We've arranged for a taxi to pick us up from Lily's house to Karasjok bus terminal the night before. It was a short ride to the bus terminal, and as usual, the bus arrives and departs on time. After a 4 hours bus ride, passing through various fjord with a short break in between, we arrived at Alta.
Most people travels to Tromso to catch the Northern Lights in Norway but we eventually choose to go to Alta as there is no direct flight from anywhere in Lapland to Tromso (need to go back to Helsinki, then fly to Oslo then Tromso). We also read that Alta is usually less cloudy than Tromso, and in fact, the world's first Northern Light observatory was built in Alta, thus giving Alta the nickname of "The town of Northern Lights".
Before our trip, we've been in contact with Jon from North Adventure to provide recommendation on how we could plan our itinerary in Alta. Upon reaching Alta, we went to meet him at his office which is located next to the bus terminal. Jon warmly offered a glass of tap water to each of us to keep us refresh after a long bus ride, mentioning that tap water in Alta is actually natural spring water which is good for the body. He also explained that the weather in Alta is usually less extreme than places with the same latitude due to the Gulf Stream, making Alta a good place to view the Northern Lights in winter without having to bear with extreme coldness. Another selling point for Alta is that the tour operators in Alta are usually more friendly and personal (we had first hand experience to validate this point during our trip to Storekorsnes). After picking up our tickets to Hammerfest where we'll be visiting the next day, we left our luggage with Jon and went for lunch at a nearby bistro.
The standard of living is extremely high in Norway, and this is well reflected in the price of the food. My friends and I decided to buy some canned food and bread from a nearby supermarket for our meals on the subsequent days, after which we went back to pick up our luggage and took a bus to Altafjord Gjestegaard & Spa, the place where we'll be staying for the next few nights. It was a 5 mins bus ride, and we had a shock to know that bus ticket per person is almost Euro 10! It was much later then we realise that sharing a cab will be slightly cheaper for the 4 of us.
Altafjord Gjestegaard & Spa
Altafjord Gjestegaard & Spa
The hotel faces the Alta fjord, and many reviewers mentioned that Northern lights could be seen from the hotel. Free coffee and tea are provided, and there is a nice relaxation room where you could sit on the message chair and relax yourself. Although each room is equipped with cooking hobs, the hobs cannot be used, and if you need hot water, you'll need to take your own bottle to the receptionist, who will help you fill up the bottle.
After settling down, we went out for a walk along the mesmerising Alta fjord.
We decided to try walking back to Alta city centre, and managed to reach Alta Church within 30mins. We spent some time visiting the church, and then went to the nearby shopping centre to do some window shopping.
We went to bed early that night and did not attempt to do any Northern Lights hunting, probably because we were too tired from travelling and walking around, and the aurora forecast did not look too promising.
Previously: Finland & Norway Trip Day 6 - Inari & Karasjok
If you are going to Finland and Norway then must see northern lights. Book Northern lights trip
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