Tour details
Overnight at Kirkenes Ice Hotel, hunt for the Northern Lights on an evening dog sledding excursion and choose from a wide selection of optional winter activities, including king crab safari, snowmobile excursions and more.
The selected tour can commence in Kirkenes.
Day 01: Kirkenes – Evening Dog Sledding Excursion
- Arrival in Kirkenes according to your own itinerary.
- 5-hour dog sledding excursion, including dinner.
- Accommodation in Kirkenes.
Day 02: Overnight at Kirkenes Ice Hotel
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Day at leisure in Kirkenes.
- Recommended winter activities:
- King Crab Safari
- Snowmobile safari
- Pick-up for overnight at ice hotel (18:00 hrs).
- Dinner at Gabba Reindeer Park.
- Overnight at Kirkenes Ice Hotel.
Day 03: Departure from Kirkenes
- Morning sauna, followed by breakfast.
- Transfer from Ice Hotel to hotel in Kirkenes.
- Departure from Kirkenes according to your own itinerary,
Day 01: Kirkenes – Evening Dog Sledding Excursion
Arrival in Kirkenes according to your own itinerary. Kirkenes is the last stop on Hurtigruten’s northbound voyage along the Norwegian coastline. Kirkenes is located in Finnmark, Norway’s most northern county, and shares border with both Russia and Finland. You can reach Kirkenes either by direct flight from Tromsø and Oslo, and naturally also aboard Hurtigruten. At 5pm you will embark on a 5-hour dog-sledding excursion, in search of the Northern Lights. You will be transported by bus to the Pasvik Valley where you will take the dog sledges out into the “polar night”. In good conditions, you will see the northern lights dance across the sky as you head off along the border between Norway and Russia – an exotic adventure in an Arctic climate. To finish off the tour you will enjoy a delicious meal served in a lavvo and made from local ingredients.
Accommodation in Kirkenes.
Day 02: Overnight at Kirkenes Ice Hotel
Breakfast at the hotel. This day is at your own leisure in Kirkenes. We recommend that you join one of the optional winter excursions, i.e. a king crab safari or a snow mobile safari (please see add-ons for details). At 6 pm a guide will pick you up at the hotel and bring you to Kirkenes Ice Hotel where you will spend the night under comfortable reindeer-hides and in warm sleeping bags (see hotel description for further details). Dinner will be served in the cosy restaurant around the open fire place. For guests having trouble sleeping in the Snow Suites, there is a small sleeping area by the restaurant.
Day 03: Departure from Kirkenes
In the morning you can walk down to the sauna by the lake to warm up before breakfast. Departure from Kirkenes according to your own itinerary, or perhaps you would prefer to book an extra night in Kirkenes and join one of the optional excursions? We also recommend an overnight in Oslo, the capital of Norway. The Norwegian capital is beautifully situated at the head of the Oslo Fjord and surrounded by forested ridges; arable fields, vast forests and untouched nature areas. The city’s surroundings provide recreational opportunities that are frequently taken advantage of by the city’s inhabitants, as well as increasingly by visitors. Winter activities in Oslo include cross country skiing, tobogganing, cruise on the Oslo fjord, ice skating and much more. We also recommend a visit at one of Oslo’s well known sights such as the Vigeland Sculpture Park, the Viking Ship Museum, the Munch Museum and Oslo Opera House.
Terms & Conditions
Booking conditions
All bookings, changes, alternations and cancellations must be made in writing.
All rates are quoted in euro (EUR) per person and include taxes and VAT. Authentic
Scandinavia guarantees no changes in the prices of confirmed tours. A detailed list of
all services included in the tour price will be specified under each tour (please see Price
Details). Any extra expenses incurred by the client during the tour, for example use of
telephone, hotel mini-bars, etc. must be paid directly by the client to the hotel or other
provider of such services, prior to departure.
Amendments to confirmed reservations
Changes to confirmed tours will incur a EUR 50 amendment fee. This fee will apply to each
amendment made for the tour.
Refunds and unused services
Travel arrangements cancelled or amended within 24 hours of your departure or once travel
has commenced will not qualify for any refunds, nor can services be substituted for
alternative arrangements. Unused services are non-refundable.
Cancellation
All cancellations must be made in writing to info@authentic-scandinavia.com.
The date of the cancellation shall be when Authentic Scandinavia receives it in writing (our office hours are Monday-Friday 09:00 – 17:00 hrs, CET).
The following cancellation fees apply on Independent- and Escorted Tours:
Over 30 days prior to departure - Loss of full deposit
Between 30-15 days prior to departure - 50% of total payment
Between 14-0 days prior to departure - 100% of total payment
The following cancellation fees apply on tours including Hurtigruten & Göta Canal, and our Winter Tours:
Over 60 days prior to departure - Loss of full deposit
Between 60-42 days prior to departure - 30% of total payment
Between 41-28 days prior to departure - 60% of total payment
Between 27-0 days prior to departure - 100% of total payment
Passport, visas, customs, currency and health regulations
Every participant is responsible for providing his/her own travel documents (i.e. passport,
visa, vaccination certificates etc). We recommend a careful examination of the customs/duty
regulations and currency regulations for the respective destination(s). Please note that your
passport details are required for all bookings including cruises (overnight cruises, as well as
all cruises with Hurtigruten).
Travel insurance
Authentic Scandinavia recommends that each customer has adequate travel insurance, also
to include cancellation cover.
Authentic Scandinavia can not be held responsible for loss of luggage, or other personal possessions, for personal injury, accident or illness. In the event of personal injury, accident or illness, Authentic Scandinavia cannot be required to make any refunds should the tour be partially cancelled or cancelled.
Cancellation by Authentic Scandinavia
Due to reasons of higher power and reasons beyond our control, Authentic Scandinavia
reserves the right to cancel the tour. Monies paid for services will be refunded, but Authentic
Scandinavia will not be liable for any further claims.
Liability by Authentic Scandinavia
Authentic Scandinavia has the obligation to choose all services carefully, and to prepare the
tour in the best way possible. In the unlikely event that services are not fully carried out due
to an error through Authentic Scandinavia, we reserve the right to provide equivalent
services in compensation. In this case, further damage claims will not be accepted.
Subject to this settlement, in case a breach of contract is committed the direct liability of
Authentic Scandinavia for immediate loss or injury to the client subsists, provided that the
breach was not caused by Force Majeure or the behavior of the client or a tour participant,
and that it is a question of the non-performance of a promised service or an alteration of
services which has less value than the service agreed upon in the original agreement. The
amount of this liability is restricted by the sum of the agreed cost of the tour.
Furthermore the providers of the various services are basically personally liable to the client, in case the services are not being carried out in a satisfying way or to their full extent, contrary to the expectations.
The liability of the individual coach, taxi, shipping and other transport companies contracted by Authentic Scandinavia for the purpose of organizing a tour, depends on the appropriate laws of the general conditions of business, on the contracts obligations and on common usage.
Any arising complaints must be directed to Authentic Scandinavia immediately and confirmed in writing. In case complaints cannot be solved on the spot, they have to be directed to Authentic Scandinavia in writing within 30 days after the termination of the tour. Later claims cannot be taken into consideration.
Activities
Some of our tour packages include activities such as dog sledding, and optional activities
such as glacier walks, snowmobile safaris, ice fishing and similar. In this relation Authentic
Scandinavia acts as an agent only for the activity providers, thus Authentic Scandinavia shall
not under any circumstances be held liable for injury, damage, loss or accident caused by
participation in or in connection with such activities.
Acceptance
By paying the deposit/final amount the customer has accepted the general terms and
conditions listed in this document, as a part of the agreement between Authentic Scandinavia
and the customer.
Privacy policy
We ask for personal information in the booking request section. This information is necessary
to ensure that we are able to make and confirm your booking. This information will not be
used for any other purpose, and will not be shared with any other outside parties except for
necessary information given to our suppliers involved in your reservation (hotels etc.).
The personal information will not be sold or shared, and your e-mail address will not be forwarded to outside parties.
Booking & Payment Procedure
1) Reservations
All reservations will be on request; you will not receive an immediate online confirmation.
2) Confirmation of services
You will receive a confirmation by e-mail as soon as all services (hotels, trains etc.) included
in the selected package tour are confirmed. The confirmation will be sent to you between 24-
48 hours after the reservation has been made (Monday-Friday).
3) Payment
Information about payment procedures will be sent to you by e-mail simultaneously with the
confirmation of all services.
We offer the following methods of payment:
- Secure online payment by credit card
- By credit card through our office terminal (credit card details must be sent by fax)
- Bank transfer
4) Deposit
A deposit of EUR 100 per person is due within 10 days of receiving our confirmation. For package tours including Göta Canal and longer voyages with Hurtigruten, as well as for Escorted Coach Tours, Partly Escorted Tours and Winter Tours, a deposit of 10% of the total booking price is due within 10 days of receiving our confirmation. The deposit is non-refundable. By longer cruises with Hurtigruten we refer to cruises of 3 nights and more.
5) Additional add-ons
Once we have received your deposit you can book additional add-ons, including sightseeing,
city cards etc. Further information will be sent in a separate e-mail as soon as we have
received your deposit.
Should any of the additional add-ons be essential for your to commit to the reservation,
please kindly specify the required add-ons in the remarks field when submitting your
reservation (step 3 in the booking process). Examples of such add-ons may be dog-sledding,
overnight at ice hotel etc.
6) Final payment
Final payment is due 45 days prior to travel. For package tours including Hurtigruten and Göta Canal, as well as our Winter Tours, the final payment is due 65 days prior to travel.
7) Last minute bookings
Bookings made less than 45 days prior to travel must be paid in full as soon as you receive
our written confirmation.
8) Failure to complete payment
Automatic cancellation of your booking will occur if payment has not been received by the
specified date.
9) Travel Documents
The travel documents will be sent to you by e-mail after we have received your final payment.
The documents will be sent no later than 2 weeks before the start of your tour.
About the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)
If you are outdoors one evening during wintertime you might catch a glimpse of some flickering curtains of lights, apparently dancing across the dark sky. This is Northern Lights - Nature's own firework.
Facts about Northern Lights:
- The Northern Lights are particles that are hurled into space after storms on the sun’s surface. They are attracted by the magnetic North Pole (and South Pole) and enter the atmosphere in a ring-like zone around the poles.
- The best places to see the Northern Lights are above the arctic circle, making Northern Scandinavia ideal for Northern Lights observations.
- The Northern Lights are visible between November and March when the sky is dark and clear, depending on the Northern Lights activity.
- The best chances of spotting the Northern Lights are away from the lights of the city centres.
- The greatest frequency is between 6 pm and 2 am.
- Patience and dedication will pay off. The Northern Lights may be visible for a couple of minutes or most of the evening.
- Most of the Northern Lights outbursts visible in Northern Scandinavia are green, but large outbursts can also include other colors.
- Northern Lights observations are never guaranteed.
How to increase your chances of experiencing the Northern Lights:
- Go on a Northern Lights visit to a dark place away from the city lights. Our Northern Lights hosts provide a lavvo (traditional Saami tent) with an open fire, a hot drink and a slice of cake while you are waiting for the Northern Lights to appear.
- Participate in an evening activity like dog sledding, a sleigh ride, a trip with reindeer and sled, snowshoeing or a cross-country skiing course. This way, you can enjoy a fun winter activity whilst at the same time wait for the Northern Lights to appear.
- When in Tromsø take bus 37 to Tromsø Museum and take a long stroll along Tromsø Island’s dark western side. Use a couple of hours strolling to the bus terminal at Giæverbukta, from where there are frequent departures to the city centre right up until 11:30pm.
- Hire cross-country skis at Sportshuset in Tromsø. Go on a long ski trip in the floodlit ski tracks above the city. Good exercise, fresh air, great views and maybe the appearance of the Northern Lights as well. There are also good floodlit ski tracks across the bridge in Tromsdalen.
- Go on the popular excursion, departing Tromsø by bus at 4pm and arriving in Skjervøy in time to return to Tromsø on the Costal Express Steamer (Hurtigruten). The ship travels through utter darkness and has excellent viewing lounges, which makes it possible to sit inside without missing out on the possibility to see the Northern Lights. It is possible to check the weather forecast and book this tour at the Visitors’ Centre right up until an hour before departure.