A winter visit to Tromso offers the best of both worlds – a city break with incredible scenery. Whilst you can enjoy stunning views without even leaving downtown Tromso, taking a guided tour of the Tromso Fjords is unmissable. You can see snow globe landscapes of mountains, fjords, frozen waterfalls, fishermen’s cabins and pink skies which will stay with you forever. Here’s what to expect…
Tromso: Arctic Fjords Tour of Sommeroya and Kvaloya with lunch
Our experience of visiting the Tromso Fjords was on this Arctic Fjords trip booked on Get Your Guide with Aurora 7 Nordic Experiences.
This trip around the Tromso Fjords was one of the highlights of my trip to Tromso, and easily fit into a 3-day winter stay in Tromso.
Practicalities of the tour
Meeting place – we met our guide, Andie, outside the Scandic Ishavshotel just before 10.00am on the morning of departure. It was a small group tour with 8 guests, plus Andie.
Safety briefing – Andie told us how important it was to wear out seatbelts in the van in case required due to snow and ice on the road, or reindeer running into the road in front of the vehicle.
Tour guide Advice – Andie also advised us to take off our outer garments whilst in the van (coats, hats, gloves, scarves etc). This is to avoid overheating and producing any sweat which causes the body to get cold when it cools. As we were in and out of the minibus all day, it was important to be able to keep warm when we were outside.
Toilets – the only opportunity for a comfort break was at the lunch stop towards the end of the tour, so bear this in mind with your morning liquid intake.
Let the journey commence...
When all assembled, we set off in the minibus, leaving Tromsoya island to the west via the Sandnessund Bridge to the island of Kvaloya, Norway’s 5th largest island. Over the course of the morning, we made our way around this large island, stopping at key scenic viewpoints.
As we travelled in the minibus, Andie chatted about the Tromso area and life living above the Arctic Circle, covering subjects such as:
- How you can tell the difference between a male and female reindeer.
- What happened when Norway stuck oil in 1969.
- How the Norwegian welfare state benefits everyone.
- Why the majority of the houses in Tromso are white.
- How to make the red paint for the fishermen’s cabins on stilts.
- The official definitions of glaciers and fjords.
Our guide was happy to answer any questions that we had and to give us as much information as possible on the tour. Although not a native of Norway, Andie was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the Tromso Fjords region.
The photo opportunity stops
We stopped at six viewpoints on our way to the furthest point of the journey. Andie stopped at some scheduled locations and some impromtu ones if there were no other tour buses parked up. We were able to get out of the van to admire the wonderful views along the way and take photos.
Kvaloya stops:
- Our first Tromso Fjord view – a beautiful spot with views across fjord waters to the hills on the other side. At around 10.30am, the sky was in mid-January, the sky was yellow around the horizon to the west with the sun trying to break the horizon. To the east, the sky was awash with soft pink pastel light which cast its glow on both the water and the snowy hills. A male reindeer sat quietly in the trees watching us.
- Ersfjord – a spectacular raised viewpoint over Ersfjord where mountains appeared to surround the water in a teardrop shape. Villages buildings sat around the fjord in the foreground. It was a picture postcard view.
- Mountains and huskies – we stopped at an area with snow covered jagged mountain peaks set out in front of us. As a bonus, we could hear excited huskies yapping in the distance, until they eventually came into view sledding along the valley in front of us.
- Sandneshamn – the beach at Sandneshamn was exquisite with golden sand covered in pieces of white coral washed up from the live coral reef. The coral of ‘tropical Tromso’ (but this coral likes cold water!) contrasted with swathes of snow along the edge of the beach and on the backdrop mountains, with clear turquoise waters of the fjord. It was absolutely stunning.
Along the way across Kvaloya, island we drove around several Tromso fjords including Kaltsfjord (Cold Fjord) and Kattsfjord (Cats Fjord), the latter one being partially iced over.
Sommeroya stops:
- Sommeroya Viewpoint – just over the bridge onto Sommeroya (Summer Island) we stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the fjord. A row of wind turbines sat whirling on the hill in front of us, large salmon pens for Arctic farming sat in the fjord waters and a small island with the remains of a lighthouse to the left.
- Lunch stop and free time – we had a short time to explore the area and take photos of the colourful fishermen’s huts on stilts around the waterfront.
Lunch on Sommeroya
After our free time, we were invited into a cabin for lunch. Whilst we had been exploring, Andie had set out a homemade traditional Norwegian barley soup, cakes and hot chocolate.
Photos by an expert
If you have Andie as your guide on this tour of the Tromso Fjords, then you have the benefit of a professional portrait photographer as your guide! She kindly took a few shots of us on our tour and emailed them through afterwards.
Professional photoshoot – There is also the opportunity to book a formal photoshoot package on the tour. We had one lady on our tour who had booked the photo package and was ‘dressed to impress’ in a colourful snowsuit for her photos in the snow. Andie balanced this by taking the photoshoot when we were admiring the views.
As we learnt on the Northern Lights tour in Tromso, receiving some photos from the guides after the event ensures that you some special memories captured by experts.
Wildlife
Our wildlife sightings were quite low on the tour sadly, although we enjoyed seeing the reindeer and a sea eagle.
Driving distances
We made frequent stops on the way to Sommeroya, so we never felt that we were in the van for very long. Perhaps 15-20 minutes driving at a time.
After lunch, however, we then drove straight back to Tromso in one go. People were chatting or snoozing on the bus as we drove back to Tromso. If you want some downtime, then pack your headphones for the return journey.
Could you do it yourself?
Technically, yes you could, however there are some good reasons for booking the tour and using the experience of a qualified guide, including:
- The driving conditions around the Tromso Fjords in winter can be dangerous. We saw 6 tourist hire cars stranded by the side of the road, or waiting to be pulled out of ditches, whilst we were on our tour. They could have skidded off the road due to snow or ice or have swerved to miss wildlife on the roads – either way, there are hazards to be avoided.
- If you go with a guide, they know the best spots and how to get there, so you don’t need to worry about finding your way around and getting lost, or missing things.
- Taking a guided tour means that you benefit from the local knowledge of your guide so you can learn more about the area you are visiting and living in Norway more broadly.
- Also, if you like meeting new people, then it can be fun to get to know your fellow travellers on the tour.
Final thoughts....
Throughout the day, I started to run out of superlatives for the views, but serene would pretty much sum it up. If you love snowy landscapes, then this is the perfect tour for you around the Tromso Fjords in winter.
When Travel Planning a Tromso city break in winter, make sure that you include this tour.
That said, I imagine the exquisite scenery would be equally lovely in the summer months!
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