See our photo highlights from our 2007, 2008 and 2009 trips to Finland and northern Norway.

Day One: Saturday

This morning we will leave the UK and fly to Helsinki before transferring to our flight to Ivalo, Lapland. Here we will be met by our good friend and local guide Harri Taavetti, who will take us to our hotel, 70 kilometres to the north at Kaamanen, where we stay for the next two nights.

Day Two: Sunday

We have chosen to stay at Kaamanen for one reason – its superb feeding station and thus its birds! A surprising number of species choose to remain in these seemingly barren boreal forests throughout the harsh winter months but finding them is another matter! Like anywhere else, birds are drawn to a food supply and there is no finer place in Lapland than here. Our lodge at Kaamanen has found notoriety in the last few years for being probably the best site in Europe to see Pine Grosbeak. These stunning birds (which are more akin to a cross between a finch and a crossbill) are typically highly secretive, but at Kaamanen up to twenty birds visit the feeders on a regular basis during the late winter. They are very approachable and thus we have the prospect of gaining some stunning images of this rarely photographed forest denizen. We also have truly outstanding photographic opportunities to work with Siberian Tit, Siberian Jay, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, ‘northern’ Bullfinches, both Mealy and Arctic Redpolls, Greenfinches and Red Squirrels. We plan to spend the whole day at the feeding station safe in the knowledge that a warming ‘cuppa’ and a bite to eat is just a minute away! As night falls we have an excellent opportunity to photograph the Aurora Borealis, which can often give incredible ‘shows’ at this latitude. Overnight at Kaamanen.

Day Three: Monday

As day breaks we will have another session at the feeders before making the long drive north along the Arctic highway into Norway. We’ll be stopping for tundra landscapes and we’ll also be keeping an eye out for both Elk and Reindeer and small parties of snowy-white Willow Grouse. We also have an excellent chance of seeing White-tailed Eagle and possibly grey-morph Gyrfalcons. As we reach Tana Bru we head off over some magnificent mountain scenery to reach Batsfjord in the mid afternoon, home for the next two nights. Depending on our time of arrival there may be time for some late afternoon photography of Arctic seaduck around the harbour.

Day Four: Tuesday

We plan to spend a full day photographing King, Steller’s and Common Eiders in the harbour. In March 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 we were treated to some awesome opportunities from the series of floating pontoons and the rocky shoreline, as the birds here are very approachable and pretty unconcerned with human presence! With spring approaching many of the males will be performing their courtship displays and the choral cacophony of the eiders will fill the air! Long-tailed Ducks are also present here in good numbers and other photographic subjects include Kittiwakes, Purple Sandpipers, Glaucous and Iceland Gulls, silvery winter plumaged Black Guillemots, Ravens and, of course, the charismatic boats and houses so typical of a northern community. If sea conditions are suitable we plan to charter a boat for our exclusive use in order to ‘get in among’ the eiders – something we have achieved for the last four years with great success. As the days turn to night we’ll once again be looking skywards and hoping for clear skies to see nature’s most prized gifts illuminating the night sky.

Day Five: Wednesday

We will have another session with the seaduck in Batsfjord before heading back over the fells towards Tana Bru and onto the shores of Varanger. Fringed by thickets of Mountain Birch, the blue waters of Varanger Fjord and the surrounding tundra represent what are probably the most accessible examples of Arctic habitat on the mainland of Europe. Arriving at the shores of the fjord we will be struck by the sheer numbers of seaduck bobbing offshore. We’ll make several stops carefully scanning through the rafts of Common, King and Steller's Eiders and take advantage of any photographic opportunities that present themselves. We’ll also be on the look-out for the mighty White-billed Diver, their ivory coloured beaks gleaming in the sun. Inquisitive seals may interrupt their fishing forays to come and investigate us – hopefully they will include small numbers of true ‘Arctic’ seals such as the Harp or Bearded Seal. We eventually arrive at Vardo, our base for the next two nights. Our hotel is situated right on the edge of the harbour and it is not unusual to see King, Steller’s and Common Eiders from the dining room! Naturally we’ll once again be looking skywards in the evening!

Day Six: Thursday

This morning we plan to charter a boat to visit the waters surrounding Hornoya Island which is home to a huge seabird colony during the summer months. At this time of the year the majority of birds will be ‘loafing’ just offshore and thus we have excellent opportunities to photograph birds on the water and in flight. Subjects high on the agenda will include more Common, King and Steller’s Eiders (in recent years we have found flocks of 2000+ Kings!), Long-tailed Ducks plus Brunnich’s Guillemots, Common Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins, Shags and incredible numbers of Kittiwakes. In 2009 we struck lucky on our boat trip and were surrounded by a family party of Killer Whales! Back onshore there will be more options for photographing seaduck in and around the harbour along with some usually very tame Purple Sandpipers. The bright reds, yellows and blues of the harbour buildings offer some dramatic reflections onto the water for photographing birds and there will also be an opportunity to photograph Kittiwakes nest - building on the harbour buildings themselves!

Day Seven: Friday

In the morning there will be some time available for more bird photography in and around the harbour. All too soon though, it will be time to begin the return drive back into Finland, but travelling through the glorious winter scenery of the peninsula there will be plenty more photographic opportunities as we hopefully pass roadside Reindeer herds, Rock Ptarmigan and Willow Grouse. We plan to return to our hotel and the feeding station at Kaamanen in the late afternoon where we spend the night.

Day Eight: Saturday

We will have the whole morning to work with subjects coming to the feeders around Kaamanen – Pine Grosbeaks, Siberian Tits, Arctic Redpolls and Siberian Jay should all be still in the offering. Sadly, at around noon we must return to the airport at Ivalo for our flight to Helsinki from where we connect with our return flight to London arriving in the early evening.

For those wishing to extend their holiday, we have arranged a six-night extension to photograph Golden Eagles at a baited feeding site, Black Grouse at the lek (in snow!), Siberian Jays and Dippers. There may also be opportunities with wintering owls – in 2008 and 2009 participants on our extensions were able to achieve stunning photographs of both Hawk and Great Grey Owl. Please contact our office in the first instance if an extension interests you, as spaces are strictly limited.

Holiday Information 2011 Operating Dates

Please note that we require a minimum of 5 paying travellers for this trip to operate.

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