In Search of the Northern Lights: A Weekend in Murmansk

One of the Earth’s great natural spectacles: the Northern lights, visible in the night sky for several months a year. Once you have seen this magnificent sight, you will never forget it!

We meet you at Murmansk airport and take you to your hotel, where you will have time to check in, unpack and maybe have something to eat. In the evening we take you on a night-time excursion to an area of great natural beauty outside the city, where, if lucky, you will be able to see the Northern lights, which are visible from this region about 150 nights in the year. Naturally, we are unable to guarantee that the Northern lights will be visible on any given night.

A trip to the settlement of Teriberka, on the north of the Kola peninsula, awaits you on Day 2. Looking out over the Barents Sea, this is the only place in European Russia where the shore of the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean can be accessed by road. We take you on a tour of the vicinity in a sledge driven by a snowmobile (we want to keep you safe, and only locals are allowed to navigate the challenging terrain on snowmobiles by themselves): explore the spectacular sights.

This will be followed by a seafood lunch, including Red king or Kamchatka crab (a local specialty). In the evening, weather permitting, we will go out once again in the hope of seeing the Northern lights.

Excursion to a typical Sami village is planned for Day 3. The Sami, or Lapps, are the indigenous inhabitants of the Kola peninsula. They are reindeer herders and traditionally live in conical reindeer skin tents, called laavu or chums.

Back to the airport in Murmansk after lunch, or, if you prefer staying longer in the city, back to your hotel.