Midnight Sun Safari

Doesn't the title, Midnight Sun Safari,  just peak your interest?

But what does it mean????

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Lets travel to Lofoten, Norland, Norway to check out the sun's never ending rays produced around the clock for a once in a lifetime, fairy tale safari!  I am choosing Lofoten but there are a number of other villages that will allow you to witness the natural phenomenon - see them below!

First: Where is Lofoten?!?!?!

Lofoten is an archipelago located in the Norwegian Sea north of the Arctic Circle and is considered a part of Norway.  It is a fairy-tale town nestled in between jagged snow peaked mountains with quaint fishing hamlets and is the departure point to for the midnight sun safari.  

Second: How to get there? Sounds kinda remote...

I suggest booking your vacation through United Military Travel because this is a vacation that is kinda remote and is going to require some research.  That is where you let go of the reins and hand over your ideas to your travel consultant.  Make sure you tell them to go ahead and book all of your airfare, car rentals, and hotels at once so when you get over there you can be stress free!  

Lofoten consists of seven main islands and the closet airport is Harstad/Narvik Airport Evenes which is located 2.5 hours east and it offers daily service from Oslo.  Once you arrive at the airport, pick up your pre-paid rental car and drive to Lofoten to check into your hotel.

The Norway visitors website is a great tool to help you plan your vaca! 

Third: What is a midnight sun???

The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon in which the sun is above the horizon at midnight.  And the rest of the night. And all day long!  At Nordkapp the sun stays shining for over 1,800 hours with setting.  It is caused by the tilt in the Earth's axis and as we orbit the Sun, the tilt makes the North Pole face towards the sun in summer and away from it in the winter.  Hence continuous daylight in the summer.  

Fourth: How to experience the midnight sun

mag·ic

noun

1. 1.

   the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.

Magic is what you are going to experience when you take the midnight voyage to open water, where the golden sky seems to melt effortlessly in the shimmering sea.  

According to www.visitnorway.com you will navigate through narrow fjords on your way to the open ocean at the northern end of Lofoten and on your trip out you will witness white-tailed sea eagles swooping down stretching their 8 foot wing span for their fresh catch along with otters and other sea life. 

As you can probably imagine, having the sun shine 24/7 might mess up your sleeping habits.  Take this time to take advantage of being able to do outdoor activities around the clock.

  

*Take a hike to get a birds eye view of the sun right at midnight over the Norwegian Sea. 

*Fish around the clock

*Golf at Lofoten Golf Links any time of the day in the summer - they are open 24 hours.

*Take a boat tour 

*Set up your camera equipment on a sea side cliff and capture nature at its finest.

Famous Midnight Sun spots

Some locations in the north are known for their Midnight Sun view:

• Mount Rønvikfjellet in Bodø overlooks the Midnight Sun, Landegode island and the Lofoten islands.
• Eggum on the northern side of Lofoten offers free ocean view
• The Cable Car in Narvik is 656 metres/2152 ft above the fjord
• From Nupen near Harstad you see the sun towards the peaks of Grytøya Island
• At Tungenesset on the Island of Senja the sun illuminates the rock formation of Okshornan
• The Cable Car in Tromsø with the sun above the the peak of Ringvassøya Island
• Mount Komsafjellet in Alta with a fjord view
• Mount Salen in Hammerfest
• On the flats of the Plateau of Finnmarksvidda you see the sun everywhere
• The North Cape, with a free view towards the north
• Longyearbyen; don’t leave the town without a gun, but the sun is high above the horizon everywhere

Fifth: Where else can I see the midnight sun??

How far?

The further north you get, the longer the Midnight Sun shines:

• Arctic Circle: 12 June - 1 July 
• Bodø: 4 June - 8 July 
• Svolvær: 28 May - 14 July 
• Harstad: 25 May - 18 July 
• Bardufoss: 23 May - 19 July 
• Andenes: 22 May - 21 July 
• Tromsø: 20 May - 22 July 
• Alta: 19 May - 24 July 
• Vardø: 17 May - 26 July 
• Hammerfest: 16 May - 27 July 
• Berlevåg: 15 May - 28 July 
• North Cape/Nordkapp: 14 May - 29 July 
• Longyearbyen (Svalbard) : 20 April – 22 August

Check out this list too for more information on where to see it!   

Sources: National Geographic, Norway's official website, and Nordnorge.com