One Week Itinerary In Lofoten Islands In October (Part 1)
Lofoten, an archipelago within the Arctic Circle in Norway, known for its dramatic scenery, has long piqued my interest. If northern lights, or aurora borealis, were the top reason for our Norway trip, Lofoten’s breathtaking landscape was definitely another.
One of my favorite moments in Lofoten Islands
Logistic Tips
We compared different options to travel from Senja to Lofoten Islands. Driving made most sense as there was no airport in Senja. Tromso airport was the closest with nearly 3 hours drive, but there was no direct flight from Tromso to any airports in Lofoten.
Driving would maximize our sight seeing. However, the ocean front route we would like to take involved Andenes–Gryllefjord Ferry, which only operated in the summer. We had to take the inland route that took about six hours without any stops to the northern tip of Lofoten.
Since we were traveling in the shoulder or low season, we didn’t have any problem reserving a car just 2 weeks in advance. Our rental started from the second day in Tromso and cost about $1100 for one way trip over 11 days. If we had more time, we would have continued our road trip from Lofoten to Bergen, and see Geirangerfjord along the way.
Day 1: Senja - Stronstad
We spent our first day driving from Senja to Stronstad, a tiny town at the northern tip of Lofoten.
Nearly every turn in Senja and Lofoten was picture worthy to some extent. However, we had to skip many road-side stops due to the rain. Most towns we passed were very small and did not have large grocery stores or restaurants. Our main stop for the day was at Lodingen, where we found Rema 1000, one of the major grocery chain stores in Norway.
When we arrived at our Stronsdad Airbnb, it was already evening. Even before unpacking, I went straight to the deck on the second floor and set up my two cameras on two tripods, even knowing chances of seeing northern lights that night were slim. As it turned out, we encountered heavy storm and zero chance. The wind was so loud at midnight that I seriously feared our roof might be blown away.
Photo Equipment
As I anticipated photographing northern light in Norway, I packed almost my full set of gear in this trip, probably more than any other trips before. Check out “what’s in my camera bag for our northern light trip”.
If you are on the look out for a mirrorless camera, or the right lens for you, check out my free video guide on “mirrorless camera ultimate buying guide”.
Day 2: Svolvaer - Henningsvaer - napp
It continued to rain, as expected. Alas, it was our choice to come visit Norway in its rainiest season. We learned to enjoy every small window of rain break. In fact, I loved the blue-grayish sky with blankets of cloud on a rainy day. It was perfect time for photography.
Svinoya Island, Svolvaer
By lunch time, we arrived at Svolvaer, the largest town in Lofoten. Don’t be fooled by the term “largest”, Svolvaer is still just a small harbor town with only a few thousands of residents. We took a small walk on Svinoya Island, a part of Svolvaer connected to the main town only with a small bridge.
It was here that I took the first photo of the rorbuer, the traditional Norwegian fishermen cabins that you could find throughout Lofoten Islands. As they were typically in red, rorbuer could be not only your main subject, but also a pop of color in your Lofoten photos, instantly brightening up your frame.
Lunch at Svolvaer Restaurant was pleasant and quiet. We were the first among the few customers. That was the charm of traveling in the shoulder (or low) season.
In the afternoon, we continued to drive south and visited Henningsvaer, best known for a soccer field at the tip of the island.
Of course Henningsvaer was more than a soccer field, even it was a small fishing town. There was one main road to drive through the islands, and the landscape was stunning. The image below was a golden hour drone shot at the backdrop of the football field.
The racks at the bottom of the image were used to dry and hang cod. Typically, it would take several months to dry the fish. Since we were traveling in the wettest season of the whole year, all the racks we saw in Lofoten were empty. I wondered what these racks would smell like during February to June, when hundreds or thousands of cod were tightly hung together.
A fair warning if playing soccer here was your plan. Other than the soccer field, there was no ball. We saw a dozen of tourists taking snapshots and walking on the rocks between the soccer field and the water front (see above). Only two teenage boys, perhaps local, were practicing the kicks. Our 7 year old without hesitation joined their game, and the next minute, he was loaned a ball!
I had to admit, our 7 yo had superb social skills. We saw him chatting with anyone between 2 and 97 years old on our trips. If there were any rewards of our travel, his social and communication skill was one of them.
By the time we checked in our Airbnb in Napp, a tiny town in the middle of Lofoten, it was evening, again!
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Our living room had north facing windows with 180-degree open view. How could I miss the opportunity to photograph this view during sunset, even there was vaguely any sunset color but the drizzle?
Long exposure at Napp, Lofoten, Norway.
This was just the start of our Lofoten trip. We couldn’t wait to explore more of its magnificence.
(To be cont’d)
👉 Check out One Week Itinerary In Lofoten Islands In October (Part 2) or
👉 See all my posts about our 2022 Norway trip.
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After 3 nights in Tromso, 3 nights in Senja and 6 nights in Lofoten, we wrapped up our road trip and flew out of the Arctic Circle. Our final stop for this Norway trip was Bergen, the country’s second largest city, and one of North Europe’s oldest ports.