Lofoten Islands: Dramatic Peaks & Fishing Villages

Today you journey north across the Arctic Circle to Bodo, the lively coastal gateway to the Lofoten Islands. Your scenic flight crosses the mountains, forests and fjords of Norway to Bodo, a bright modern town set amid dramatic coastal scenery just above the Arctic Circle. On arrival you are transferred to your hotel and have time to explore. You might visit the remarkable Saltstraumen, the world's strongest tidal current, where vast volumes of water surge through a narrow strait in a churning maelstrom of whirlpools, an extraordinary natural spectacle, or take in the town's harbour, aviation heritage and coastal views. As the day ends, you settle in, poised on the edge of the Arctic isles. This evening, savour fresh local seafood and the vast northern light. Rest well in Bodo, for tomorrow you cross to the spectacular Lofoten Islands, your base for the days ahead.

Today you cross to the spectacular Lofoten Islands, where jagged peaks rise straight from the sea. Travelling by ferry or a short flight across the water, you watch the dramatic wall of the Lofoten peaks rise ahead, and arrive amid some of the most beautiful scenery on earth, based near Svolvaer, the islands' lively main town. In the afternoon you might take a boat safari out among the islands and skerries in search of majestic white-tailed sea eagles, wheeling overhead, and, conditions permitting, glide into the sheer-walled Trollfjord, a breathtakingly narrow arm of water enclosed by towering cliffs. The scale and drama are unforgettable. As the day ends, you settle into your base amid the peaks and sea. This evening, savour fresh Lofoten seafood with the mountains glowing outside. Rest well in the beautiful Lofoten Islands, ready to explore their villages and coast.

Today you explore the iconic southern villages of Lofoten, among the most beautiful places in Norway. Following the spectacular coastal road south beneath soaring peaks, past mirror-still fjords and tiny harbours, you reach Hamnoy and Reine, where clusters of red and ochre rorbu cabins perch on stilts above the water, mirrored in sheltered harbours beneath jagged, near-vertical peaks, a scene of extraordinary drama and beauty. At the road's end you explore the tiny village of A, a living museum of the cod-fishing life, with its wooden warehouses, drying racks, old boats and stockfish museum. There may be a chance for a gentle walk or a stop at a white-sand beach. As the day ends, you return to your base amid the peaks. This evening, enjoy a rorbu-village seafood dinner with the fjord glowing outside. Rest well in the beautiful Lofoten Islands.

Today you enjoy the dramatic coast, beaches and wide-open scenery of Lofoten at a flexible pace. You follow the breathtaking coastal roads to some of Lofoten's astonishing white-sand beaches, such as Ramberg, Uttakleiv or Haukland, dazzling stretches of pale sand lapped by turquoise Arctic water beneath soaring peaks, where you can walk the shore and drink in the panoramas. For the active, there is the option of a guided hike to a spectacular viewpoint, or sea kayaking amid the islands and skerries, gliding beneath the peaks on still water. You might also simply soak up the ever-changing Arctic light, magical at the low golden hours. As the day ends, you return to your base. This evening, savour more fresh Lofoten seafood and the serene beauty of the islands. Rest well amid the dramatic peaks and sea of Lofoten, one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Today you discover more of the charm and heritage of Lofoten. You explore Henningsvaer, strung across small islands and often called the 'Venice of Lofoten', a charming fishing village turned artists' colony, with galleries, cosy cafes and its famous football pitch perched dramatically among the rocks and sea. You visit Nusfjord, one of Norway's oldest and best-preserved fishing villages, a beautifully atmospheric huddle of red cabins and wooden warehouses around a tiny harbour. You might also step into the Viking past at the reconstructed chieftain's longhouse at Borg, the largest ever found, learning of the great chieftains who once ruled these isles. As the day ends, you return to your base amid the peaks. This evening, enjoy a final Lofoten dinner, reflecting on the beauty of the islands. Rest well in the spectacular Lofoten Islands, ready for your departure tomorrow.

After a final morning amid the spectacular scenery of Lofoten, perhaps a last look at the red-cabin villages, a walk on a white-sand beach or some souvenir shopping for local art and crafts, you are transferred to the airport at Svolvaer or Leknes for your onward departure. You leave having immersed yourself in one of the most dramatic and beautiful landscapes on earth, the iconic villages of Reine, Hamnoy and A, the sea-eagle safari and the sheer-walled Trollfjord, the dazzling white beaches and coastal drives, and charming Henningsvaer, preserved Nusfjord and the Viking heritage of the isles. The images stay vivid long after you land, the red rorbu cabins mirrored beneath jagged peaks, the sea eagles wheeling over the water, the turquoise coves and white sand, and the ever-changing Arctic light. Lofoten offers dramatic beauty and Arctic adventure in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to these spectacular islands of Norway.