Itinerary. Day 1. Day 2. (subject to change in order to maximize the chance of seeing the aurora)

Transcription

1 Itinerary (subject to change in order to maximize the chance of seeing the aurora) Day 1 Arrive in Abisko and check in to your private hotel room with with your own bathroom and a nice view of the National Park. Meet with the expedition leader and other participants in order to get to know each other better. View a slideshow of Chad's aurora portfolio containing video and still images. Spend the afternoon discussing the theory of aurora photography. Enjoy your first meal in STF Abisko's gourmet restaurant. Weather permitting go outside and photograph your first aurora! Day 2 Spend the day exploring Abisko on your own or join one of the many guided tours available at the STF Abisko Touriststation. (see complete list of available activities following itinerary) Enjoy a traditional Swedish lunch in the restaurant, or take a packed lunch into the wilds of Abisko National Park. Meet with the group to compare results from last night's photo session and learn more about the art of photographing the Aurora. Dinner in the restaurant. Spend four to six hours searching for, and photographing the aurora.

2 Day 3 Spend the day exploring Abisko on your own or join one of the many guided tours available at the STF Abisko Touriststation. (see complete list of available activities following itinerary) Enjoy a traditional Swedish lunch in the restaurant, or take a packed lunch into the wilds of Abisko National Park. Meet with the group to compare results from last night's photo session and learn more about the art of photographing the Aurora. Prepare for trip to the Aurora Sky Station!* ( Meet group and walk to the base station of the chair lift. Suit up in arctic gear (overalls and boots provided) Enjoy the ride to the top of Mt. Noulja. Enjoy a warm pre-dinner beverage. Enjoy a gourmet meal with a view! Join the knowledgeable Aurora Sky Station guide for an in depth explanation of how and why auroras occur. Spend four to six hours searching for, and photographing the aurora. *The Aurora Sky Station is closed from October to November. Alternate activities will be offered during Expeditions that occur during these months. The restaurant at Aurora Sky Station

3 Day 4 Spend the day exploring Abisko on your own or join one of the many guided tours available at the STF Abisko Touriststation. (see complete list of available activities following itinerary) Enjoy a traditional Swedish lunch in the restaurant, or take a packed lunch into the wilds of Abisko National Park. Meet with the group to compare results from last night's photo session and learn more about the art of photographing the Aurora. Dinner in the restaurant. Spend four to six hours searching for, and photographing the aurora. Day 5 Pack and prepare for return to Kiruna airport. Enjoy a traditional Swedish lunch in the restaurant. Departure

4 Suggestions for day trips in and around Abisko (fees not included in expedition) STF Abisko's wood fired sauna by the lake Train trip to Narvik, Norway. A beautiful port city on the Arctic Ocean Nature walks in Abisko National Park Ice Climbing * Cross country skiing * Ice Fishing * Day trip to the Icehotel * Dog sledding (please book well in advance) * Snowmobile tour * Downhill skiing (only February and March) *These activities require snow and cold temperatures and will only be possible between December and April. Hotel STF Abisko

5 What sort of camera equipment should I bring? Digital SLR. Pocket cameras, even high end models will not provide high quality results. (available for rental upon request) Fast wide angle lens. A minimum aperture of f3.5 will work but f2.8 or faster is recommended. An 18mm lens is a good minimum starting point. Stable tripod. Inexpensive low quality tripods will fail under the extremely cold conditions present above the Arctic Circle. (available for rental upon request) Flash. For your self portrait with the Aurora in the background! Off camera release. Wireless remote control devices are recommended. Cable releases become hard and brittle in the extremely cold conditions present above the Arctic Circle. Extra batteries for ALL equipment. Expect your batteries to function approximately one third as long as they would under normal conditions. Battery chargers. For camera and flash batteries. Memory cards. 16GB minimum recommended amount. Headlamp. A headlamp with the option of a red beam is mandatory to ensure that the group is able to maintain their night vision while adjusting equipment. Laptop. To review your work and download information from your memory cards.

6 What sort of clothing should I bring? You should be prepared for temperatures as low as -35 degrees Celsius! With the exception of our visit to the Aurora Sky Station you are responsible for providing all winter clothing. However, one piece arctic snow suites are available for rental upon request. For safety reasons, and to ensure that you get the most out of your expedition it is very important that you bring the following items: Winter Jacket. A heavy down jacket with a hood is highly recommended. Snow pants. Water resistant or water proof. Warm hat. A warm hat that will cover as much of your head and face as possible. Gloves. One heavy pair of outer gloves and a smaller pair of liner gloves to keep on while adjusting your camera equipment. Warm Socks. It is recommended that you wear one pair of heavy wool socks with a thinner pair of wool socks underneath. Battery powered electric socks are not recommended as the batteries will fail in the extremely cold conditions present above the arctic circle. One piece arctic snow suit available for rental upon request. What to expect on our nights out All of the locations we visit will be within walking distance of the STF Abisko mountain station. We will walk a maximum of 5 kilometers per night. It is recommended that you are in a physical condition that will allow you to walk up to 2 kilometers at a time, at a slow leisurely pace. It is very common to work in an average temperature of -20 degrees Celsius and very possible to encounter temperatures as low as -35. Warm clothes are a must! How to get to Abisko The best way to get to Abisko is to fly into Arlanda airport in Stockholm, then fly to Kiruna. From the Kiruna airport Abisko is one an a half hours by bus or train. You also have the option of taking the train from Stockholm directly to Abisko but this will ad approximately one day of travel on both legs of your journey. Trains: Busses: Flights:

7 Payment Policy A 20% non refundable deposit of 2,400 SEK or 260 Euros is required at the time of booking. The remaining balance must be paid no later than 45 days prior to the start of the expedition. Refund Policy If you cancel your reservation before making your final payment you are not required to make any additional payments. We will not refund the booking deposit that you already paid. If you cancel after making your final payment no refunds will be offered. If at any time an unforeseen event causes Lights Over Lapland to cancel the expedition you will receive a 100% refund, including the booking deposit. Will I see an Aurora? Abisko National Park is one of the driest places in all of Scandinavia. Due to our geographic location in a rain shadow caused by the nearby peaks in Norway we have more clear, cloud free nights than nearly anywhere in the world within the Aurora oval. Swedish and international scientists at the IRF in Kiruna ( estimate that visitors staying in the area for 3 or more days have nearly an 80% chance of viewing an Aurora. While the likelihood that you will see an aurora during your expedition is very high, Lights Over Lapland can not make any such guarantees.