Included Excursion: Dog Sledding
As we travel by bus to the husky farm, our local guide will tell us all about life in Alta. It’s home to Europe’s longest dog sled race, so there are plenty of people here who are true dog-sledding experts.
When we get there, we have a safety briefing. Then, in small groups of two or three, whiz along on a dog sled driven by a trained guide. The ride through the winter wonderland will last 20-30 minutes.
Back at the husky farm, share hot drinks, cookies, and tales of our recent adventure around a crackling wood fire in a lavvo, a Sami herdsman’s tent. Our hosts will tell us about their extensive experience raising and racing sled dogs and answer all our questions.
There will be plenty of time to meet the sled dogs. Don’t forget to take a picture with them – they’re incredibly photogenic, and friendly too!
Port Info
People have been attracted to the community of Alta for thousands of years, and prehistoric rock carvings discovered in 1973 can be seen at the Alta Museum. Situated at the head of the Altafjord, it is a lush, green and hospitable shelter in the otherwise cold and windswept Finnmark landscape. Halfway between the grim, barren mountain plateau and the wet, stormy coast, Alta offers tree-clad valleys, pleasant temperatures and no more rain than the Sahara. However at 70 degrees North it is quite a different story in winter, when heavy snowfalls and sub-zero temperatures are the order of the day, and clear dark night skies become the arena for dazzling displays of the elusive Aurora Borealis, also referred to as 'the temperamental lady' by Laplanders. The world’s first Northern Lights Observatory, which played an important role in the development of geophysical and meteorological research during the first half of the 20th century, is located just 12 miles from Alta. Perched atop Haldde Mountain, it towers almost 3,000 feet above Kafjord, where the battleship Tirpitz was based during the Second World War.
Start Time
Feb 20 8:00AM CET
to
End Time
Feb 20 3:00PM CET