Signature journey · Murmansk
Arctic Collection
- 6 days / 5 nights
- Groups of 10-35 guests
- Winter season
The Arctic with a rush of adrenaline: a Saami village and northern lights hunting, snowmobiles across frozen lakes and hills, ice-floating in the Kola Bay, the tundra and ocean at Teriberka, and the “Lenin” icebreaker.
Price on request: we quote for your group size, dates and hotel category.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1
Arrival in Murmansk
- Meet your guide in the arrivals hall at Murmansk Airport or the railway station
- Transfer to the hotel (1h)
- Check-in: standard time after 14:00
- Lunch or dinner of local or European cuisine at the hotel, depending on arrival time
Day 2
An authentic Saami community, native wildlife and the northern lights
- Meet your guide in the hotel lobby
- Drive to the Saami Village, an open-air museum where an authentic Saami community welcomes guests (1.5-2.5h)
- Traditional dwellings, chums and kuvaksas, and the Alley of Enchanted Idols
- Reindeer, raccoons, huskies, arctic foxes and rabbits: hand-feeding the reindeer and photos with the animals
- Saami outdoor games, a reindeer sleigh ride, a snowmobile banana ride and sledding
- Lunch of traditional Saami dishes
- A photo session in traditional Saami attire and charm souvenirs (3h in total)
- In the evening, northern lights hunting with a professional guide-photographer, starting around 20:00-21:00 when the weather allows
Approximate duration: 7.5h, plus the evening northern lights hunt, about 3h
Day 3
Arctic drive and ice-floating serenity
- Meet your guide in the hotel lobby
- Guided drive to the snowmobiling park (1h)
- Arctic snowmobiling “There and Back”: speed without the freeze, vast snow-covered lakes and hills and a real rush of energy (1.5h)
- Lunch of local, Arctic or European cuisine (1h)
- Drive to the Kola Bay (1h)
- Ice-floating: a relaxing float on icy water in a sealed dry suit with instructors from the Murmansk Surfing Federation, warm and safe (1h)
- If the northern lights were missed the night before, the hunt may take place in the evening or on the way back
Approximate duration: 8h
Day 4
Arctic tundra and the wild ocean coast of Teriberka
- Meet your guide in the hotel lobby
- Drive to Teriberka through the Arctic tundra, a wild village on the Arctic Ocean coast (2.5h, depending on weather and road conditions)
- The Silent Giants of Teriberka: the history and magic of the ship graveyard (0.5h)
- Lunch of local, Arctic or European cuisine (1h)
- Teriberka Nature Park, a protected area on the Barents Sea coast
- Walk to the Dragon Eggs Beach, where waves have shaped boulders into giant eggs over centuries (1h)
- Sleigh ride behind a snowmobile to the icy Batareysky Waterfall and its granite canyon (1h)
- Return to Murmansk; if the northern lights were missed the night before, the hunt may take place on the way back
Approximate duration: 10h
Day 5
“Arctic Panorama” tour and the “Lenin” icebreaker
- Meet your guide in the hotel lobby
- “Arctic Panorama” sightseeing tour: the city centre, the Seamen memorial, the commercial and sea ports, the lighthouse, an observation deck and the “Waiting Woman” monument (2h)
- Lunch of local, Arctic or European cuisine (1h)
- The “Lenin” nuclear-powered icebreaker (1h)
Approximate duration: 5.5h
Day 6
Departure or onward journey
- Check-out: standard time till 12:00
- Transfer with your guide to Murmansk Airport or the railway station (1h)
- Departure flight or train to another destination in Russia
Included
- Meet-and-greet and see-off at the airport or railway station, porter service
- Transport throughout the programme
- Licensed English-speaking guide every day, a second guide for larger groups
- A professional guide-photographer for the northern lights hunt
- The Saami Village, the snowmobile tour, ice-floating with instructors, Teriberka Nature Park with the waterfall and the Dragon Eggs Beach, the “Lenin” icebreaker
- Lunches as per programme, with traditional dishes at the Saami Village
- Headphones for excursions
- 4* hotel in the city centre with breakfast
- Passport registration and tourist tax
Optional extras
- Husky Park and a dog-sledding ride in Teriberka (1h)
- Boat trip and whale watching in Teriberka (2h): peak season April to September, slim chances in winter
- Dinners at the hotel
- Souvenirs: Saami charms, minerals and gemstones, a whale keychain, a mini matryoshka doll
- Extra transfers by crossover or SUV and additional transport hours
Good to know
- Lunches include a three-course menu, dessert and a drink. Ethnic cuisine on request: Indian, Chinese, Halal, Turkish.
- The first and last days are arranged around your arrival and departure times.
- In winter, transport around Murmansk is by crossovers and SUVs: with the snow cover and road conditions there is no other option.
- What to wear: warm non-slip winter footwear, a warm jacket and insulated trousers, a sweater, thermal underwear, a winter hat, scarf and insulated gloves.
- Northern lights: we track the solar activity forecast 27 days and 3 days ahead and hour by hour, and check satellite cloud images. Around 18:00 we decide whether we go out that evening, starting between 18:00 and 21:00. With a poor forecast the hunt moves to another evening.
- The aurora's brightness depends on solar activity: when it is weak, only the camera catches it. It is a natural phenomenon, so we cannot guarantee it 100%, but we will do our best. Within 3 days we send the photos, usually 1-3 high-resolution shots per guest.
- Whale watching: former fishing vessels head into the Barents Sea in search of humpbacks, minke whales, orcas, belugas, dolphins and seals. Wildlife cannot be guaranteed either, but the photo hunt is often successful.
- Museums have weekly days off, so the order of days is adjusted to your dates.
- Optional services extend the guide's and transport working time or replace a visit in the programme.