NATURE’S GREATEST LIGHT SHOW
Get close to nature and stay bathed in luxury
Your cruise may stop at an igloo hotel
THE NORTHERN Lights are one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. They are on most people’s ‘must-see’ bucket lists. But the lights aren’t just elusive. When their colours do appear, they tend to dance in the skies above some of the world’s most inhospitable and distant places.
That’s why it’s fantastic news that you can now hope to see the Northern Lights in comfort as part of a series of luxury cruises. With leading players such as Cruise & Maritime Voyages, you can even do so on a ‘no-fly’ holiday, departing from a UK port such as Tilbury, Bristol, Hull or Newcastle. The company’s small-ship cruises take you north before hugging the beautiful coast of Norway, and guests receive the traditional signed certificates as they cross icy waters into the Arctic Circle.
Along the way, a host of extraordinary and often unexpected destinations and experiences awaits. There’s the ‘Arctic City’ of Tromsø, where a warm café culture has sprung up – worth dipping into after a cable-car ride to the top of a nearby mountain to see stunning, icy views. There’s incredible architecture to enjoy, including the ‘Arctic Cathedral’ and new Polar Museum that looks like a ‘just fallen’ pile of vast stone dominoes.
STUNNING FJORDS
BEAUTIFUL buildings are also on view in the Art Nouveau city of Ålesund, which was rebuilt in the style of its day after a huge fire in 1904. Today its quirky, romantic motifs make it one of Norway’s most beautiful cities.
Want something even more unusual? Your cruise may stop at an igloo hotel, where you can enjoy a (naturally) cold drink under an icy dome. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can sometimes book in for a night’s stay before rejoining your boat.
If you have more time for your holiday, or if you fancy seeing more than the stunning fjords, landscapes and friendly towns of Norway, then you’re in luck. Cruise & Maritime and other luxury players have Northern Lights tours that include Iceland, the volcanic ‘land of fire and ice’, where you can take a 4x4 excursion across lava fields and past steaming geysers and vast, ancient waterfalls. Or, of course, you can simply relax and float in the warm waters of the Blue Lagoon.
On some of the best Northern Lights small-ship cruises, you may also have the chance to see lesser-visited ports of the Faroe, Shetland and Orkney Islands. Explore the old Viking settlement of Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands and you’ll be in one of the least known but most welcoming ‘capital cities’ in the world (the old town still has houses with turf-covered roofs). On the Shetland Isles there’s a vibrant arts scene to explore – and much-loved birds like puffins to see. In the Orkney Islands, expert guides can show you Neolithic standing stones from some 6,000 years ago – and find you the best shops to buy the island’s famous fudge.
So whether you enjoy the Midnight Sun on a cruise with Titan Travel, or want some laid-back luxury aboard your Scenic cruise across Scandinavia, a perfect holiday awaits. And with each wonderful cruise comes the hope that you’ll see the blues, greens, purples, pinks and violets of the aurora borealis dance above you.
FIVE-STAR FOOD
NO ONE ever knows for sure when or where the Northern Lights will appear. But your ship’s captain is likely to be in touch with light-spotters on land and other vessels. The lack of light pollution at sea, and in the port town, means you stand more chance than most of seeing the show. Best of all, you’ll see it in style. Expect fresh, five-star food as you cruise north. Enjoy relaxed drinks, quiet conversations and intuitive service as you gaze out over wild waters towards jagged ice-hewn mountains. Return to warm, spacious staterooms every night. And have your camera with you at all times. For you never know when the light show of a lifetime might start to play.
>> FEATURED CRUISE: Land of the Northern Lights to Norway, 14 nights, from £1,218pp. For more details, visit cruiseandmaritime.com