Do you know that the city of Alta, located in the northeast region of Norway, is also dubbed as the City of Aurora?
Hence, this winter, if you are planning for an aurora hunt, you wouldn’t want to miss Alta, Norway as your pit stop in realizing your dream for catching this elusive aurora!
To step foot into Alta, I would definitely recommend Norwegian Airlines, which had provided complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the whole journey of my flight from Oslo, the capital of Norway to Alta though it is a budget carrier. I was glad that my wonderful Couchsurfing host had prepared a hearty breakfast for me in the morning prior to my flight in Oslo!!! Grateful!
So, talking about aurora, Alta (The City of Aurora), as the name suggests, is the city where you can witness such elusive phenomenon in the city itself, even without trying to travel far to the countryside for less light pollution during the aurora months as the aurora in this city is rather easy to be caught. One can always check out the aurora forecast on the website for a better chance to witness them at norway-lights.com. What’s more, the world’s first Northern Light observatory was built here at the end of 19th century and hence, this city is well deserved with such glamorous title.
You don’t have to worry about the crazy coldness in Alta as compared to other regions during winter as the winter in Alta is relatively mild and one have no problem to walk around the city and even to the airport, like me, from the city with backpack under such weather. What’s more, you could enjoy the beautiful Alta fjords along the coast during your 30-min walk journey to the airport from centre which was totally clothed in snow. A sight at the tranquil fjords and snowy-capped mountain in Alta itself had created such a picturesque panorama and indelible memory in my heart, for sure!!! And, let me tell you, these pictures of the Norwegian fjords do not justify the eyes that have beheld such wonderful scenery!!!
Almost everything in Alta is named after Aurora, as if the adjectives for most landmarks, for example the airport and also the famous Northern Lights Cathedral. The contemporary architecture of the Cathedral is so futuristic with its top resembling “dancing” aurora which is also the landmark of the city Aurora.
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| Reindeer meat and soft rolls to warm the stomach before our journey. |
Talking about aurora hunting, I would like to recommend GLOD Explorer which serves the best aurora hunting experience in Alta. With a pre-light dinner and warm-clothes suiting prior to the journey, this company gave us the best service which brought us for almost 200km from Alta for the best aurora show in the midnight. The 3-hour-journery was worthwhile with hot chocolate and cake being served during the journey and what’s more, with contemporary photo shoot with the blazing aurora as background. Seeing the aurora dancing elusively in front of my eyes was something beyond words to describe as I was literally struck with awe all the way throughout the journey by the magnificent magic and color weaving in the dark sky amidst the Scandinavian coldness!!!
Besides aurora-hunting, there are many more activities one can try in Alta, like dog-sledding, Sami-village visit, trout-fishing and etc that Alta yet to offer. So, don’t hesitate and start planning this winter for your journey in the Alta, Norway!!!
Good luck and enjoy the wonderful aurora!!!
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This post is written by MHF Contributor, Wong Wai Hoe.
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