The Lofoten Islands and Tromsø are among the wildest yet most beautiful places in Europe. Located about 300 km north of the Arctic Circle, they offer landscapes of fjords, mountains rising straight out of the ocean, wooden rorbuer cabins, bridges spanning narrow straits and vast open spaces where nature still clearly dominates over humans.
Although this region lies far to the north, winter temperatures are surprisingly mild thanks to the Gulf Stream, which carries warm ocean water along the Norwegian coast. Instead of –30°C known from Lapland, it is often around 0°C here in winter — although the perceived temperature can be much lower.
It is not extremely cold here because ocean currents transport warm water northwards along the Norwegian coast. It is the Gulf Stream that makes winter temperatures hover around 0°C, although the wind chill can be significantly lower.
This is what the far north of Norway looks like:
Aurora Borealis – the dance of the northern lights
The northern lights are one of the most magical phenomena on Earth. All you need is a clear sky, no precipitation and distance from city lights to see green and violet ribbons dancing above the fjords.
It is worth installing an app on your phone that forecasts aurora activity and sends alerts when it appears.
Sakrisøy – mornings in yellow rorbuer
Mornings in traditional wooden fishing cabins are the essence of the Lofoten Islands.
Hamnøy, Reine, Å and Sørvågen
Hamnøy is famous for the view of red cabins seen from the bridge — one of the most photographed spots in Norway. It is also worth visiting Reine, Å (the shortest place name in the world) and Sørvågen.
In winter it feels like Narnia:
Wild nature of the north:
Uttakliev Beach:
Ryten and Kvalvika Beach – a winter hike
The trail to Ryten and Kvalvika Beach is often described as easy, but in winter it becomes very demanding. Crampons are absolutely essential.
I went for a walk to look for wild reindeer and suddenly sank into the snow up to my thighs 🙂
Sauna with a fjord view – Leknes Basecamp
Some hotels, like Leknes Basecamp, have saunas overlooking the fjord where you can relax:
Husky Lodge – sled dogs and wilderness
Here you can rent a traditional cabin in the middle of nowhere, use a riverside sauna surrounded by llamas and husky dogs, and go on a dog-sled ride. The llamas were quite shy, but the dogs were eager to interact:
Winter cuisine of the north
In this part of Norway the only open places are often pizzerias at petrol stations. You also need to buy food for breakfasts in shops, as everything may be closed. In hotels — wooden cabins — breakfasts are not provided.
Malvina Dunder 
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