Hi All
I recently returned from this trip. There were 18 travellers - all ladies - with Paul Holdsworth as the Tour Manager.
First flight from LHR to Oslo you get a boarding pass for that flight and the next flight to Tromso. However, at Oslo airport, you have to collect your luggage, pass through customs and then check it in again at the domestic terminal. If you are carrying any water at this stage, pack it in your hold luggage otherwise security will take it off of you!
On arrival at the Thon Hotel, you have the rest of afternoon to yourself until the welcome drink followed by dinner at Egon restaurant across the road. The dinner is uninspiring* - a set menu of Onion Soup, Pork with Jacket Potato, Lettuce, Broccoli followed by a chocolate brownie. I did this trip last year with the same menu!!! If you eat in the restaurant as a paying guest, the food is much better. *Sorry JY, can you do something about this as the food is quite awful?
Next morning at 11.00am you are off for the inclusive tour of Tromso including the Polaria and Tromso museums. Arrival back at the hotel about 3pm. Paul organised a dinner in a local restaurant but we all decided we wanted to explore ourselves. Three of us had a late lunch in my local in Tromso - the Huken Pub. Five of us booked on to a Northern Lights chase from 6.30pm to 1.30am which involved sitting on a coach and visiting two areas only. The Lights were visible through a very good camera lens but not standard cameras or the naked eye. We were a bit disappointed with our choice. On checking with others the next morning who had used a different company, they did not fare any better!
On day three we met in the lobby at 9.25am for our 25 mins coach journey to see the huskies at Villmarkssenter, not Camp Tamok as brochure advises - JY please correct. The centre equips you with the essential outer wear and boots. There was a bit of waiting around for our huskies but once out, it's magical and oh so cold. Lunch is included (soup and cake with tea or coffee) which was rushed as we had to get back on the coach at 1.30pm to return to the hotel. Four of us had tea and cake and a look around the Hurtigruten ship which travels from Bergen to Kirkenes every day and docks at Tromso for four hours @ 2.30pm. We dined in Pinnochio, the Italian restaurant up the road from the Hotel. We took the last table so I suggest if you know where you want to eat book in advance.
On day four, you have time to yourself. We visited the Polar Museum about the history of hunting in the area and Olhallen Pub, the oldest and most northern pub. Everyone assembled at the hotel lobby at 16.20pm for our 75 mins coach journey to Camp Tamok for the farewell dinner. Camp Tamok is very remote and cold. You get the usual outdoor gear to wear before going on a wilderness walk, via the huskies, with your guide who is Northern Lights spotting. The guide will set your camera up for you if you are unsure about settings. We arrived back at the wooden hut and kept our gear on ready for the many quick exits to view the Lights and had dinner - fish soup, reindeer stew and a pudding which I cannot remember! By the time we finished our dinner the Lights were in full show.
For visiting Norway it is essential that you have the correct clothing layers and footwear with grippers, as when you are outside, it is bitterly cold. A very enjoyable trip. So Norway and the Lights is done and dusted for me now!
Regards
Sylvia
