Expedition 01 · Places open

Into the Arctic,with Albano

14 – 21 January 2027Dates
Alta, FinnmarkNorway · 69°58′N
7 nightsLength
Small groupCapped by the lodges

A week above the Arctic Circle, camera in hand, with someone beside you who has walked this route before.

The week is built around the hours worth photographing — the blue of ten in the morning, the aurora after dinner — with the rest of the day filled by things that exist only there. I am on every one of them, with a camera and with you.

Lodging, every meal, every transfer, thermal suit and boots, the photographic accompaniment and every listed activity are included. Ground operations are run by Aeventyr, a licensed local company in Alta; I come as photographer and host, not as guide — Norwegian law is specific about that.

One or two months before we travel we hold a video call with the group: gear, clothing, what light to expect and what to do if the aurora does not come. It may not come. Nobody can guarantee an aurora, and anyone who does is lying.

Included in the expedition

Photographic accompaniment

Not a classroom with tripods in a row. Someone beside you in the hours when the photograph happens, and an honest review of what you brought back at the end of each day.

Before we leave

A camera ready for the cold

Exposure, focusing in the dark, and what to do with a battery at −20 °C. Half an hour that saves the whole trip.

In the field

Beside you, as it happens

Composition and reading the light while the light is still there. The aurora is not a flash — it flows, changing shape and intensity over minutes. I am beside you reading that movement, so you know when to change the frame and when to just wait.

Every night

Review at the lodge

The day's images on a big screen. Your selection talked through one by one, with the reason behind every cut.

After we're back

Editing and final selection

A call once everyone is home, to close the series you brought back.

From a phone to a mirrorless body. If you have never left automatic, we start there. If you already know, we talk about something else — and nobody holds the group up either way.

Itinerary · eight days

The latitude climbs to 70° North

Day 01 69°58′N

Arrival in Alta · Canyon Hotel

Airport transfer, opening dinner and the first aurora run, if the sky allows.

Day 01 69°58′N

Northern Lights Cathedral

The most photographed building in Finnmark, seen when nobody else is inside it.

Day 02 70°00′N

Crossing 70° North

The line between north and far north. Past it the landscape stops having trees.

Day 02 69°55′N

Sorrisniva · Ice Hotel

A night at −4 °C inside a hotel that melts away every April.

Day 03 69°44′N

Transfer to Gargia Lodge

Out of the valley, onto the plateau. From here on phone signal is optional.

Day 04 69°30′N

Snow Train · Finnmarksvidda

Crossing Norway's largest plateau on a towed sled.

Day 05 69°40′N

Dogsledding

You drive your own sled. It is harder and quieter than it looks.

Day 06 69°01′N

Sami Experience · Kautokeino

An afternoon with the people who have held this land longer than Norway has existed.

Day 07 69°44′N

Walk to the frozen waterfall

With Atka, Ila and Yuka. Three dogs, a frozen trail and the last frame of the trip.

Day 08 69°58′N

Checkout and airport transfer

If you want to extend in Tromsø or Oslo, we arrange the extra nights.

Included
  • 7 nights of lodging (Canyon Hotel, Sorrisniva and Gargia Lodge)
  • Every meal — breakfast, lunch and dinner
  • All transfers from Alta airport
  • Thermal suit and extreme-cold boots
  • Photographic accompaniment throughout the trip
  • Every listed activity, with licensed guides
  • Preparation call with the group before departure
Not included
  • Flights to Alta (ALF)
  • Travel insurance — mandatory, no exceptions
  • Drinks with meals
  • Extra nights, if you want to extend your stay
Terms
  • Price per person, double or single room — on request
  • Free cancellation until 6 November 2026
  • Arrival must be through Alta airport
  • The aurora is a natural phenomenon: it is not guaranteed
Ask about this expedition