Norway does nothing in half measures. This land of extremes has a wilderness of epic proportions: impossibly beautiful fjords caressing its coastline, deep glaciers and ice valleys carving its interior, the Arctic Circle cutting through its core, and jagged mountains engulfing half the land’s surface. In December the darkness descends, the Northern Lights dancing in inky skies; in June the light doesn’t relent, the sun still shining bright at midnight. This is a place of astonishing panoramas and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Such landscapes make Norway a playground for adventure tourism. The north is the place for off-the-beaten-track activities. Snowy winters bring opportunities for dog sledding, snowshoeing and skiing in the mountains. This is an ideal time of year for whale watching too, when orcas, humpbacks and sperm whales pass through Norwegian waters. But as the ice melts under the constant gaze of the summer sun, rivers gush and lakes thaw, bringing spectacular opportunities for kayaking, white-water rafting and fishing.
Tromso acts as the capital of the north and makes an ideal base for Arctic adventures. A university town, it has a flourishing cultural scene and a busy calendar of events - there are more pubs per capita here than anywhere else in Norway! Ride the Storsteinen Cable Car up to the top of Mount Storsteinen for breathtaking panoramas of the fjords, and when the weather turns, explore one of the town’s two museums: the Polar Museum and the Art Museum of Northern Norway.
Travel further south down Norway’s slender frame and you’ll hit Bergen, the gateway to the stunning West Fjords and an ideal starting point for a fjordland cruise. And to the east is Oslo, the progressive capital with cutting-edge architecture and a vibrant café scene – a perfect flagbearer for this country of epic contrasts.