Lofoten Islands: when nature meets magic! Part one, Svolvær and surroundings.

Lofoten Islands are definitely one of the most beautiful places in the world!
Beyond Australia, I don't remember a place that wowed me so much!
I've been dreaming about them for so long, read about everything, watched thousands of pictures and videos. But I swear, nothing compares to the emotion of being there, "inside the postcard," breathing that fresh air and sleeping in the wooden fishermen's houses, watching the Northern Lights with my own eyes... it's such an adrenaline rush!

Lofoten is an archipelago of islands 1227 km² big, whose largest islands are Austvågøy, Gimsøy, Vestvågøy, Flakstadøy and Moskenesøy. All the islands are surrounded by mountains plunging down to the sea and connected by the gorgeous E10, a scenic drive made up of tunnels and bridges.

Lofoten islands are located above the Arctic Circle. However, the climate is quite temperate thanks to the Gulf stream, so even the most sensitive to the cold can enjoy a visit!

Getting to Lofoten Islands is not very easy as there is no direct flight from Europe: you need to take a flight to Oslo and spend several hours in the airports. But it's totally worthy!

We visited the islands right after the Norway in a nutshell tour that took us directly to Oslo, so it was easy the next day to take a direct flight to Evenes. At Harstad / Narvik Airport, in the Evenes area, we rented a car for 4 days, to feel free to stop everywhere we wanted and as long as we needed for.

As a matter of time and comfort, I chose to sleep the first two nights in Hamnøy (south-west) and the following nights near Svolvær (north-east), in order to be halfway on the road towards Tromsø😄.

Vaterfjord has been quite a find!
Honestly, I chose this place just because it was the cheapest one in the area, so I wasn't informed about the surroundings. Instead, the beauty of the campsite left us amazed!
Set in a fjord, by the sea and in front of Vatterøya island.
Sunrise and sunset here are spectacular! All the cabins face the fjord, so that a weak pink light passes through the curtains in the morning and in the afternoon you can enjoy the orange sunset straight from your balcony! 😍

Not to mention the evening show!
Vaterfjord is a great place to shoot the Northern Lights. Obviously, you cannot ask all the camp residents to turn off the lights, but if you go to the small pier and point the camera towards the fjord, the dark is guaranteed! 😍

A 15-minute drive from Vaterfjord you'll find Svolvær, the capital of the Lofoten Islands and the oldest city of the Arctic Circle.
It is literally the only city on the islands, with banks, shops, tourist office, restaurants and hotels. It is also the most modern one, with some contemporary apartments built on the harbour!

Svolværgeita is one of the Lofoten icons, it means "the goat of Svolvær".
It is a two peaks mountain (those two peaks look like a goat's horns) that dominate the city from its 150m height, one of the most popular in Norway for climbing lovers. Some daredevils climb the mountain peak and jump 1.5 mt from one point to the other! 😣

Less than 6 km south of Svolvær you'll find Kabelvåg, a small village much more quiet and intimate than the capital. A small square on the tiny harbor marks the central part of the village, dotted with colorful houses, small cafes and few hostels.

Last but not least, here's a perfect place to shoot the Northern Lights.

You'll just need to drive 3 minutes on the E10 from the campsite to Svolvær and you'll reach Lake Husvågen shore where you can find a parking space. By day the mountain creates a perfectly symmetrical reflection on the lake. By night the area is deep dark and the Northern Lights reflect on the lake doubling their light!

And when the Northern Lights leave, Lake Husvågen stay beautiful: a so starry sky with a reflecting pool below it's hard to find anywhere else 😍

That's all for now, click here to read the second part of my trip to Lofoten Islands.