Nature paradise Lofoten

Sailing in the Lofoten Islands

Experience the unique nature of the Lofoten Islands up close on board our exclusively equipped expedition yacht POLARIS. Accompanied by two professional skippers, you will immerse yourself in the fascinating and historic atmosphere of this ancient landscape.

The Lofoten Islands lie around 100 to 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle in the Atlantic Ocean, separated from the mainland by the Vestfjord. The area lies between 67 and 68 degrees latitude and is separated to the north-east by the Raftsund from the Vesterålen region and archipelago, which lies further north. The largest islands are connected by bridges or tunnels. One of the islands, Austvågøya, is part of Lofoten to the south, while the north-eastern part of the island belongs to the municipality of Hadsel and thus to the district of Vesterålen. The south-western tip of the island of Hinnøya is also considered part of Lofoten, as it was previously only accessible by boat from Svolvær.

Travel Dates

The Lofoten Islands have been inhabited for around 6000 years. Originally, people lived there from fishing and hunting. During the Viking Age, several settlements with chiefdoms were established. A replica has been rebuilt in Borg. From the 14th century, merchants from Bergen dominated the fish trade. Lofoten belongs to Bergen for tax purposes. Depending on the size of the fish catch, the inhabitants of Lofoten fared well or badly. In the middle of the 19th century there were large herring deposits, which led to today’s settlements.

Travel Dates

The landscape was barren and bare for many centuries and there were only a few trees left because man had cut down most of the forests to build houses, ships and dry frames. In the meantime, the tree population has grown considerably again in large parts of Lofoten. Since 2018, the west coast of the southernmost island of Moskenesøy and offshore islands have been part of Norway’s national parks as Lofotodden National Park.

The eastern sides of the islands are predominantly populated, as the wind and swell have less of an impact there – the mountains in Lofoten, which are over 1200 metres high in places, have an alpine character and keep out all too strong weather influences. The tides force the water between the individual islands, sometimes creating dangerous whirlpools. The most famous of these is the so-called maelstrom or Moskenstraumen. The region is also well known for the Northern Lights, as the winter climate is relatively mild and the Aurora Oval crosses Lofoten. Information on the Northern Lights can be found at the Northern Lights Centre in Laukvik. [Source: Wikipedia]

Travel Dates