You can’t visit Arctic Norway without meeting and understanding the Sami way of life. They are, after all, a remarkably hardy people who have lived here in the north as nomadic herders for centuries. What better way to taste this lifestyle than by driving your own husky team from just outside of Tromsø to the heart of Lyngen, a wild and untamed terrain where the fjords meet the mountains? There, at Camp Tamok, you’ll learn of Sami folklore and of reindeer husbandry and spend the night in a traditional lavvu (Sami tent).
PRICES & DATES
Price is based on 2 people sharing and includes return flights to Tromso via Oslo with SAS, 2 nights at the Rica Ishavhotel in Tromso (BB), 1 night Wilderness tent adventure including dinner, breakfast, dog sled and snow mobile safari. Warm clothing is included for the Wilderness tent adventure.
Departures: November 2011-April 2012
ITINERARY
DAY 1 TROMSØ
Fly to Tromsø and check in to the Rica Ishavshotel in the centre of town. Tromsø may only be home to 60,000 people but it boasts more than its fair share of attractions. If you do nothing else, wander past the many coloured buildings of the main street, Storgata, and down to the harbour. It was from here that Amundsen set out on his polar expedition, giving Tromsø the name ‘Gateway to the Arctic’.
DAY 2 CAMP TAMOK
Ask one of our specialists about the numerous excursions on offer through the day, just be back before evening, when you’ll be collected by your guide, driven out from Tromsø, introduced to your dogsled team and given all the necessary instructions. Then it’s off across the snowscape to the wilderness camp, swapping mushing duties with your partner half way through the journey and perhaps stopping to gaze at the Northern Lights. With the total absence of artificial light, you couldn’t hope to be better placed to see them. On arrival at the camp, you can relax in the sauna before eating round the campfire, learning more about Sami folklore and retiring for your night in a lavvu.(A cabin is available for tentophobics but be aware that neither option has electricity or running water.)
DAYS 3–4 TROMSØ
Snowmobiles are the best way of discovering this vast and startling wilderness in a short space of time. Today, you’ll enjoy an exhilarating snowmobile safari before returning to Tromsø in the late afternoon. Fly home the next day.
Hotel, Activity and Local Information
Camp Tamok is situated in the picturesque valley of Tamokdalen and has a real ‘back to nature’ feel – a cluster of log cabins and traditional Sami tents surrounded by nothing but mountains, trees and wildlife. There is no mains electricity so only light will be provided by candles, crackling fire or Northern Lights!
Rica Ishavshotel is centrally located in Tromsø, also known as the Paris of the North. With its unique location on the quay, the hotel stretches out over the Tromsø strait with magnificent views of the harbour, Ishavskatedralen and Tromsdalen. The hotel's single/double rooms and suites are of a high international standard. Located at the very end of the quay, nearly all the rooms have magnificent views. The hotel has two restaurants: Gallionen Restaurant which is an elegant mixture of café and à la carte restaurant and Brasseriet, which offers delicious, traditional cuisine and specialities from northern Norway to tickle your tastebuds. The hotel also has two bars, "Galleriet Bar" and "Skibsbroen Bar", both located at the end of the mouth of the fjord with a fantastic view of Ishavskatedralen and Tromsø Bridge.