This trip was perfect. We had excellent weather (except for the one day that was rained out). All of the complicated travel logistics went without a hitch. No one got sick or injured. The scenery was as good as advertised. We had a great time.
If I were to do this trip again, I would consider adding Volandstinden to the hiking itinerary.
Also, after doing the Fløya hike, I would continue up to Blåtinden's summit. However, from Blåtinden I would not continue onward
to Tuva, because the descent on that side of Blåtinden sounds like a tougher path, and the route down from Tuva is through a muddy swamp. After hiking to Blåtinden's summit, I would retrace my steps and return
via the stone stairway down to the Fløya parking lot.
Don't miss the Matmora hike, especially if you have a warm and sunny day to enjoy it.
The path up Veggen is so steep that you might consider doing Mannen instead, I assume that the views from its summit are similar to what we saw from Veggen.
On our last day, we had enough time that a hike up to Nesheia Summit was possible from our Nusfjord lodging,
and I wish now I had attempted that hike. It requires a good deal of logistics to get to the Lofoten Islands, so Anneka did a lot of planning. It all worked splendidly. I have tried to record the details from our
trip in case you wish to replicate our trip. Norway is an expensive country. Dividing the car and lodging rentals by three couples certainly helped control costs. We also brought some rice/noodles with us and cooked
some meals in the rental kitchens. I used Mapcarta to identify some of the peaks and lakes in my photographs. Hourly Reine weather forecast (The Weather Channel) In Reine, we rented a very nice little cottage from Andøy Vest Rorbuer for our first four nights in the Lofoten Islands. This was conveniently
close to the grocery store - we could walk to it. It also had sufficient parking, which is a useful benefit, because there is not much space available between the mountains and sea near Reine.
Our unit came with a washing machine, which turned out to be quite useful. We stayed 3 nights in Apartment Rosa outside of Svinøya. It had 3 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, and another
bathroom (with shower) on the ground floor. There is big table for dining and large kitchen. Plenty of parking. We spent the last two nights at the Nusfjord Resort, a former fishing village. We booked the Village Suite w/ Seaview. One of the rooms in the apartment was a huge master suite.
Melanie and I had a smaller room, complete with its own attached bathroom that was just fine for us. There was a sauna and hot tub available for guests that we tried out. A well-stocked breakfast at the dining hall
left us so full that we did not need to eat lunch. Hiking poles are not allowed in carry-on luggage, so we booked one Economy Basic ticket for Melanie (which allows one checked bag, with our hiking poles inside) and one Economy Light ticket for me (no checked bag). Her ticket cost $200 more than mine.
Lodging
Transportation
Roundtrip tickets Oslo <-> Bodø on Scandiavian Airlines
We stayed overnight at the Scandic Oslo Airport, which is just a couple of miles from the terminal. There is a shuttle bus outside the airport terminal that runs to the Scandic and two other nearby hotels. We paid 320 NOK for 4 tickets using a credit card the bus driver processed as we boarded. In the morning this shuttle got quite full, even at early hours. Scandic Hotel staff advised us that even in the early mornings, the shuttle to the airport could get quite full and to be outside early.
The ferry terminal to the Lofoten Islands is a couple of kilometers from the Bodø airport. Anneka arranged for a taxi-shuttle to pick us up for a ride in each direction.
We rented a six seater from a tiny car rental company based in the Lofoten Islands. This worked out fine. We picked up the vehicle right at the Moskenes terminal, and it drove fine. Riding the big ferry between Bodø and Mosekenes is free if you are a pedestrian. However, Norway requires you fill out an identification form that gives you a unique QR
code. The ferryman will scan this QR code as you board. This is so they know who is on board each ferry.
The ferry between Mosekenes and Værøy Island is also free for pedestrians, but it does not run that often. We had to wait for a late night ferry for our return trip. Even if you don't want to hike up Helvestinden, the ferry ride to Vindstad is a scenic trip. and you can walk down to see the golden sands of Bunes Beach and have a worthwhile trip. It is important to book your ferry tickets in advance!! There was a huge line of people hoping to board, but we were allowed on first because
Anneka had prebooked our tickets. Once the on-line ticketed passengers boarded, they let some of the remaining people on board until the ferry capacity was reached. Many people were turned away.
Rather than list every purchase of snacks or grocery stores, I simply totaled all the expenses that appeared on my credit card. We never had any Norwegian cash, every transaction was via credit card.
There were six of us on this trip. My totals reflect our third of the total joint expenses. For example, we only paid 1/3 of the total cost of the apartment rentals.
Norway is quite expensive, so the fact that this trip came in under $6K is excellent. We saved money by cooking many nights in the apartments.
There are a plethora of websites describing the many hikes available in the Lofoten Islands. You could spend an entire summer on the island chain, exploring all the hikes on each of the islands. Almost too much to choose from! Website #1: Hiking Lofoten
Website #2: Best Hikes of Lofoten
Website #3: Best Hikes in Lofoten Islands
Website #4: Best Hiking in Lofoten Islands Norway
Website #5: Hiking Lofoten Islands
Website #6: Best Day Hikes Lofoten Norway
Website #7: Norrona Adventure
Ferries
Expenses
Item Cost (USD) Comment 1 Roundtrip Seattle <-> Oslo $772.11 My ticket. Lufthansa Economy light, no checked bag 1 Roundtrip Seattle <-> Oslo $977.11 Melanie's ticket. Lufthansa Economy Basic, one checked bag 2 Roundtrip Oslo <-> Bodø $538.40 Scandinavian Airlines Economy Basic, one checked bag Scandic Oslo Airport Hotel $100.67 1 double room Aug 30 Scandic Oslo Airport Hotel $100.67 1 double room Aug 20 Reine Apartment $645.22 1/3 of $1935.67 Kabelvåg Apartment $479.67 1/3 of $1439.00 Nusfjord Apartment $697.36 1/3 of $2392.09 Rental van $268.76 1/3 of $806.29 Diesel $26.71 1/3 of $80.14 Diesel $3.74 1/3 of $11.23 Bodø Taxi airport -> ferry $8.16 1/3 of $24.47 Bodø Taxi ferry -> airport $15.19 1/3 of $45.56 Reinebringen Parking $9.97 1/3 of $29.92 Reine Ferry Parking $6.53 1/3 of $19.58 Fløya Parking $9.96 1/3 of $29.89 Uttakleiv Parking $3.98 1/3 of $11.93 Dinner in Vaeroy $87.20 Dinner in Nusfjord $59.78 Purchases $461.08 Groceries, snacks, beer, Oslo Airport shuttle tickets Total $5272.27
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