Norway is an excellent destination for eco-lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. High in the north of Europe you can experience vast open wildernesses and uninterrupted scenery. It is a landscape of rugged fjords, snow capped mountains and crystal clear streams cascading through the valleys. This is also the land of the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis painting the sky in a multitude of hues.
The region is filled with small wooden housed villages, clinging to the cliffs, huddled in the forest shade, and emerald glades scented with wild flowers. It is a beautiful place to simply take a walk but there are also many outdoor activities visitors can sign up to enjoy. The winter months are perfect for downhill or cross-country skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing. When the countryside comes alive in spring there are many canoe tours, sailing trips and mountaineering expeditions to go on.
To truly experience the Lapland lifestyle you can live with a local Sami family who regularly take tourists into their community for week long trips. Showing them authentic way that the people have lived by for thousands of years. Visitors get the chance to help herd the reindeer, live off the land, sleep under canvas and travel on a reindeer sled.
One of the most popular spots is on the hills above Kafjord, it was here in 1899 that a Northern Lights Observatory was established and although the scientists have moved on to Tromso the tourists still regularly show up in Kafjord to see the spectacular light show. This mesmerising phenomenon will leave you awestruck. It is a remarkable natural event and does provide one of the main attractions in the area.
Norway is a country that has such close ties to the landscape and it is not surprising that it makes such an excellent eco-tourist destination. The people are aware of the importance of not creating a massive impact on the environment and also the need for conserving energy and recycling. This is evident in many of the hotels and hostels where every effort is made to put back into the environment what has been taken out.
You can also spend time exploring Norway’s marvellously delicate countryside, there are a number of excellent cycle, hiking and canoeing tours where guides will show you around and explain about the animals and plant life. There are whale-watching cruises; rides around the Lofoten Islands or you can paddle beneath the overhanging sea cliffs of the inspirational coastline.
For the more adventurous there is the trill of Arctic surfing or putting to sea with the locals in a genuine fishing trawler. During the trip you will learn all about the sea around Norway and its delicate balance and conclude the day with a sumptuous 5-course meal.
The capital Oslo has a wealth of attractions from its museums detailing Norway’s history, its dark past at the Resistance Museum and the Holocaust Centre or the Museum of Children’s Art and the Little Bottle Gallery. There are many fine architectural examples to look around from its modern city hall and the Norwegian National Opera to the DogA Architectural Centre.
During the winter you can go skating and the summer months are the perfect time to walk around Oslo’s parks and botanical gardens. With over 50 museums and galleries, vast rambling open spaces and modern shopping centres, Oslo has a lot for visitors to do during their stay.
For more information you can contac Eco Tourisn Norway
Photo by storeknut Flickr