into September, Lofoten becomes a hub for Northern Lights seekers, being one of the best months to see the northern lights, and can be followed on a downloadable app on your cell phone ( example: My Aurora Forecast).
Lofoten is known for its vibrant Cod fishery, and for more than 100 years Norwegians have sailed to Lofoten to participate in the annual fishing. The unique "Lofotfisket", the season and culture of fishing in Northern Norway, starts in January and ends in April. This is the time of year you will see the famous fishing racks of Lofoten filled with drying fish. This time period has inspired numerous books, folklore, and songs. On our Adventure Tour, we stay in the very same authentic accommodation fishermen lived in during the fishery. Upgrades have been made to make it comfortable, but the atmosphere and history of the "fishermen rorbuer" are still highly intact.
We have a flexible program to ensure that we will find the best places and views for the daily shifts in weather. However, hikers considering this tour need to be prepared for challenging hiking conditions. Lofoten's trails have steep ascents and descents, and due to the rainy weather, it can often be muddy. This does not take away from the beauty, but it does require extra effort in order to complete a hike happily. Hikers need to prepare physically and mentally for steep and muddy hiking, as the trails are more challenging than in other countries. We encourage guests to join this tour, as with all of our trips, with an open-mind and self-aware mentality. If this tour looks too challenging or fast-paced for your preferred travel itinerary, we encourage travelers to take a look at our Hidden Lofoten itinerary, which has less challenging hikes on the trip and a slower travel pace.
Our tour starts in Bodø, which is accessible with direct flights from Oslo and Bergen. From Bodø we travel to Moskenes on a four hour ferry ride across the ocean. Towards the end of the season, the ferry can be replaced by a local flight to Lofoten, depending on the ferry schedule. Our Lofoten tour ends in the town of Svolvær with a small airport or ferry access, or at Evenes airport in Narvik with a group transfer (your choice). Getting to Oslo is accessible from both places.
If you have the time, we recommend that you plan an extra day in Oslo before or after the tour. Oslo is among Lonely Planet's top 10 cities on their Best in travel 2018 list and is a great place to relax and reflect on your amazing week hiking in one of Norway's most striking landscapes.
Physical level and risk
So that you can have a good experience, it is important that you choose a trip that suits your ability level. The scales for physical requirements and risk are general. Therefore, it is important that you read more about the difficulty of the specific trip under “Details”. This will help you to gain an understanding of the level required and the risks involved for each specific trip.
Read more about physical requirements and risk here.
Physical: 3
On these trips, some of the stages are demanding. On level 3 mountain hikes, there are often some long stages, and / or a demanding summit push where it can get cold. You must stand up to reach the goal, and have a good training basis and good health before departure. We sleep in tents and / or in cabins and hotels, but you do not have to have experience with tent life to participate. If the trip includes activities such as kayaking, cycling, climbing, glacier, skiing / mountaineering, it is an advantage to have experience with this activity. Read more about the grading on our trips here
Risk: 3
Activities / trips with some risk. Some incidents may occur, and they may be of such a nature that they require professional help. Read more about the grading on our trips here
What's included
- All accommodations
- Meals as mentioned in the itinerary
- Professional nature guide
- All transportation from day 1-8
See more of what's included under the "details" tab
Contact
Questions about the trip? Don't hesitate to contact our project leader below, or contact our office here.
Eirik B. Zwart-Nilsen
eirik@hvitserk.com +47 23213080
Details
Difficulty
Level 3 out of 6. Please read more about our level of difficulty here.
Days will be about 4-6 hours of hiking. You should expect to scramble and the path is rocky and slippery if it rains. You should have hiking experience with similar conditions. Lofoton is wet, with steep trails and often can be very muddy and slick. Please come prepared to be challenged if these conditions are new for you, or train for such hiking before your trip starts. Good fitness and some hiking experience with a good attitude will also prepare you for this trip.
What to bring?
Have a look at the full equipment list by clicking "Equipment list" in the menu above. You can leave your luggage in the car or at the accommodation each day, so when hiking, you only have to carry what you need for the day.
How to get there?
The easiest way to get to our meeting point, Bodø, is to take a flight within Norway from one of the main cities (Oslo, Bergen, Etc...) to Bodø, using an airline such as Norwegian or SAS. You can also reach Bodø by train booking a reservation with NSB.
Wondering how to get from the airport to Oslo city? Read more here.
Accommodation
We stay in unique and welcoming accommodations within the area. If you are traveling alone, you will share a same-sex twin room. If you would like a single room, please request this directly for a single, additional payment of 5000 NOK. Most nights we will stay in en-suite rooms, but not all. If you want a single room we can't guarantee en-suite room each day.
Baggage
Due to limited space in the minibus, we ask that you bring one piece of luggage (we recommend a duffel bag, which is easier than a rolling bag to transport on this tour) with your clothes, toiletries and items necessary for when we are not hiking. We require you bring a day pack (hip belt strongly recommended) to use when hiking for food, water, cameras and layers.
Insurance
You need a travel and health insurance, which also includes transportation back to your country. Remember to bring your insurance card/information.
Languages
The guide will speak English.
Changes may occur
We reserve the right to make changes to the program, and the price. The day to day program is indicative, and changes may occur. Please have a look at our terms and conditions.
Number of participants
Minimum: 4 people; Maximum: 16 people.
Not included in the price:
- Transportation to the meeting point. We are happy to assist you in booking a hotel and give you advice on what to do if you stay extra days in our beautiful country.
- Drinks and snacks.
- Dinner on day 4 and 5.
Day by Day
day
1
Arrive Bodø
We will meet in Bodø at the Hotel Scandic Havet this evening for our orientation meeting with the group. After we meet our group for our up-coming adventure together, we will enjoy a traditional Norwegian dinner together in the evening. Bodø is easy to reach with international flights, and it is 15 minutes walk from the airport to the hotel, or a 3 minutes taxi drive.
day
2
Reinebringen
We will take a 4 hour ferry ride (around 6 a.m.) from Bodø to Lofoten, with breakfast to go from the hotel for us to enjoy on our trip. After arriving in Lofoten around noon, we drive a short distance to our first hike. Reine is one of the Westernmost fishing villages in Lofoten and the surroundings here are spectacular! Lofoten is famous for "Stockfish" and all around the islands you will see huge wooden racks for drying fish. From here, we aim our hiking boots towards the mountain Reinebringen (448 meters above sea level). The hike takes 3-4 hours, and it takes you to one of Norway’s most amazing views. Reinebringen has just re-opened with a brand new path, made by Sherpa's hired from Nepal. They have constructed a "staircase to heaven" made of large stonework. The trail is easy to follow and direct, but will be quite a workout! From the top we can enjoy the astonishing view together. After the hike, we will check into our Rorbuers-refurbished traditional Fishermen's cabins- and have dinner together before we retire to our cozy cabins on the water.
day
3
Bunesstranda and Kjerkfjord
After a calm breakfast in the refurbished fisherman's cabin restaurant, we take a local boat/small ferry across the spectacular Kjerkfjord in order to access Bunesstranda, also known as Bunes Beach. The beach Bunesstranda is one of the norwegian icons and a truly remarkable place! For three hours we will hike close to Kjerkfjord, lined by spectacular, high, jagged mountains. In the mid-afternoon, we will return to Reine by boat. Here we can decompress from our day, and will be served another well-deserved dinner in a traditional fisherman hut.
day
4
Ryten
Today we explore Lofoten further. Packing up from our accommodation, we cross the island Flakstad and go on to Moskenes Island to Fredvang (45 minutes’ drive). This day’s destination is the beautiful beach at Kvalvika and the mountain of Ryten (543 meters, 5 hours). We guarantee that you will love the beach (even if the water is cold) and the view from the summit. Green plains and steep mountains surround this idyllic beach. After our adventure, we will continue to Ballstad and stay in our new fisherman accommodation close to the sea. Ballstad is another beautiful, authentic fishing village with plenty of opportunities to swim in the breathtaking water! Dinner tonight is not included.
day
5
Himmeltinden
Today we depart after a nice breakfast and aim for our highest mountain on the trip. We drive to Utakleiv or Haukland, two of the prettiest beaches in Lofoten, and trek to the top of Himmeltinden (930 meters) the highest summit in this part of Lofoten. The trek takes 5-6 hours; in good weather the views out to sea and across the far side of Lofoten are fantastic. If weather prevents us from hiking this high and steep mountain, we have alternate routes available with equally breathtaking views. After our trek, we spend another night in Ballstad. Dinner tonight is not included.
day
6
Coast Hike
Today we pack up our belongings and travel east from Ballstad to Unstad (45 minutes). If the weather is good, we will spend some time at the beach, have coffee and enjoy the surroundings before we start the coastal hike between Unstad and Eggum. The hike between Eggum and Unstad is one of the most famous walks in Lofoten. Up a coastal trail with the ocean waters directly below you, and navigating through beautiful pebbled beaches, this hike will give you the adventure of a lifetime! Unstad is a famous surfing beach, and in Eggum you see one of the most famous sculptures in Artscape Nordland. This art project has spread art and inspiration all around the beautiful nature of Northern Norway. From there we will travel around 1hr to drive to our next accommodation in Svolvær. Svolvaer is the first town formation known in Northern Norway, established as early as year 800 AD. Svolvær is Lofoten's business center and an important fishing village. Our accommodation for the next two nights is on the site of Svolvaer’s first settlements, and the restaurant is in the house where the first general store in Svolvaer was, constructed in 1828.
day
7
Henningsvær
This morning we drive 30 minutes from Svolvær to the working fishing village of Henningsvær. Henningsvær is a small group of islands situated between the impressive Mount Vågakallen and the "Lofoten Wall". The sea otherwise surrounds Henningsvær. It was a natural hub of activity during the Lofoten Winter Fishery, and in the 1800's, the island community prospered, and Henningsvær became one of the most prominent fishing villages in Lofoten. Unlike many other fishing villages, the population of Henningsvær has remained stable in recent years, and there are still over 500 people living there. The islands were not connected to the rest of Lofoten by bridges until 1981, a fact that probably helped save the community from the contemporary style of architecture with its preference for concrete blocks, that otherwise left its mark on just about all other Norwegian towns and villages in the 60's and 70's. Such a combination of an active, vibrant environment and well-preserved architecture makes Henningsvær something unique. We spend the morning by having some free time to enjoy this atmospheric fishing village and its beautiful harbour. In the afternoon we will enjoy a steep hike to the top of Festvågtinden (541m). From the top, we can enjoy panoramic views from here across Henningsvær, the Vestfjord and the Steigen area on the other side of the fjord. We spend the night in a traditional Rorbu in Svolvær, like the day before. Since this evening is the last night of the trip, we will have a nice farewell dinner together.
day
8
End of Trip
After breakfast, the trip has unfortunately come to an end. There will be a private transport to Evenes/Narvik airport to meet a flight at 3:30 pm, we will leave Svolvær at around 10:30 am. If you like, you can also stay in Henningsvær or get off the transport at Svolvær airport and fly directly from Svolvær. Getting from Svolvær with flights to Oslo is easy, but a bit more expensive than Evenes/Narvik. It is also possible to take the afternoon express boat from Svolvær back to Bodø if you want to see even more of the beautiful islands in between Norway's mainland and Lofoten. This boat ride takes about 4 hours and is accessible from Svolvær.
Equipment List
Take a good look at this list, and make sure you bring everything you need. We encourage you to use what you have for this trip, and purchase items if you're missing something important on the list below. We have divided the gear list into three categories:
- Required: If you do not own this gear, you must acquire it for your trip.
- Recommended: Gear we suggest to be comfortable, but it is not imperative.
- Optional: Fun, additional luxuries.
Layering is extremely important in a variable climate like Norway. This list will guide you through the essentials. Remember the Norwegian saying "There is no bad weather, only bad gear", and prepare appropriately for any weather. You can read about the weather where you're traveling here.
Please contact us at hvitserk@norrona.com if you have any questions and check out our gear page.
We always recommend wool in the Norwegian Mountains, but if you already have synthetic layers and don't want to buy new ones, synthetic is okay.
Required:
Recommended:
Optional:
Bed linens and towels are included all nights.
