In awe of Norway's aurora borealis

It's pitch dark and I'm flat on my back on a frozen lake in the middle of nowhere. Above me, it seems that almost half the sky is lit up with a sash of minty-green light that appears to ripple and dance. This isn't some surreal dream, I'm watching the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights.
It's only my second night in the Arctic Circle and it seems Lady Luck is shining on me as brightly as the aurora – most people I've talked to about chasing the lights have been disappointed, flying kilometres to cold climes only to find heavy cloud cover and a no-show.
It feels as far from the humdrum of daily life as it's possible to be, and the dreamlike quality of the whole experience is heightened by the epic landscape – think Narnia meets Lord Of The Rings – with its snow-capped peaks and great expanses of tundra giving way to wave-lapped shores and fjords.
We're based on Langoya, one of Norway's largest islands, in the town of Sortland, which has an impressive selection of quirky Scandi eateries and shops stocked with cosy knitwear.
But we spend little time here. Instead, night and day, we're on the road in a minibus speeding from one adventure to the next. Our guides for the trip are Norwegians Jeremy and Matheos, who are experts at Arctic survival and have the patience of saints with a bunch of travellers unused to this much snow.
In winter, there are only around four hours of daylight (bluey grey, no sun), from 10am to 2.30pm, so we need to make the most of it. Clad in waterproof boots, we set off on a walk through a winter wasteland, alongside a frozen stream flanked by imposing mountains.
In a wooden shelter overlooking a lake we find Nigel from Lincolnshire, a former Royal Marine stationed in Norway who fell in love and has been living here for 20 years. He and his wife run Andoy Friluftssenter, a cosy wooden restaurant and log cabins overlooking a fjord. They own an incredible 4000 acres (1618ha) and forage cloudberries used in the dishes they serve.
While Nigel cooks up a delicious lunch of moose and veggie stir-fry over an open fire in the shelter, Jeremy drills (small) holes in the icy lake and we try fishing. Half an hour later, one of our group has caught a trout.
We need to save all our energy for the evening, when we set off on our first hunt for the Northern Lights. We arrive at a frozen lake just before the lights put on what Jeremy describes as the "brightest and best" show of the year so far.
A band of green swirls across the sky, like the blurred headlights of heavy traffic on a cosmic super-highway. It arcs and expands, then curls and morphs into endless cloud shapes. We lie on the ice and gaze upwards in awe.
The next day is overcast, so we have a later start and head to some local riding stables. Norwegian horses are beautiful and gentle creatures with spiky Mohican manes and thick creamy coats. I ride Emil, who owner Julie has reared for nine years since she set up the school. We trot to another frozen lake and suddenly Jeremy appears with snow shoes, so it's off the horses for a giddy race across the lake.
Then it's off to a Sami reindeer farm, where four Sami families (the indigenous people of Scandinavia) keep their herds. Laila welcomes us into her lavvo (a sort of teepee) and we sit by the fire as she introduces the Sami culture. She tells us men are expected to inherit the farm and her young son already has his own reindeer. Laila's family sell the meat, and also make decorations from the antlers.
We go and feed a small herd (the rest are up the mountains). They're perfectly adapted to Arctic conditions with a special extra toe on their hooves, so they can walk flat-footed through the snow.
Back in the warmth of the lavvo, we're served reindeer soup and bread, and cloudberries and cream. It does feel a bit strange eating something we've just been petting, but the soup is yummy.
On our last full day, we're off to the dogs. Thirty lean husky-type hounds are chained up in a snowy enclosure and after briefing and coffee in another lavvo, we help to put them in their harnesses.
They are born to run, says the owner, which is why they're so eager. The dogs are tied to an all-terrain vehicle and I get the coveted place in the back, as 10 of them pull us uphill into a winter wonderland.
In the evening, we enjoy another meal of moose pie and cloudberry cheesecake – it's amazing how many calories you can eat when you're being so active – and then spend a very relaxing time watching the Northern Lights from the warmth of a hot tub. We've seen so much of them, they're beginning to feel like a permanent fixture in the night sky.
IF YOU GO
Exodus (www.exodus.co.uk; 0845 863 9601) offers the five-day Arctic Circle Adventure from STG2,499 ($A4,770.90) pp, including return flights from Heathrow with SAS airlines, hotel accommodation and some meals.
The writer was a guest of Exodus.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
aurora borealis northern lights norwayLatest News

Klook hosts inaugural Partner Awards with Tourism Australia’s Pip Harrison as special guest
Travel activities and experiences booking platform, Klook, held its inaugural Klook Partner Awards event in Sydney last night honouring its top-performing and best-loved merchant partners. Tourism Australia’s Pip Harrison, who was invited to the event as the guest of honour, spoke about the importance of experiences. “I think that experiences are absolutely everything,” she said. […]

APT Travel Group launches early release of 2026 Canada and Alaska Holidays
For anyone with clients craving an icy getaway, APT is serving up some steals right now.

Film, photography and so much more to explore this year in Berlin
Often known for its grungy aesthetics, or perhaps a currywurst stall, there's so much more on offer this year in Berlin.

TravelManagers welcomes two new directors to HOTA Board
We wish Narendra and Judith the best of luck in trying to remember the rest of the Boards' names.

Tauck celebrates 100 years of hosting travellers around the globe
Tauck would only ever celebrate its 100th birthday in pure style - and Italy is just that!

Travelglobe unveils exclusive food tour with MasterChef’s Kirsten Tibballs
Fancy brushing up on your skills making delicious chocolate and pastry-based treats? Meet us on this tour!

Fiji Airways to bring South Australians closer to paradise with third weekly flight from Adelaide in April
South Australians might say they're already in Paradise, but how can they be sure without checking Fiji out?

Bookings for Vanuatu surge with Aussies ready to support earthquake-struck tourism hotspot
In times like those Vanuatu is surfacing from, the tourism dollar goes a long way and Aussies aren't holding back.

Bullo River Station shares its first ever sustainability report
If you would like to be inspired to be a little more green, then check out what Bullo River Station is up to.

‘Fortune favours the bold’: luxury brand leader Anna Burgdorf departs Flight Centre after 6 years
Time for a pop quiz - who first came up with above quote? Was it A) Virgil B) Shakespeare or C) Aristotle?

Cruise Guru unveils Channel Nine show featuring Ponant, Viking, NCL and more
A little offended that we weren't invited on as the 'Cruise Guru' ourselves, but we'll be tuning in regardless.

Explore Worldwide gives agents a chance to win an exclusive Sri Lanka famil
It's like finding a ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! And the prize is even better than unlimited sweets.

Heathrow Airport to upgrade operations as part of multi-billion-pound cash injection
We're usually a bit scared of injections, however a 'cash injection' is one we would welcome with both arms (literally).

Club Med announces Manveer Ramdhian as new MICE manager in Pacific
Rest-assured, being a MICE manager has nothing to do with our furry little friends.

Sydney Airport welcomes daily flights from Hong Kong Airlines
To top it all off, it looks like the representatives scored a cracker of a day for the celebratory photo!

Collette’s Karen Deveson on what Aussies really want from luxury
For Aussies, we're a little bit more laid back when it comes to luxury. No gold-plated cars for us, thanks!

Intrepid Travel partners with Helloworld Travel for exclusive food tour with Luke Nguyen
Vietnamese is one of our favourite cuisines, so we're headed to the Bánh mì shop for lunch in celebration.

Quark Expeditions opens its Antarctic 2026/27 season
You'd have to be Quarking mad to not have a trip like this on your bucket list.

Federal government to purchase REX Airlines if no buyers arise, Albanese says
News that is sure to ruffle some feathers in the offices of competing airlines this morning, but we're all for it!

Topdeck discounts select 2025-26 trips with up to $1,000 off
Knowing my Gen Z sister, that $1,000 saved would be headed straight to the shopping fund.

Windstar Cruises unveils ‘Basil + Bamboo’ on Star Seeker yacht
Don't worry, we're talking about a restaurant here, not the materials used to build the stunning yacht.

Captain Cook Cruises celebrates 55 years of excellence on the water in the habour city
With a view like Sydney Harbour as your office this would be a hard job to leave.

TravelManagers’ Michael Gazal: ‘Agents are spending a lot of time on bespoke trips’
If you haven't already thrown out your cookie cutter mentality, please do so now.

JP Morgan Chase grows travel offering with tech partnership
Our inner bohemian spirit strongly objects to buying travel from an investment bank. #sorrynotsorry

Helloworld celebrates Valentines Day with Air Ticket sale
Nothing gets travel agents' hearts fluttering more than discounted air fares. It is a love language.

Agents return from Sno’n’Ski Whistler and Vancouver famil
If you want to be really jealous this lunchtime, check out what these four agents got up to in Vancouver.

2025 Taipei Lantern Festival lights up Ximending
We hope our boss currently on the ground is as impressed with the snake lantern in person as we are behind the screen.

Numbers reveal how hard it REALLY is to become ATIA accredited
If you have ever failed to be accredited by ATIA then this article will make you feel better. Dust off that form!

Travel agent STILL waiting on $15k Bamboo Airways refund 16 MONTHS after carrier left Australia
This has motivated us to stop complaining about the time we got one less chicken nugget than expected.

AIME 2025 is underway!
If you're headed down to AIME we hope you brought your networking shoes because it's going to be big!

dnata spends $17m on inflight catering centre at Western Sydney Airport
Airline food has come a long was from the days you would be given a dry roll and a long strip of cheese. Time for lunch?

AYANA Bali invites guests to experience the Sacred Day of Silence
When our Balinese taxi driver informed us that it was 'time to be silent', we just assumed we were talking too much.

Brand USA launches inaugural ‘Ambassador Panel’ for ANZ agents
Interested agents need to send in a video of them singing 'Born in the USA'. Okay we made that up...

Experience Co. calls on marketing expertise of Unique Tourism Collection for Wild Bush Luxury
You no longer need to choose between experiencing bush or experiencing luxury. You can do both!

Deserts, dates and doors: Inside the secret Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
For a trip that talks the talk, we can assure you, it certainly walks the walk!

Paw-Patrol returns to Reflections Bermagui as groups boasts $3.5m economic boost
Be careful where you leave your lunch around this holiday park, there will be plenty of noses paying attention.