Try this Norwegian Arctic lodge for an intro to pack-rafting
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
At 70 degrees north, where Norway's coast frays into fjords, islands and skerries, Alta is a true blast of the Arctic. A two-hour flight from Oslo, one of the world's most northerly towns takes 'wild' to a new level. Here, the Northern Lights rave above snowy fells all winter long, while the midnight sun burns in summer. Porpoises, dolphins and whales splash in frigid waters and the indigenous Sámi people herd reindeer on the stark tundra. And whether you're fishing the fjord for enormous king crab, listening to the crackle of a campfire or peering up at stars blinking in night skies, this is nature with the volume turned up to max.
History runs long and deep, too. At the Alta Museum, there are late-Stone Age petroglyphs etched into the cliffs. Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, some of these abstract carvings and paintings date back 7,000 years, with extraordinary depictions of hunters, fishermen, reindeer and elk. The rafting adventure
In a country that prizes friluftsliv — the Norwegian concept of embracing nature and the elements no matter how wicked the weather — pack-rafting is the ultimate thrill. Hikers carry lightweight, inflatable boats folded into backpacks, which allows for spontaneous exploration of the waterways they discover en route. With a dry suit, life jacket and helmet, in Alta even novice pack-rafters can temporarily give civilisation the slip and take a deep dive into the Arctic wilderness on a beginner's adventure. Hikers can explore Norway's Arctic landscape with the company of huskies. Photograph by Visit Norway
Sorrisniva's full-day experience provides more of a challenge. After river-boating to the Alta Canyon, lunch is served on the banks where, with any luck, travellers might be able to spot wildlife including moose, eagles and otters. Then it's back on the water, pack-rafting through bouncy rapids. During calmer stretches, admire forests towering above rocky shores, flawless blue skies and perhaps a first dusting of snow on high fells.
Under the golden glow of the midnight sun, from June to September, when temperatures peak at around 15C (59F), Sorrisniva's Arctic Wilderness Lodge arranges introductory pack-rafting trips along the salmon-rich Alta River. These take three hours and 30 minutes and are gentle enough for absolute beginners. Instead of hiking with the rafts on your back, Sorrisniva offers car transport to an upstream start point. Travellers then hop into the river's flint-blue flow, the beauty of the landscape unravelling as you glide downstream. Paddling past pebble beaches and banks bristling with pine, birch and aspen forest, travellers can listen out for a shrill whistle to perhaps catch a glimpse of an eagle wheeling overhead. The stay
Sorrisniva's igloo hotel often steals the limelight, but when the snow melts in summer, its 24-room Arctic Wilderness Lodge is equally enticing. It combines crisp Scandi architecture with luxe fabrics and mood-lifting views of the Alta River — the brilliant blues and greens of its forest-cloaked banks framed by floor-to-ceiling windows. Generously sized river rooms and suites are an ode to the outdoors, with pine interiors, a palette of white, ochre and deep blue, and balcony views of the landscape. Sorrisniva's Arctic Wilderness Lodge arranges introductory pack-rafting trips along Norway's salmon-rich Alta River.
Alongside pack-rafting and river-boating, the hotel's other summer activities include king-crab fishing, husky-drawn carting, hiking and horse-riding — but many travellers just come for the fresh Arctic air, away-from-it-all silence and good food. The hotel has two restaurants — fine-dining Maku and Sámi tent-inspired Lavvu — which serve season-led ingredients with finesse. Menus whisper of the wilderness, championing locally farmed, fished and foraged produce in dishes such as sugar-cured roast Alta salmon, moose with beetroot and mushrooms, and cloudberries with brown-butter ice cream. Fly to Oslo and then onwards to Alta; airlines including Norwegian and SAS make the domestic journey in around 2h. River-facing double rooms at the Arctic Wilderness Lodge start from 4,000 NOK (£288), B&B. visitnorway.com Published in the June 2024 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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