DanielW

Thank you, Leeroy75.
Cheers, Romanianflyer. I've never really experienced sub-zero temps so it was so fascinating to visit a cold and snowy place at the top of the world.
Thanks, zymm. Luckily the snow was very forgiving for those three spills!
Many thanks, Jaimito Cartero. Yes, certainly an experience I will never forget!
Thanks, mentor of monty. They are Alaskan Huskies, which is a mixture of different breeds I think (?). The dogs weren't too fussed with the drone, probably thought it was just a nosy bird.
Thank you, wrp96. The Iditarod sounds like an incredibly tough race so maybe domestic bliss as a pet wasn't a bad alternative.
Many thanks, SFO777. I had been wanting to try dog sledding for a while and this trip was certainly a great way to scratch the itch!
Thanks, londonfog. The Villmarkssenter has shorter trips, even for just an hour out with the dogs. You can even get someone to drive for you while you enjoy the ride:
https://villmarkssenter.no/activities/husky-sled-ride/
Cheers, 757. We were near the end of winter so it wasn't super cold. Certainly bearable for a desert dweller like myself anyway.
Thanks, SQTraveller. My next TR will be in Mauritius so plenty of beach time to make up for Norway.
Luckily no issues with the cold with my camera. I think battery life suffers a bit in the cold but I took plenty of spares and a few powerbanks.
The lack of phone signal was a welcome break from the outside world.
I just have the DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Perfect for travel and couldn't ask for much more: https://www.dji.com/ae/mavic-2
I'm sure you're not the only person to look twice at the flypgs.com URL.

Carq

Fantastic TR, even more than I expected from your already fantastic line-up of TRs. Where were the restrooms? Behind some frozen bushes?

janehoya

Thanks for posting. I look forward to your trip reports and have enjoyed them all, but this was a step beyond. Just spectacular.

DanielW

Thanks, Carq. The restrooms were always downwind and walking far enough away from the camp to get at least some privacy.
Many thanks, janehoya. Yes, this was definitely one of my favorite and most memorable trips. Was very hard saying goodbye to the dogs at the end too!

Fredrik74

Beautiful pictures as usual and as always a very interesting report. You should go back to Northern Scandinavia in summer to experience the difference.

broenor

Excellent trip report from my home country with beautiful photos. I have some relations to all places you visited. I live in Oslo, was in the army near the dog sleigh trip area (stationed in village Overbygd on the map in post #15 ) and studied for 4 years in Bergen. Although in the army we had to ski ourself to get around on winter exercises.. :-). Could be very cold, but also had the fortune to see a lot of Aurora Borealis in return. This trip report bring back some memories from both the army and studies.

UAL250

Simply one of the best TRs ever posted on this website. You've outdone yourself again, Daniel! Spectacular photos and commentary. I don't think I have the stones to go into the Norwegian wilderness however . I think these photos will be good enough for me as far as that is concerned :P. I am definitely looking into doing IAD-Bergen, and then taking the train to Oslo after a couple days in Bergen (I have been to Oslo before, great city). Train ride sounds like a lot of fun, and beautiful as well.

Again, spectacular stuff. One of my favorite TRs ever on this website. Loved all your photos. Thank you!

benjahman

One of, if not, my favorite trip report I've ever read/viewed on FT. The stunning scenery that was captured by the drone was breathtaking. Well done and thank you for sharing.

DanielW

Thanks, Fredrik74. Yes, seeing the midnight sun is still on my bucket list. Just saw a video yesterday from Lofoten where the sun had descended close to the horizon and then just moved sideways!
Thank you, broenor, always great to get positive feedback from a local. We saw some kind of bunker / closed off tunnel near Overbygd, perhaps it was military related? Bergen must have been a great place to study, seemed to have a cool vibe to the place.
Many thanks, UAL250. Yes, the train ride on the Bergensbanen was very beautiful. Apparently you can also do a slight diversion to Flåm Railway on the way to Oslo too and go up on the world’s steepest railway line. Would be fun to do: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/europe/...2-1479d2778e11
Thanks, benjahman. I was abit nervous with the drone in the cold weather but it was luckily fine. My iPhone shut down a few times and my fingers almost froze but the drone handled it well.

steveman518

Another wonderful TR Daniel-nothing I could say that hasn't been echoed over and over again by everyone else.

allset2travel

Daniel, thanks for the TR.
This is truly an epic adventure!
Drone footage added an extra and colorful dimension to your adventure story telling. The Christmas tree drone shot was my fav!
Drone battery in the cold: Did you notice shorter battery life?
I was wondering when will you see aurora borealis. You finally did!
About Bergen’s averages 231 days of rain a year - We were in Bergen for two days, and we had nothing but sun shine!
What is the transit at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Intl Airport like?

halfcape

As always, an amazing trip report. But, I have to add a wow, because, wow!!

HawaiiTrvlr

Another great trip report. My dad's family is Norwegian and I have always wanted to go and visit Norway. One of these days perhaps. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Pangro

Fun to "finally" see the famous ( ) DanielW go to my home town! Shame you didnt go into Tromsø town-centre, I would have loved to see your pictures
Interesting to see pictures from Tromsø Villmarkssenter. It is clear they have struck "the gold ore" with their activities, as they have been a local tourist company since I was born (which is some years ago now...). They begun with activities for the odd alien tourist, but mostly for us locals. The last years their activities have exploded. Furthermore clearly, is that they have a really good product for their customers. Your trip looks thought through and well excecuted, with quality food (yes I can recognize it ) and proper equipment. Sadly they are probably making a fortune on a somewhat cost of the dogs. Not all of the dogs are part of the Finnmarksløpet teams - as you said they have over 300 dogs. They have been under the scrutiny of the governemental animal welfare-organ, as the majority of their dogs get less than 10 hours off the leash PER WEEK. The worst months are the summer months, when they are mainly used for shorter trips with ATVs or wheeled-sleds. In April of 2005, govermenetal controls showed that some dogs were less than 5 hours off their short leash over a whole week. They are also blamed for shooting unwanted/sick dogs, and having a non-stop production of "cute puppies" so that the tourists everytime will be able to make those gosh darn cute puppy-pictures to post on social media. (So far I have never seen a single person going there without coming back with pictures of puppies). The unwanted dogs "magically disappear" when they no longer serve the cuteness-quota of the centre...

Tove herself has said that "10 hours of acitivity a week is too much for a dog". I think she thinks more with her wallet, than with her empathy. But that is just my interpretation. Some links that probably can be translated with google translate, to prove I am not out only to .... on them for no reason - more to present a perspective from someone who comes from the town and has the possibility to see behind the tourism-superficial-look of it all. The claims comes from previous employees of the centre:
https://www.nordlys.no/hevder-hunder...r/s/5-34-40125
https://www.itromso.no/nyheter/article11480466.ece

But naja. That is just some thoughts from a local Finnbiff is absolutely delish, a favorite of mine. Melkesjokolade is a godsent gift and Widerøe is a good airline. That you had no rain in Bergen is really nothing short of amazing, better deliver a lottery ticket ASAP....

DanielW

Thank you, steveman518, yes, definitely a trip I will not forget soon!
Thanks, allset2travel. The drone battery life didn't seem to be affected too much. The batteries warm up a bit during the flight so are 15-20C by the end. The controller battery got a bit cold though, especially near the end of the trip when it dropped from 59% to 15% on my last flight!
Transit at SVO is easy and uneventful. Just a cursory passport check before passing through security.
Cheers, halfcape, I had quite a few 'wow' moments on the trip too.
Thank you, HawaiiTrvlr. Yes, a very beautiful country and is definitely on my 'must return' list.
Thanks for the background on the Villmarkssenter, Pangro. Hopefully they have sorted out all the issues now with the Mattilsynet.
My original plan was to spend the last night in Tromsø but as we got back quite late just stayed at the Villmarkssenter. On my list though for my return trip to Norway though along with visiting Svalbard.
Loved all the food too, especially the finnbiff and Melkesjokolade!