Travel 5 days (hunting Aurora) in Arctic under $225

Total spending: 17870 Ruble/ $225 excluding flight tickets

I've set my eyes on Murmansk since last year when my friends introduced Murmansk to me. I had to go... For the sake of Aurora Borealis, for the sake of a "Scandinavian" experience which I couldn't afford.

photo credit: Ng Yung Jeat

Located in Russia, extreme northwest on the Kola Bay, Murmansk is the largest city above the Arctic Circle, with road access to Finland and Norway. It is also a 15 hours drive from the more well-known Russian city, St. Petersburg OR a 2 hour 30 minutes flight from Moscow.

My trip was organised by Mr. Олег Теребенин from Visit Murmansk and v-leto.ru. Thank you for all the wonderful memories. Check out their websites for more tour options with superb English-speaking tour guides. (Contact details are provided at the end of the article. ) 

Day 1: Arriving in Narnia

Endless surprises seemed to pop out in every corner since the very first day. Flying into Murmansk at night was exciting. In fact, it was one of the most magical experience I've ever had. I remembered the night when the plane flew above those dense clouds, I turned over to face the window as I prepared to sleep... and there I see it-- The dancing Northern Lights, right in front of me!
Remember when Lucy opened a magic wardrobe and discovered Narnia? This is exactly how I felt right at the point when I pushed the exit door at the airport. Snow snow and more snow! Mr. Oleg was already there waiting for me with a big open-armed welcome.

Day 2: Teriberka

Price: 12000 Rubles/ $159 per jeep 

photo credit: Aisswaria

Mr. Alek and Alexei came to pick us up with their jeeps on 9 a.m. It was a 2 hours joy ride out of the city of Murmansk, with a lot of photo stops. Our guides were doing a great job telling us interesting stories about the region. Teriberka is the setting for the Oscar-nominated Russian Movie "Leviathan", which went ahead and won a Golden Globe in 2015. This place is half-deserted, with a lot of abandon houses along the coast of Barents Sea. Well don't get me wrong, THIS, is the exact reason why I like it! If I were to put it in one word: EXQUISITE!

Read more: Teriberka day tour

Day 3: Murmansk City

Price: 1500 - 2200 Ruble/ $ 20 - 30 ( depending on season and size of the group)

In this tour we were picked up by Mr. Oleg himself on 10.30 a.m. Mr. Yaroslav was our guide of the day, explaining every single details perfectly in English, making the day tour an enjoyable and informative one.  Murmansk is one of the cities of Hero in Russia. The monument of Alyosha stand tall in remembrance of all Soviet soldiers, sailors and airmen in World War 2.
The Lenin Ice Breaker is the World's first nuclear-powered ship. Now it was converted into a museum, based permanently at Murmansk. We got all interesting insights on how an Ice Breaker works and how energy was generated in "Lenin". Highly recommended!
Other cool spots visited: City Panorama, Orthodox Church, City Museum, A "wishing" Salmon

Read more: Murmansk City day tour

Day 4: Sami Village and Husky Farm 

Price: 5200 Ruble/ $ 69 ( depending on your choice of package)

photo credit: Ng Yung Jeat

Sami people are an indigenous Finno-Urgric people inhibiting the Arctic area. We were humbled by the opportunity to visit one of their Villages in Murmansk.
Highlights: made a wish at the Shaman Poles, interacted with reindeer and some colour-changing polar foxes. With a small additional fee, jump on a reindeer sleigh and fly over the moon in search of Santa Clause.
Read more: Sami Village experience

Photo Credit: Ng Yung Jeat

Ever wonder why Huskies seem to have their faces all over 9GAG? Their expressions can be really dumb at times. I mean, really Really REALLY dumb! However, don't be fooled. They are intelligent creatures... riding on a husky-sleigh is definitely an at-least-once-in-a-lifetime must-do! What I love about the Husky Farm is the fact that the owners treat each and every huskies like their own babies. It's fun to see them interact with their owner, kissing her like no tomorrow... Adorable!

Read more: Husky Farm experience

photo credit: Ng Yung Jeat

Day 4 night: Aurora Borealis/ Northern Lights Hunting

Price: 1500 Ruble/ $20 (depending on how big your group is, month and weather)

I'd never heard of Murmansk before being introduced to it last year. Little did we all know, it is one of the most affordable place on earth to hunt for the Northern Lights! During our hunting, Mr. Oleg brought us across the river to take in the nice night of Murmansk city. Then, he drove us to his secret aurora spot where we prayed fervently for a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Mr. Oleg even prepared hot tea while we waited, and a bottle of (rum?) to celebrate the sighting. Weather was not the best when we were on our hunt. Fortunately we managed to locate a window of clear sky and later, witnessed a spectacular dance of the spirits from a distance.
Read more: Aurora Borealis in Murmansk

Aurora in Murmansk is pretty amazing too. Photo by  Mikhail Rzhavin from Moscow.

Day 5: Snow Village

photo credit: Ng Yung Jeat

Bus ticket: 1300 Ruble / $17
Transport to Snow Village: 130 Ruble/  $1.73
Entrance Fee: 400 Ruble / $5 
The Snow Village in Kirovsk is a museum, made completely out of snow and ice! For a small entrance fee, you get to enjoy an elaborated indoor snow/ice maze and an outdoor snow sculpture exhibition. Don't miss the snow tubes on your way out! We dedicated the entire afternoon snow tubing, and guess what, it was completely FREE!
Read more: Snow Village Experience

Trying a Salmon dish (preferably a wild Salmon!) is a must when visiting Murmansk. If you are not a fan of Salmon, try other seafood!We eased our craving for good seafood at Terrasa. For as low as $5, you'll get a superb meal with beverages, what a steal!
After dinner, Mr Oleg came pick us up at the restaurant and then off to the airport. We were blessed to catch 3 more Aurora Borealis in action. Oh boy, what a journey!
Read more: What to eat in Murmansk

Once again, a big thank you to Mr. Олег Теребенин from Visit Murmansk and v-leto.ru for arranging our tour. All opinions are my own.

Contact: Mr. Oleg Pavlovich Terebenin

Phone: +79212731919
E-mail: terebenin@mail.ru 

UPDATE (12 January 2017)
Prices above do not apply anymore, only for reference.
As you can see, from a unknown destination, Murmansk had become a popular destination since the post got viral in 2016.
There are a few reasons why you should expect 3-10 times the above price now:
1. It was in January 2016, when Murmansk was pretty much unknown
2. It was in 2016 when the value of Rubles dropped to the bottom of the Valley.
3. We were 5 in a group. The more the cheaper.
4. We speak Russian, so we looked for our own accommodation and transportation + manage to haggle.

Thank You for Reading!  

Feel free to share your thoughts with me by commenting below!