One Week Itinerary In Lofoten Islands In October (Part 2)
If our first six nights in Tromso and Senja were the tip of iceberg of our Norway adventure, the following six nights in Lofoten was definitely the pinnacle. My last post merely scratched the surface of the beauty of Lofoten Islands. As we settled in Napp, a tiny town in the middle section of the archipelago, we were ready to explore whatever sceneries that would unfold in front of our eyes.
Northern Lights on Storsandnessanden Beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Up to now, I made three attempts to photograph northern lights, all on rainy nights. Besides the third one which was a failure due to heavy clouds before storm, the other two (see detailed story) weren’t in perfect condition either. However, the fact I was able to photograph northern lights in the rainiest month of the year in Norway resulted from a combination of persistence, skills and luck. I didn’t mean to brag but in this case, if I said “chance favors the prepared mind”, it probably wasn’t exaggerated. (see how to photograph northern lights)
Northern Lights on Storsandnessanden Beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Day 2: Storsandnessanden Beach, Napp
On our first night in Napp, also the second night in Lofoten (see our day 1 & 2 Lofoten itinerary), there was a small window of no rain. Knowing every small rain break would possibly be my last chance to photograph aurora on this trip, I just had to go out.
As I waited in our Airbnb with 180-degree open view from the living room, I turned all the lights off and glued my face on the window, so I could see how thick the clouds were, and if there were any “colors” in the sky.
View from our Airbnb in Napp, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Meanwhile, I monitored the Aurora app closely and wanted to pick the best hour with high aurora intensity. Interestingly, I found iPhone camera a great help to detect the “green” belt when I pointed it to the sky.
Northern Lights on Storsandnessanden Beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Right before 9pm, time was ripe. I set out with my camera bag and tripod to Storsandnessanden Beach, an under-rated beach only 5 minutes away from our house. My husband offered to take care of kids at home.
Full moon was just 4 days ago (see my first and only opportunity to photograph northern lights in Senja), and the moon was still big and bright. So I wasn't completely alone in the darkness on the beach. I could clearly see a long green belt dancing with the clouds overhead. Wow oh wow... What more could I say? I must be super... lucky... again!
I spent 50 minutes on the beach and wrapped up my shooting with two cameras. The above was just a tiny collection of the timelapse series I captured.
Day 3: Nusfjord, Hamnøy, Reine & Å
There were many reasons why we came to see Lofoten. Among the top were its stunning landscape and well preserved nature with few modern touches (except for a few transportation hubs such as Svolvaer and Leknes). Beyond northern lights, we also had a lot to see during the day.
Reine, Lofoten Islands, Norway
We took a southbound road trip on day 3 all the way to the southern most tip of the archipelago.
Red rorbuer in Nusfjord, Lofoten Islands, Norway
First and foremost was my favorite Nusfjord. A peaceful fishing village with historical importance, Nusfjord was one of the three locations in Norway nominated for UNESCO site almost 50 years go. When we walked through the roebuer of this secluded waterfront village, we thoroughly enjoyed its landscape, history as well as tranquility.
Hamnøy and Reine were highly raved and recommended. They certainly didn’t disappoint, nor did they offer me “wow”. Perhaps I already saw so many photos online before the trip, I felt I knew the places.
Reine, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Still, to my surprise, one of the most iconic Lofoten photos was taken over a narrow bridge in Hamnøy, where there was no space to set up a tripod to do long exposure. While I was excited to be there and capture the stunning view, I wish I had more options to create something different.
Hamnøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Fine dining wasn’t our main goal in Lofoten, but we did find Anita's Seafood in Sakrisøy a perfect restaurant for us. It was located between Hamnøy and Reine, right along our road trip. The restaurant was spacious with high ceiling and big windows. There was a small playground for kids right outside. As an adult, even you didn’t need to use the playground, you could simply enjoy the view from the deck, or just next to the window inside the restaurant. The menu was simple but we loved everything we ordered. In fact, we liked the restaurant so much we went back again in 2 days.
Å was another fishing village at the end of the road in the south tip of Lofoten. I didn’t have a particular place or subject to photograph in Å, but without visiting it, our Lofoten trip wasn’t complete. It was a bit unfair, but after seeing all the other fishing villages and beautiful sceneries along the way, by the time we saw Å, my heart didn’t skip a beat. OK, maybe it was just another fishing village, but it was still picturesque.
Å, Lofoten Islands, Norway
We wrapped up our day at Haukland Beach, where I photographed sunset. I didn’t have time to do recon, and simply pulled over on the side of the road when I saw colors were fading. I wasn’t even 100% sure we were at Haukland Beach, but we should be close.
Sunset long exposure at Haukland Beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway
It was worth noting that Day 3 in Lofoten was the first and the only day without rain during our entire Norway trip. This meant I had to photograph aurora at night, again!
Northern Lights on Storsandnessanden Beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway
My husband joined me for a short while after we put our kids to sleep. We still went to Storsandnessanden Beach as it was only five minutes away by foot. After my husband left, I was the only one on the beach, accompanied by two cameras and two tripods, again! Sometime after midnight, I constantly debated between "I have to wrap up and go to sleep" and "just photograph another round".
Although this wasn’t the first time I photographed northern lights in this trip, for the first time I was overwhelmed and overjoyed by the explosion of colors, and the dance show.
Northern Lights on Storsandnessanden Beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway
I stayed on the beach for 1 hour 15 minutes this time, until the rain clouds rolled in again. If I’d say I left my heart in the Arctic Circle, it was not exaggerated.
Northern Lights before the rain on Storsandnessanden Beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway
From a professional photography point of view, none of the four nights I photographed northern lights were perfect. I never got a clear night sky without clouds; I never even got a dark sky without a bright moon; I only had limited time between the rain to capture whatever I could. Perhaps, these were the exact reasons why my aurora photo experiences in Norway were so unique, and perfect!
Day 4 - Haukland Beach hike, Henningsvaer
When traveling with kids, we often planned slow days in order to recharge. I had a few nights of little sleep, so it was time to catch up.
We only set out to Haukland Beach hike in the afternoon, when there was a window of no rain. The hike was cut short as the drizzle arrived.
Henningsvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
At the request of our kids, we drove to Henningsvaer soccer field again. Our 7 year old wanted to try his luck to play soccer with other kids again. Unfortunately we saw no others kids nor soccer ball this time. Our kids, however, still had a blast.
(to be cont’d)
👉 Check out One Week Itinerary In Lofoten Islands In October (Part 3) or
👉 See all my posts about our 2022 Norway trip.
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