Norway - Orcas, Humpbacks & Northern Lights - A Winter Arctic Cruise

Over the past few years, north Norway has become the place to see some of the greatest concentrations of whales the natural world has to offer. During the winter months, enormous shoals of herring seek shelter in the fjords and inlets of the Tromsø region and, taking advantage of the abundant food supply, pods of Orcas and Humpback Whales move in. In recent years Sperm Whales have also become regular visitors to certain sea areas.

We begin with a flight to Oslo where we will stay the night before flying to the Arctic gateway city of Tromsø the following morning, and boarding our home for seven nights, the historic sailing vessel Rembrandt van Rijn. For the next week we will sail around the inlets, sounds and fjords of Norway’s north-west coast. The route taken by the ship, and our evening mooring sites, will be kept flexible in order to follow the movements of the whales. We will also make every effort to find Orcas — following cetacean-watching ‘best practice’ guidelines, we will seek more remote groups of Orca, away from those visited by other commercial operators.

In recent years Sperm Whales have been seen in a deep-water trench off Andenes, a village situated on the northern tip of Norway’s Vesterålen Islands. If we are notified of their presence, we will sail to investigate! Some of the more sheltered fjords in this area have also yielded sightings of Orca and Humpback Whale. During our inaugural expedition over the 2016/17 New Year, sightings of Orcas and Humpback Whales were enjoyed at close range over several days and the cruise had the feel of a pioneering expedition, and we hope to repeat this sense in 2019! As we admire the whales our attention may be caught by the sight of a White-tailed Eagle soaring through the sky or plunging down to snatch an item of food from the surface of the water. Norway is the stronghold for this species in Europe and, at this time of year, the spoils of an Orca hunt provide them with plenty of food to scavenge.

North of the Arctic Circle the hours of daylight are few but, although the sun never rises above the horizon, a long twilight enhanced by reflected light off the snow-covered mountains gives a surprisingly long period during which to view and photograph wildlife. During this extended twilight, the landscape is often bathed in a soft Arctic light beloved of photographers. After dark, the ship will moor at an island or village to give the group an opportunity to walk ashore (often through soft powder snow) and to explore, aided by bright moonlight.

Northern Norway lies under the Auroral Oval and during the long winter nights there is a very good chance of witnessing one of nature’s greatest spectacles — the Northern Lights. Formed as charged particles from the Sun are channelled down the Earth’s magnetic field lines and interact with the upper atmosphere, the gently swaying, ever-changing arcs and curtains of light are a mesmerising sight. As with many natural phenomena, the Aurora cannot be guaranteed; indeed, on the nights they occur, displays vary in form and intensity from minute to minute. Spending a full week under the Auroral Oval gives us a good chance of experiencing the Northern Lights in many different guises!

For this trip, we are taking full charter of the S/V Rembrandt van Rijn. The boat, which was built as a herring lugger in the early 19th century, was completely refurbished in 2011. Its 16 cabins can accommodate 33 clients in comfort and the crew provide simple but hearty meals, as well as hot drinks and treats from the kitchen throughout the day! Spending a week on board such an historic vessel in search of these magnificent creatures is like a maritime adventure from an earlier era, particularly when there is an opportunity to cut the engine and hoist the sails.

At the beginning and end of the voyage we will have time to explore the city of Tromsø with its Arctic Cathedral, art galleries, museums and shops. The city has a long association with polar exploration and those who are interested in the voyages of the Norwegian explorers Amundsen, Nansen and others, should visit the excellent Polar Museum.