Day 1 – Arrival in Lofoten
We arrived by ferry through Lødingen and drove all the way to Svolvær, exploring Lofoten by road and stopping around to take some pictures. But if you prefer, you can also take a ferry directly to Svolvær.
Svolvær is the capital of Lofoten, so it is a perfect place to set up your base of operations. There are plenty of accommodations available; hotels and campsites. As well as many different activities to do in and around the city.
We didn’t get much of a chance to see the city due to our late arrival and the Covid situation, but I saw many companies advertising rib boats, sea eagle safari tours, whale watching, and kayaking tours.
Day 2 – Djevelporten and Fløya hike
We camped in “As Lofoten Feriesenter” and from there, we went for our first hike to Djevelporten. It was a nice hike to one of the most popular landmarks in Svolvær – Djevelporten and Svolværgeita.
To read more about the hike, check out this post.
Camping
The “As Lofoten Feriesenter” camping site itself was a really nice place, with showers included in the price. We borrowed a common grill in the evening and had a feast! Later in the night, when it got colder, we took shelter in a nearby common room. It was the perfect spot if you’re looking for cheap accommodation.
Day 3 – Driving around the archipelago
The next day we spent driving around the archipelago on our way to the next camping site.
Henningsvær
We visited Henningsvær, mainly because it is a popular place for drone enthusiasts, and I couldn’t resist 🙂 If you saw pictures from Lofoten, I am sure you must have seen a football field seemingly out-of-place amidst a tiny archipelago of rocky islands. This, in combination with the awe-inspiring mountains of Austvågøya in the background, provide an amazing view and photo-opportunity for people fortunate enough to have a drone.
The town of Henningsvær is a picturesque, charming fishing village mixing old and new housing. Hardly two houses next to each other are identical in color, style, or size. Unfortunately, we were pressed for time, so we couldn’t enjoy the place as much as we wanted. If I had more time, I would take a stroll and check out KaviarFactory, an art gallery housed within a converted industrial waterfront building. And I would try some of the amazing local restaurants and sample some of the freshly caught fish.
This might go without saying, but remember to look out for and respect the signs when flying a drone on Lofoten! Only fly in designated areas, and at a maximum altitude of 120 m and far from crowds. Check flying rules before you take off. In recent years I saw way too many people flying drones illegally, which ultimately makes it harder and harder for the rest of us.
Lofotr Viking Museum
The next stop was Lofotr Viking Museum. It features the largest Viking-era house ever found. It is fully reconstructed and looks amazing. We are huge Viking enthusiasts, and the Danish Viking by my side couldn’t resist stepping into this museum. I got my drone flight; he got his museum 🙂 To read more about it, check this post.
Uttakleiv and Haukland Beach
The last stop on our trip was Uttakleiv and Haukland Beach. These two amazing beaches offer some of the best scenery that you can experience on Lofoten! Tall mountains, deep blue water, and white sand is not a combination you should deprive yourself of. When you look at the pictures, you would never guess that they are from the cold north and not a tropical paradise.
To read more about Uttakleiv and Haukland Beach and hiking in the area, check out this post.
After we visited those places, we drove towards “Fredvang Strand- og Skjærgårdscamping” where our friends were waiting for us. I wish we had more time at some of these places, but since we were carrying the camping gear for the group, our friends were happy to rendezvous with us in the cold Norse weather.
If I could, I would probably have spent a little more time in Henningsvær and the Viking Museum (instead of looking for hiking pants for my boyfriend 😛 ) And then spent the night at Haukland beach and made a small hike to the vista on top to watch the midnight sun instead of rushing all the way to where we stayed the night.
Camping
When it comes to the campsite “Fredvang Strand- og Skjærgårdscamping” itself, I’ll say it was an ok place, not as bad as the reviews on Google say (they’re funny though, you should give them a read >D), but not great either. The neighboring beach was marvelous though, and I took one of my favorite pictures there. That being said, all the facilities were paid extra, the shower was small (only two cabins) and sucked, and you could only use it in specific hours. The common room was not available after 20 or so. The kitchen was tiny with seats only for 4-5 people, and you had to pay to use any electricity. Instead, we used our gas burners for heating food, but the lack of a sheltered common area was quite a problem for us as it was the windiest night I have ever experienced while sleeping in a tent. It was so windy I had to park my car next to the tent to shelter from the wind and prevent the tent from simply flying away with us xD We wanted to eat dinner together in a group, but we ended up just hiding in our tents due to the weather and a lack of a common shelter. Out of all the camping sites we stayed in during this summer in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, this one was by far the worst – amenities wise.
Day 4 – Ryten and Kvalvika Beach hike
After resting for a day, we spent another day hiking. This time we went on the best hike we had so far on Lofoten – to Ryten and Kvalvika Beach. The views were amazing, and the hike was fun for everyone. It wasn’t as steep and muddy as Djevelporten, nor as monotonous as the stony steps of Reinebringen, but the views were just as amazing.
To read more, check out the detailed post about the hike.
Day 5 – Å
The weather was bad that day, and it was raining all the time, so we decided to go to the small town of Å and eat the best cinnamon rolls on this side of the Arctic Circle 🙂 On our way there, we managed to spot some whales swimming around!!! I succeeded in parking our car on a nearby parking lot just in time to see them emerging from the waters while being stalked by a whale watching tour 🙂
Å itself is a cute small fishing village at the end of the road in Lofoten. To know more about what to do there, check out this post.
Day 6 – Reinebringen hike and Nusfjord
Reinebringen
We spent our last day hiking Reinebringen and admiring the aerial view of Reine from the vista high above the town. The view was breathtaking though I would suggest some other hikes in the surrounding area due to the strenuous and sometimes dangerous parts of the trail. Check out this post to know more details about the hike itself.
Nusfjord
On our way back from the hike, we decided to make a small detour to Nusfjord, an intimate fishing village listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. My boyfriend and I really wanted to see it, so even though it was quite late, we decided it is worth the visit. To know more about it, check out this post.
Day 7 – Return to Bodø and seeing Saltstraumen
We drove all the way to Svolvær, where we managed to be the last car to fit in the first ferry of the day 🙂 Thanks to my car’s tiny size, we managed to squeeze in between all the caravans and didn’t have to drive all around the archipelago, saving us a couple of hours, phew!.
One of the reasons I wanted to make it to this specific ferry was to show Saltstraumen to my boyfriend. I was able to see it a couple of years before, and I was so impressed by it I wanted to share the experience with him.
So what is Saltstraumen? It is a small strait with one of the strongest tidal currents in the world located just outside Bodø. Tide forms mighty whirlpools up to 10 m in diameter and 4-5 m deep!
Afterward, we started our way back to Denmark, but not before seeing some other sights along the way!
Afterthought
To sum up, the trip was amazing, and I am super glad my friends suggested it. It was such a breath of fresh arctic air to get out in nature, sleep in the tent looking at the ever-setting sun, and seeing some amazing views, despite the Covid pandemic. It is definitely not the last time I am visiting Lofoten. There is still so much to see and discover, until next time <3
