Day 1 Monday, 8/19/2024: Italy - Bodoe
Meeting of participants at Milan Malpensa airport and boarding of scheduled flight departing for Bodoe (flight with stopover in Oslo).
Arrival in Bodoe and private transfer to hotel, accommodation in reserved rooms. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2 Tuesday, 20/08/2024: Bodoe - Lofoten Islands - Svolvaer
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart the hotel by reserved bus for Moskenes sailing to the Lofoten Islands.
Lofoten Islands: the Lofoten archipelago is located above the Arctic Circle, opposite the coasts of the
Northern Norway. The mountains are very high and steep but create inlets, beaches, bays, and pastures. Arctic light gives the landscape distinctive colors. Arrival and visit to a typical fishing village with the oldest cod liver oil factory. At the end, time at leisure for free lunch.
Continue to Borg where we will visit the Viking Museum.
An 'impressive reconstruction of the largest Viking-era house of which remains have been found.
Continuation of the journey to Svolvaer. Arrive at the hotel and settle into the reserved rooms. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 3 Wednesday, 8/21/2024: Ferstralen Islands - Narvik/Harstad
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for the wild Verseralen Islands. The first stop is Hadseloya Island and the quiet town of Stokmarknes where we visit the Hurtigrutten Museum. It originally consisted of a single vessel, the Vesteralen, calling at nine ports, carrying mail, passengers and basic necessities. Now the line has as many as 11 ships carrying half a million passengers a year, touches 35 towns and villages and is a vital link for Norway.
After free lunch continue in the direction of Hastad or Narvik.
Arrive at the hotel and settle into the reserved rooms. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4 Thursday, 8/22/2024: Narvik - Tromso
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Tromso and stop for free lunch along the way.
Tromso located beyond the polar circle, is considered the gateway to the North Pole, and has been the place of
departure of many Arctic expeditions. Because of its latitude, Tromso is subject to the phenomenon of the midnight sun (May 21 to July 21) and polar night (November 21 to January 21). The city center is located on Tromsoya (Tromso Island) but the urban agglomeration also spreads to the east on the mainland, Tromsdalen ("the valley"), and to the west on Kvaloya (whale island). On both sides there are bridges that
connect the center with the suburbs, and even an underwater tunnel to Tromsdalen.
Optional visit to the Arctic Cathedral, which occupies almost the entire eastern end of the building. The cathedral has been compared to Sydney's famous "opera house" because of the obvious architectural similarities.
At the end, accommodation in the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5 Friday, 8/23/2024: Tromso - Alta
Breakfast at the hotel . Before departing for Alta, visit the Polar Museum, which is located in an old wooden building formerly home to Tromso Customs. The museum tells the story of early adventurers such as Willem Barentsz or the first hot air balloon expeditions to the polar regions.
Depart for Alta by ferry crossing the beautiful Ullsfjord and Lyngenfjord. Free lunch along the pewrcourse. Arrive in Alta in the evening, the city located at the northern end of Norway well beyond the Arctic Circle on the shores of the Norwegian Sea. Alta is home to Norway's oldest prehistoric traces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hotel accommodation. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6 Saturday, 8/24/2024: Alta - Honningsvag - North Cape
Breakfast at the hotel and visit Alta with its Museum.
The Alta rock graffiti are part of an archaeological site near the town of Alta in the Norwegian state of Finnmark. This place was listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Free lunch followed by continuation to the North Cape through a succession of headlands and fishermen's cottages to the tunnel connecting Kafjord to Honninsvag.
Arrive at the hotel and settle into the reserved rooms. Dinner and overnight stay.
After dinner, overnight visit to the North Cape.
Day 7 Sunday, 8/25/2024: Honnigsvag - Alta
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart from the hotel to Gjesvaer where we will take a boat excursion to the Gjesvaerstappan Nature Reserve. Millions of birds intent on hatching, diving and flying can be admired in the reserve, including puffins, sea eagles, uruas , marine gazwe , cormorants , dung beetles and smokers
(In case of bad weather conditions the excursion may be cancelled).
Free lunch and on to Alta.
Arrive at the hotel and settle into the reserved rooms. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8 Monday, 8/26/2024: Alta - Italy
Breakfast at the hotel or breakfast box.
Transfer to the airport and departure for return to Italy.
