Planning is essential for all my trips, but this one required more intensive preparation. Unlike my usual approach, I began planning this trip just three months before departing. Following our return from Vienna and Paris in February, we had a saving period before purchasing the tickets.
Our itinerary involved flying with Emirates (KUL-Oslo-Munich-KUL) and checking our luggage through to our final destination at Bardufoss Airport. However, upon arriving in Dubai, Emirates took our carry-on bag due to full overhead compartments, promising it reach our final destination, which unfortunately didn't happen. It took three days for our luggage to arrive at our hotel via a local delivery company as Emirates had failed to load them into the cargo. This incident emphasized the necessity of purchasing travel insurance, which thankfully reimbursed us well for the lost baggage. I would recommend Etiqa’s family insurance which cost us about Rm180 including tax.
Upon arrival in Oslo, we took a Scandinavian Airlines flight to Bardufoss Airport. From there, we embarked on an hour-long bus journey to Senja. We had purchased our bus tickets online a week prior to departure and checked into the Senja Hotel. Not wanting to waste the evening, we promptly booked an Aurora tour with Senja Experience. Anne, our tour guide, picked us up from the hotel at 7:30 pm, and after a two-hour drive, we witnessed the northern lights. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy night, limiting our view of the aurora. Anne captured some pictures of us using her camera, and the tour concluded around 1 am, leaving us exhausted from the day's
Originally, we had booked an aurora glass igloo for two nights, but a day before our flight, they notified us of maintenance work, which was disappointing. However, upon arrival, we realized the igloo was situated on a very steep terrain, making daily movement challenging.
We were fortunate to witness the northern lights on our second and third nights, even amidst heavy snowfall on the third day. Despite the weather affecting visibility during our Senja scenic route tour, one of 18 scenic routes in Norway, we still found the landscape beautiful, giving us a white Christmas feeling. The northern lights appeared at night, even when the sky was overcast, leaving me immensely grateful for nature's wonders.
Our days were spent sledding, relaxing in the jacuzzi, and taking naps. Uncharacteristically for my holidays, this trip was exceptionally relaxing.
Norway tends to be expensive. A single meal for two cost around RM350-400, and for our three-night stay, we spent over RM1000 solely on dinners.
The primary aim of our stay was to witness the northern lights right outside our accommodation, and that goal was fulfilled.
You may download the app called AURORA. This app will show you the chances to witness the Northern Lights. However, it is not 100% accurate.
You may find the details on our expenses below :
Flight ticket (Kul-Oslo-Munich-Kul) Rm4200
Scandinavian airlines Rm1200
Senja hotel Rm300 per night
ABO Rm6400
Northern light hunting with Senja Experience Rm1000 pp
Senja Route Tour Rm850 pp
Thank you for reading. See you in my next blog post.
