Senja and Kvaløya Islands Photo Tour
9th to 12th February 2026 - Package of 4 small group tours - 4 spots left!
NORWAY’S WILDEST LANDSCAPES & NORTHERN LIGHTS
Senja, Norway’s 2nd largest island, is located in the mid-western part of Troms region 300 km north of the Arctic Circle. Its neighbouring island, Kvaløya, is the 5th biggest one in the country. They both offer really wild sceneries!
This is a package of tours intended for any photography enthusiast, both beginners or more experienced, made for exploring some of the best landscapes of Scandinavia, and chasing Auroras in a small group of maximum 5 people.
Despite not being a “secret” island anymore, in winter time Senja is a very quiet area, while also Kvaløya, even if closer to the busier Tromsø, delivers prime locations for fine landscape photography.
You will be picked up each day at your own accommodation in Tromsø: during daytime, one day we will head to Senja, with its dramatic mountains and narrow fjords, and another day to the best spots of Kvaløya, spacing from frozen lakes, to mountain passes and sandy beaches. Aboard an Arctic Truck 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser, we will search for the clearest skies around the region on the two nights in between, in order to photograph the elusive Northern Lights!
Nico, your guide, will assist you on your photography both in the field and if desired in post production too, teaching you techniques and tips to get the most out of the landscapes and light that Nature will throw at us.
Are you keen for some epic days with breathtaking views?
TOUR DETAILS
PRICE: 12.900 NOK
GROUP SIZE: maximum 5 participants
STARTING: Monday, February 9th
ENDING: Thursday, February 12th
DIFFICULTY: a normal level of fitness is required to join this photo tour
ACTIVITIES: Landscape and northern lights photography sessions, some easy hiking involved, sightseeing, photography lessons
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Professional Photography Guide
2 daytime landscape photo tours
2 northern lights expeditions
Head lamps & Thermal suits
Ice crampons, hand & foot warmers
Transport from/to Tromsø on each tour
Professional Camera Tripods
Warm expedition soups, hot beverages and cookies
WHAT TO BRING
Your camera, memory cards and lenses (preferably a wide angle and a zoom lens)
Your adventure mood turned on!
Make sure to have snow boots!
Appropriate waterproof clothing, unsure how to dress?
Read “TOUR CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT”
A small backpack for your camera gear
Fresh water, only hot drinks are provided on tour
When looking for tours, the amount of options available in Tromsø is somewhat overwhelming. With this package of tours, you have the flexibility of choosing your own accommodation in town, making it very affordable, and be picked up on every tour from the same guide with the same companions, heading out at daytime to photograph stunning places and get assistance from a professional, as well as chasing Northern Lights at night in the most effective way! And possibly making a few new friends?
During these four days, we will focus on what landscape photography is all about: being immersed in Nature and looking for the best light and compositions.
Ready for a wild winter wonderland?
What to expect from the tours and the gear provided:
February is perhaps the best month for winter sceneries up here, thanks to plenty of snow on the ground and enough daylight hours to discover the landscapes. As the sun does not get that high in the sky yet, the light it casts can be magical. Snowshoes may be used to reach some photo locations, but should icy conditions occur if a shift in the temperatures happens, we will use ice crampons instead (all of this provided and included in the tour price). Professional Benro camera tripods with Arca-Swiss plate and ball head are also provided. If you have some ND filters, make sure to bring them!
When hunting for the auroras, the priority is finding a clear sky in order to be able to see them as they appear at least 80 km above the Earth surface. Clouds do stop their visibility! Then, within the area of clear sky, finding nice photogenic spots is what 8 years of chasing the lights up here has taught Nico of Arctic Photo Guide. Some areas offer more/better views than others, landscapes for foregrounds are really variable as well, but at the end of the game what dictates where to go is the weather!
In the last years, with the increase in popularity of this beautiful phenomenon, it has become crowded on the roads out there at night, and every tour bus must find a suitable parking place cleared from the snow in order to let the guests safely out. Needless to say, being alone on a road side parking is not a sure fact anymore!
That’s why, after thoughtful considerations, Nico from Arctic Photo Guide has chosen to run his tours with an unconventional mean of transportation: an off road 4x4 seven seater truck, which allows for much more parking flexibility when looking for a place to stop and see the lights. Quiet forest roads and snow covered spots are easier to access, thanks to the high ground clearance and large wheels of the vehicle.
The vehicle used, an Arctic Trucks Toyota Land Cruiser. On busy nights out there, this will help us finding quieter places where to stop and admire the lights away from crowds. And if that won’t be enough…we gear up and off we go for a hike!
If both weather conditions and locations allow, you may be taken on (easy) hikes to secluded spots. Although this is not always happening, you should be in good physical shape to walk on uneven, snowy, icy, wet and slippery terrain!
Snow rackets, also called snowshoes, are a piece of equipment, a sort of wide platform, that straps over your own boots and allows you to walk on deep snow without sinking. If the ground will be very icy, you’ll get ice cleats instead.
SENJA & KVALØYA PHOTO TOUR ITINERARY
Every day your guide will carefully analyse the weather forecast, and possibly rearrange the schedule/order of the tours if the conditions require it, so please note that the following initerary could be changed if necessary. All of this is to give you the best possible experience, while at the same time you should consider that the weather in the Arctic is often unpredictable.
Day 1 - Monday, February 9th
The tour will start from Tromsø in the early morning, so you must arrive in Tromsø at least the day before. You will be picked up at a meeting point in Tromsø center (pick up time and location to be confirmed later). A short introduction of all the participants before heading South-West of Tromsø, for about 1,5 hours drive along fjords and valleys. A 30 minutes ferry crossing will take us to the northern part of Senja, where we will visit its most photogenic spots. The amount of perfect subjects for powerful photos is somewhat overwhelming there, but your guide will take you to the absolute best ones like Husøy, Mefjordvær, Ersfjord, Skaland, Bøvær and Bergsbotn. Depending on weather conditions and light, we might also visit some other locations like Gryllefjord. Once the darkness will settle in around 16:30, we will return to Tromsø and rest for the evening. Estimated arrival time around 18:15.
It would be a quite long day, but should the weather conditions look favourable for the evening of day 1 over Senja area, we may just stay there, have dinner at a restaurant and get out to possibly experience the northern lights right away on the first night!
Day 2
Unless Mother Nature made us staying out the previous night, on day 2 we will head out for the first Northern Lights Expedition: time for the green stuff from the sky :D ! Departure time to be confirmed depending on the weather forecast (and therefore the length of the drive needed to find clear sky), but approximately between 16:00 and 19:00. Return time is unknown, as it depends on the conditions, but usually between midnight and 2 am. The several microclimates of Tromsø region help us finding clear sky within shorter drives on most nights, but sometimes we have to drive more than 200 km before finding any suitable sky.
Day 3
On the third day, we will leave in the morning with departure time to be confirmed the evening before while on the NL tour, depending on how late we get back, but roughly between 09:00 and 10:30. Kvaløya island - west of Tromsø - will be on our menu! This is your guide’s backyard, as he lives himself there, and we will have a great set of subjects for more landscape photography: frozen fjords, massive mountains and white sandy beaches puzzled by red fishing huts, you’ll love it! Estimated return time in Tromsø no later than 16:30.
Day 4 - Thursday, February 12th
One last evening together, heading out chasing the Northern Lights once again. As you have already understood, it’s impossible to know in advance which exact area we will end up going to, but as always Nico will do his outmost to make you take stunning shots of the night sky - possibly with the help of Mother Nature :D
Once back from the tour, tired but with full SD cards, we will thank each other for the fun times together over these four days, and say goodbye - until next time!
IMPORTANT INFORMATIONS
This tour is intended for photography enthusiasts (also beginners!), for a maximum of 5 participants.
This tour is not suitable for people with any injury, sickness, sea sickness, movement disability, wheelchairs, walkers etc. Some short walks are required to reach the spots, and you should be in good enough physical shape to walk on uneven, snowy, icy, wet and slippery terrain!
You don’t need to have professional camera equipment, but a basic DSLR or mirrorless camera will do. Please get in touch if you are unsure about your equipment and would like to have more informations about it. Camera rental is available on request.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICY
On this tour, Arctic Photo Guide offers only the guiding and transportation services for each tour. You as the customer must book your own accommodation in Tromsø.
The payment of 12.900 NOK to Arctic Photo Guide is to be done at the moment of the booking, you will receive an invoice with payment details.
If a participant decides to cancel the reservation, it can be done at any time by communicating it as soon as possible to the email address info@arcticphotoguide.com
However, you should keep in mind that a cancellation by a participant would create management difficulties in bookings as well as the risk of not reaching the minimum number of participants for the tour (and consequently the need to search for a new person).
Because of that:
If the cancellation request is submitted MORE than 30 days before the tour, you will receive a refund of the paid amount, minus a 30% that is non refundable.
If the cancellation request is presented LESS than 30 days before the tour, you will NOT receive a refund of the paid amount.
* Unless a customer that desires to cancel the booking brings in another person who is willing to take the place by paying the total amount of the trip itself.
The entire amount paid (or part of it, corresponding to which one of the four tours) will be fully refunded in the unfortunate event that the tour or one of the tours must be canceled due to extreme weather and safety reasons.
Please read the full Terms & Conditions
Looking forward to exploring together!