VOYAGE SOUTH... 33 PORTS IN SIX DAYS BY KIRSTY JOHNSTON
22 CRUISE NEWS
VOYAGE SOUTH
33 ports in six days with excursions including dog sledding in the arctic circle, king crab fishing on a frozen fjord and a snow mobile safari in the polar night? That’s my type of cruise says NI Travel News Editor Kirsty Johnston...
BY KIRSTY JOHNSTON
kirsty@nitravelnews.com
HAVE you heard of Havila? The world’s most beautiful coastline now has the world’s most environmentally friendly coastal ship. Norway’s quiet and unspoilt nature, clean water and fresh air - are worth taking care of. Havila Voyage’s new ship has the world’s largest battery packs, which means that you can sail through the world heritage fjords with reduced emissions. Voyage South from Kirkenes to Bergen on a six day voyage visiting 33 ports including Lofoten’s many ports during the daytime, sail between the myriad islands of the Helgeland coast and have time to visit Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim and sample some of the city’s culinary delights.
Day 1 - Kirkenes from seaside in the summer Ports: Kirkenes - Vardø - Båtsfjord - Berlevåg Welcome aboard
in Kirkenes! The border with Russia is only a few kilometres
and the road signs in
Kirkenes are in Norwegian and Russian.
You can
go as far as the border on one of our excursions, or how about a visit to the Snowhotel
where
everything is made of ice and snow?
Excursions
• Snowhotel Kirkenes • King crab with a snowmobile on the frozen fjord, Kirkenes • Dog sledding in the Arctic, Kirkenes • Snowmobile safari in the Arctic, Kirkenes • The Russian border, Kirkenes • King crab fishing in a RIB, Kirkenes
Day 2 - Tromsø in sunset
Ports: Mehamn - Kjøllefjord - Honningsvåg - Havøysund - Hammerfest - Øksfjord - Skjervøy - Tromsø The polar landscape changes as we sail towards the west and south again. The great expanses are replaced by steep peaks, and in the evening we sail into Tromsø. You can go to a midnight concert in the Arctic Cathedral, or take a stroll in the midnight sun or under the Northern Lights and explore the nightlife of the city dubbed “The Paris of the North”.
Excursions
• Snowmobile trip in the polar night, Mehamn •Breakfast at
the North Cape Plateau, Honningsvåg •The
best of the world’s
northernmost city, Hammerfest • City walk and knighting ceremony in the polar bear society,
• Horse riding in Lofoten, Svolvær • Brewery visit and beer tasting, Svolvær • Sea eagle safari in a RIB, Svolvær • Sea Eagle Safari in Trollfjorden, disembarkation from the ship • Hike by the best beach in Europe, Svolvær
Day 4 - Torghatten mountain in summer
Ports: Bodø - Ørnes - Nesna - Sandnessjøen - Brønnøysund - Rørvik
Now we have come so far south that we’re
crossing the Arctic Circle and sailing away from the polar night and the sunlit nights. But you can still see the Northern Lights in the winter, and it is never completely dark during the summer nights. Here you sail past a myriad of small islands, islets and skerries and past the special mountain, Trollhatten, which has a hole in the middle. If you wish, you can also go on the trip to the mountain and enter the hole.
Excursions
• Hiking at Torghatten, Brønnøysund • The Norwegian salmon adventure, Brønnøysund • Experience the World Heritage listed Vega Islands, Brønnøysund
Day 5 - The Atlantic Ocean Road with curvy away,
Hammerfest • Midnight concert in the Arctic Cathedral, Tromsø
Day 3 - Lofoten in autumn light
Ports: Finnsnes - Harstad - Risøyhamn - Sortland - Stokmarknes - Svolvær - Stamsund We enter the wild, idyllic Lofoten Islands .
Beneath the jagged mountains lie chalky white sandy beaches and fishing villages with a vibrant fishing industry and locals using the coastal ships for everyday trips and transport. If the weather permits, we will enter the narrow Trollfjord. There is a strong possibility of spotting sea eagles here.
Excursions
• A taste of Vesterålen, Harstad • Experience Lofoten, Svolvær • Golfing at Lofoten Links, Svolvær • A taste of Lofoten, Svolvær
roads and bridges Ports: Trondheim - Kristiansund - Molde - Ålesund
We sail through the wide Trondheim fjord that is bounded by rolling farmland on both sides and return to the coast and the open sea. You can disembark in Kristiansund and be driven along the Atlantic Ocean Road, which has been called the world’s most beautiful drive. The road meanders along islets and skerries, and afterwards you can re-embark in Molde.
Excursions
• Trondheim and the Nidaros Cathedral • Experience the Atlantic Road, Kristiansund • Atlanterhavsveien and Bergtatt marble mine, Kristiansund
Day 6 - Buildings on Bergen Brygge in sunset Ports: Torvik - Måløy - Florø - Bergen
The last day of the tour takes you through a diverse coastal landscape of bare rocky mountains and a maze of sounds and waterways between many islands. The great fjords and glaciers are situated inland. Bergen awaits at the end of the voyage. You will disembark with many good memories from your journey along the Norwegian coast and already be planning your next Havila Voyage cruise.
Excursion Highlights
Art nouveau walk Disembarkation port: Ålesund Embarkation port: Ålesund Time: 10:30-12:30 Meal: None Price: from £57 per person
One stormy winter night in 1904, a fire raged
through Ålesund. By morning, 850 houses were in ruins and more than 10,000 people were homeless. In the course of a record-breaking three years, the town rose from the ashes. This is how Ålesund became an art nouveau city with a rare architectural expression.
No other city in Norway has so many art
nouveau houses next to one another, and the city is renowned internationally for its architecture. There are towers and spires and flowering vines that twist along the buildings’ colourful facades
wherever you turn. A guided city walk will give you an insight into Ålesund’s history and its people, and art nouveau details will be pointed out. The walk goes from Havila Voyages past the
harbour with its fishing boats and pleasure boats and on to Apotekertorget (Pharmacy Square) where the city took shape almost 200 years ago. Here we visit the Jugendstilsenteret (the Art Nouveau Centre). Travel through time in the “From ashes to Art Nouveau” time machine, a multimedia exhibit that takes the audience back to the city fire in 1904. Wou will also visit a local artist in his studio. We continue along Borgundfjorden,
which
has traditional cod fishing before we return through Kongens gate, one of the most beautiful pedestrian streets in Norway, with sumptuously decorated house facades.
Dog sledding in the Arctic Disembarkation port: Kirkenes Embarkation port: Kirkenes Time: 9:15-12:15 Meal: Snacks and hot drinks in the restaurant Price: From £ 195 per person
Get on the sled, and allow yourself to be pulled
across the white expanses by pure dog power, before greeting and petting the dogs in the yard. The huskies are tugging impatiently on the
harness. They want to run. The Alaskan huskies are the elite athletes of the canine world; they are adapted to the demanding Arctic climate and running long distances. And you can join in. Sit on the sled and let yourself be carried across white expanses by pure dog power. In midwinter, this will be beneath starry skies,
while as spring goes on, more of the special light in the north creeps in. Experienced mushers drive you safely through the terrain for a tour of the winter landscape. The husky safari allows you to meet more than your own dog team. There are 180 strong, beautiful huskies in the yard. They may seem shy at first, but once you have made contact, you will feel the warmth of these wonderful animals. This is also why the kennel is open so that guests can get to know both the adult dogs and the puppies. Just
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