Killer Whale Safaris To Norway’s Lofoten Islands Announced By Norwegian Coastal Voyage In New Arctic Adventures Program
NCV has introduced air-inclusive, seven-day Killer Whale Safaris to Norway’s rugged Lofoten Islands from October 22 to December 26 as part of its new Arctic Adventures winter program. More than 600 orcas (killer whales) migrate to the Lofotens in winter to feed on the vast shoals of Norwegian herring in the long, narrow Tysfjord. In winter, fishing villages with red wooden houses nestle below snow-clad mountains and the Northern Lights dance across the sky in green, yellow or red flashes in winter when atmospheric conditions are right.
Whale safaris combine Tromso, capital of Arctic Norway and home of the world’s northernmost university and brewery; the Norwegian Coastal Voyage from Tromso through the Vesteralen Islands and Raftsund Strait to Svolvaer in the Lofoten Islands; the whale-watching excursion to the Tysfjord; a stay in a restored fisherman’s cottage at Svinoya Rorbuer; and Oslo, the capital of Norway.
Seven-day packages, costing $2,300 to $2,465 per person, double occupancy, also include round-trip flights from New York to Tromso and back from Oslo, a local flight, first-class hotels in Tromso and Oslo, breakfast daily and free time to explore both cities, all meals aboard ship and in the Lofotens, port charges and transfers.
Family departures on October 22 and December 26 welcome adults and children age five and up. The eight-day New Year Safari at $2,795, spends an extra day in Svolvaer and celebrates New Year’s Eve in Borg with a horse and sleigh ride, weather permitting, to the 250-foot long replica of a Viking chieftain’s house for a view of Viking daily life and a gala dinner at long tables, traditional songs and dances in the banquet hall.
The trip can be enhanced by the options of extending the safari one day — adding an extra hotel night and whale-watching excursion at $295; switching from a traditional fishing boat to a sturdy inflatable Zodiac in the Tysfjord for up-close views of a pod of whales at $140; snorkeling with orcas and observing their underwater behavior on the December 4 and 6 departures at $355; attending a Viking banquet in a chieftain’s reconstructed long house at the Viking Museum in Lofoten on the November 14 and 28 trips at $145; and riding a dog sledge pulled by huskies across the open plains of Tromso at $160.
Since whales travel in groups, sighting a pod of 20 or more is common. The captain will adjust the boat’s direction and speed to give the best views of whales breaching, blowing, porpoising or stunning whales with their flukes. The snorkeling safari, combining an express boat, Zodiac and ferry ride, must be reserved in advance. Special suits are provided for Zodiac travel and snorkeling.
Svinoya Rorbuer, on an island in the oldest part of Svolvaer, contains comfortable fishermen’s cabins (rorbu) restored and modernized for guests, Borsen Spiserei seafood restaurant in an old quayside warehouse, and an art gallery. Norwegian Coastal Voyage vessels, which operate daily year-round between Bergen and Kirkenes on the “world’s most beautiful voyage,” are a unique combination of first-class cruise ship and a lifeline to remote towns and villages along the 1,250-mile coast.
NCV offers Arctic Adventures in the Lofoten Islands, Norwegian Lapland and Spitsbergen. The winter brochure and reservations can be obtained from Norwegian Coastal Voyage Inc., (800) 323-7436 or (212) 319-1390; for brochures, (800) 582-0835; www.norwegiancoastalvoyage.us
July 31, 2006
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