EXPLORE LOFOTEN ISLANDS OFF-THE-BEATEN-TRACK (January)
expeditions

If you have the mindset of an explorer and like to travel the less paved roads on the famous Lofoten Islands, then this is expedition is an excellent choice!  We go back-to-the-basics and visit places where hardly people come. During this 9-days expedition and road trip, we go hiking, climbing peaks, visit awesome beaches and explore the fjords with kayaks. We take you to places with superb surroundings like dramatic mountains, waterfalls, impressive fjords, forests and remote beaches. Other ingredients are: slow traveling, great scenery and enjoying the expedition atmosphere of exploring new areas. We sleep most of the time in tipi-tents and expedition tents, so you can learn a lot outdoor skills. This expedition has a very nice balance of sweat, adventure and some challenges. Good to know, we are in the northern lights season. We probably have snow at sea-level but also in the mountains. We take our snowshoes and crampons with us for new adventures. If the ice is thick enough we can teach you some ice-fishing.

1375 EUR

Moderate

9 days

Beginner

Yes

9 January 2021

Yes

Available

MORE FACTS AND DETAILS

Anchor Element

Copy for linking on the same page:

https://www.octomono.com?data-scroll-to-anchor=yourUniqueName

Copy for linking from an external page:

https://www.octomono.com?data-anchor-link=yourUniqueName

general information

Here you can find all important information about this trip. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
You can also check our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for general questions.

DATES AND BOOKING INFORMATION

NAME
Explore The Lofoten Off-The-Beaten Track

DATES
9 January 2021 - 17 January 2021 (9 days)

COSTS (WHAT IS INCLUDED)

COSTS
The costs of joining this expedition are 1375 Euro.

INCLUDED
Included are all transports during the trip, guiding, use of kayaks, tents, use of fishing rods and cooking equipment and two overnight stays in cabins or similar accommodation.

NOT INCLUDED / SHARED COSTS
Flights and transfers (e.g. ferry) to the  starting / ending point are not included. Daily expenses like food and drinks are shared among the participants and the staff. Usually these costs are around 10-15 EUR per day. You can also bring some food from your home country.

ADDITIONAL NIGHTS IN ACCOMMODATION
If we (like to) stay more in cabins or cottages, we share these costs as well. Our decisions how to stay overnight are based on weather forecasts, conditions, temperatures and what we like. The cabins are around 30-50 EUR per person / per night. You can find more information about our accommodations below.

LOCATION AND ARRIVAL INFORMATION

LOCATION
This trip starts in the south of the Lofoten Islands in Moskenes. You can reach Moskenes from Bodø in approx. 3,5 hours by ferry (no reservation required). At the end of the trip you can take the ferry from Svolvær back to Bodø (reservation should be done in advance). Check the website and timetable for departures in the FAQ.

AIRPORT
To fly to Bodø you usually take a connecting flight from Oslo. There are multiple flights daily between Oslo and Bodø with different airlines such as SAS, NORWEGIAN, WIDEROE or WIZZ Air.

TRAVELING BY TRAIN IN NORWAY
If you want to travel economically friendly we can recommend you a 17 hours train ride from Oslo to Bodø. Check vy.no for more information about traveling by train.

OUR ADVISE: TAKE YOUR TIME
We would like to recommend you to arrive one day before the start of this trip and take some time to acclimatize yourself. It's also good to reduce the travel and work stress.
We can give you suggestions for (budget) hostels or hotels in Bodø if you like.​ An overnight stay in Bodø after the trip has ended is also a good idea. In case of bad weather ferries can be cancelled or delayed.

LEVEL AND EXPERIENCE

LEVEL
For this trip you need to be in a normal basic shape. The hikes are around 2-5 hours, but sometimes the trails are steep. Weather, terrain, and wind can make hiking more tough. The kayak routes are 2 hours long (not including stops). In the cold months it can be a bit less when we have icy temperatures.

EXPERIENCE
You need some basic experience in hiking and kayaking, but it's no problem if you do not have it. We can teach you.

Everybody has a comfort zone and it always differs from the comfort zone of other people. It is a personal thing. Being in wild nature away from civilization is adventurous, but can also cause stress or might scare you a bit occasionally. These feelings are natural and not a problem. Just be open and share things or ask questions. They say life starts at the end of your comfort zone. We believe that this is very true.

ACCOMMODATION

ACCOMMODATION
We will stay overnight in (mountain) cabins, expedition tents and a tipi tent (with wood stove during winter time). Two nights in (mountain or fishermen) cabins are included.

GEAR AND PREPARATIONS

PACKING LIST
This trip is organized north of the Arctic Circle. So you need warm clothing, good shoes and outdoor gear like sleeping bags and more. You can find a detailed packing list here.
On this packing list you can find all the gear and equipment you will need and other practical information.

RENT GEAR FROM US
In case you do not have all the gear and you do not want to buy, then you can rent equipment from us, for example backpacks, sleeping mattresses and more.

REMARKS

THE ARCTIC
Remember we are in the Arctic and here the weather rules. There is no day-to-day itinerary, only short term plans are realistic. We make our decisions on what is possible and when to do it based on weather forecast and conditions. Of course we love to hear your ideas and wishes. And we do our best to make it happen. A bit flexible mindset is a good thing to have here in northern Norway.

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

You can find detailed information about the climate and temperatures here.

MORE ABOUT THE DESTINATION

If you want to learn more about the Lofoten Islands click here.

BOOK NOW!

​THE ROUGH SKETCH OF THIS EXPEDITION

Our adventure starts in the city of Bodø in northern Norway. Bodø is located north of the Arctic Circle and has a small and convenient airport on walking distance of the city centre and ferry harbour. To get to the Lofoten Islands must cross the vast and scenic Vestfjord. The car ferry will take you there in a bit less than 4 hours. You will arrive in the village of Moskenes where we pick you up. We travel to a nearby spot where we make our first base camp and stay for some days. In the surroundings, we do our hikes, including some mountain trails and great beach walks. In the next days, we will slowly travel in a north-easterly direction and explore the main four islands of the Lofoten. The Lofoten Islands are connected with bridges and tunnels, and there is one main road that leads from the village A (on the island Moskenes) to Svolvær (on the isle Austvagøy). This road (E10) is about 130 km long and leads through very mountainous and scenic areas. We will explore off-the-beaten-track wilderness areas during this trip and find a new spot for our next base camp. We often take the small and sometimes dirty roads that bring us to wild places, lakes, forests, mountains and beaches. The days will be filled with outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, mountain trekking and more. The road trip ends in the village of Svolvær, and a fast passenger ferry will take you back to Bodø on the mainland. This scenic journey will take about 3,5 hours.

planned (OuTDOOR) ACTIVITIES

We have planned a lot of outdoor activities and other exciting things during the 9 days that you stay with us. We do not have a day-to-day program, because our plans are based on weather forecasts and what we like to do as a group. And isn't that whats adventure is all about? We aim to have a good combination of sweat during during daytime, and a beer or coffee with some locals and good meal afterwards. We love slow travel and some time to relax, before taking the next challenge or dive into a new adventure. Take a look at the plans we have for this expedition and what you can learn and discover.

DAY-HIKES

During this road trip we go to several wild areas to hike scenic trails or do some cross-country trekking in places where there are no trails. We love this way of exploring. If we have snow in the mountains or at sea-level we use crampons or snowshoes.
​

Sea-kayaking

Sea kayaking is excellent to explore the fjords. Of course we need a calm day with not so much waves and wind. If kayaking is new for you, we will teach you the basics. The distances are based on the conditions at sea (waves), wind, temperatures and weather forecasts. 

MEET THE LOCALS

We think that next to exploring the Norwegian wilderness, an essential part of traveling  ´is to connect with locals. Life in the North is unique and we lived there for several years. So, you can learn a lot about local history, culture and life in the Arctic. ​​​

MOUNTAIN TREKKING

To get the great views of the Lofoten islands we plan to hike to some summits or higher plateaus. Our daily plans to decide where to hike up are based on  weather forecasts and what we like to do as a group. There are easy and more difficult trails to choose from.

EXPLORE NEW TRAILS

During this expedition we also visit some areas that are new to us. Based on research and talks with locals we plan to explore some new routes. Enjoy the expedition atmosphere as we dive into new adventures. 
​.

Wildlife

Usually, we have encounters with moose, sea eagles, foxes, hare and otter. Along the coast, we might spot seals. For whales, we have to be very lucky, but sometimes we spot some small whales or dolphins from the shore.

base camps

To stay overnight we will set up base camps in wild surroundings and you are involved in that. Usually we stay two/three days in a camp to reduce logistics and enjoy slow traveling. You can learn a lot of outdoor skills if you like.​
​ 

HISTORY

The Lofoten Islands are loaded with history. The mysterious time of the Vikings, the growing importance of fishery, the German occupation in WW2 and the modern times. We can tell you a lot about it and you can grab a book to learn more.
​

LEARN OUTDOOR SKILLS

During your stay we are happy to teach you more about practical things about being in the outdoors. Learn more about how to use an axe, how to make a fire, where to put your tent or how to navigate with a compass.

A video impression of one of our guests

Alisha Bube (USA), a guest of us, composed this video of her trip with Dutchexplorers.com. The movie was shot in March/April. We think it will give you a good impression of this amazing road trip to the Lofoten islands. Enjoy the views!

ICE FISHING IN the LOFOTEn

Ice fishing is fun, relaxing and a great way to connect to nature. On most of our Lofoten road trips we try some ice fishing and the best months are in the period from January untill April. We like to teach you what we know if ice fishing is a new thing for you.

Optional activities

If you like to add more activities to the trip then here are some suggestions. If you have other ideas, please tell us and we can probably make that work.

DEEP-SEA FISHING LOFOTEn

If you like we can go out fishing at sea for cod, pollock and mackarel. The Lofoten are famous for fishing and it is not hard to catch a meal. We can rent a boat for a couple of hours and try our luck at sea. We share the costs of boat rental.

SOME EXTRA COSTS
​shared costs  depending on group size 

SURF CLASS UNSTAD

We love to visit the Atlantic coast because there are fine beaches with famous waves. If you are in for a surf class we can arrange that. It is fun and the surf centre has awesome suits that keep you comfortable even in winter time. 

SOME EXTRA COSTS
​depending on which course you choose

MøYSALEN national PARK

If you want to explore more we can do a long drive to the Møysalen Nation Park (north of the Lofoten). A great place to do some hiking or snowshoeing in complete different surroundings. But we will have less time to explore the Lofoten, of course.

FREE
​

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DUTCHEXPLORERS NEWSLETTER

Every few weeks we sent out our newsletter ​OUTPOST ​with news about upcoming expeditions, inside stories, travel tips and of course a lot of pictures and videos. Subscribe to our newsletter and be informed about our Arctic adventures.

Stay in touch with Dutchexplorers.com

You can follow our Dutchexplorers page on Facebook and be on top of our news feed.

ENJOY OUR PICTURES ON INSTAGRAM

We post frequently stunning pictures of our adventures on Instagram. Follow us and enjoy our journeys.