A trip to Norway will not be completed without a trip to explore the fjord. Initially, we intend to take up the package from
Ice Cube of Aurora, but their boat broke down a few days before our arrival. In the end, we took up the Boat Safari on Alta fjord package from
Storekorsnes Ferie & Fritid.
Ellen from Storekorsnes Ferie & Fritid picked us up in the morning and drove us to Storekorsnes, an hour's drive away from Alta. As it was very windy, Ellen prepared some warmer clothes for us to change into while we roam around, taking photos of the scenic surrounding and waiting for our guide of the day.
Outdoor Sauna House
Off we go on board the boat
Initially we thought that this trip is just a sight seeing tour to see the coastal line along Alta fjord, but our guide is more interested to give us a first hand experience of the life in the arctic region. After a 10 mins ride, we stopped near a salmon farm to witness the feeding of the fishes from a distance. Norway is the largest producer of salmon, making salmon farming one of the most important industry in Norway, and we were quite excited to be able to see how a salmon farm looks like.
We then drove further in, passing by mountains which were already capped with snow.
Our guide told us that other than salmon farming, people in the region also do seal hunting for the seal's skin and meat. To make it more "realistic" for us, he brought us on board a ship which was use for seal hunting in the past. The ship was owned by his friend, and the owner showed us around the ship, which is now converted into an accommodation.
Going on board the ship
Net use for catching king crab
Seal Skin
Interior of the ship
Scenery of the surrounding
We were told that you can do fishing in the morning, view the aurora at night, or simply get awed by the beauty of the fjord while staying on board the ship at an affordable price. If you are interested to rent the ship, here is the contact details of the owner.
After bidding the owner goodbye, we went back to our boat to set sail to another area of the fjord, where we tried to do some fishing.
The region seems to be rich in cod fish, and we caught quite a few of them without too much effort or technique. While we have fun catching fishes one after another, our guide was keeping a close watch to see if the big eagle, which stays in the nearby mountain, is within sight. Unfortunately, the eagle doesn't seems to be around on that day and we did not have a chance to see it.
After having so much fun with fishing, it was time to go back for our late lunch prepared by Ellen.
The house where we had our lunch
Interior of the house
Beautiful scenery surrounding us while we had our lunch
Our lunch - Home cook Norwegian special by Ellen
Taking a stroll outside the house after our lunch
Horns of a moose
While having lunch, Ellen told us that 1 of the speciality in the area is their dried fish, and she kindly brought us to the house where they dry their fishes and let us sample the dried fish. She also shows us pictures of the Northern Lights taken in Storekorsnes when she knew that we were in Norway mainly to see the Northern Lights. When driving us back, she stopped at 1 of the location which is known to be a good spot for aurora hunting, checking if the Northern Lights were in sight. We were simply touched by the warm hospitality and kindness shown to make our trip a wonderful experience. For those who are interested,
Storekorsnes Ferie & Fritid is also open for holiday home rentals.
We stayed up til late that night and managed to catch sight of some faint Northern Lights outside the hotel, facing the Alta region. Feeling satisfied but cold, we went back to bed to gear up for our adventure on the next day.
