Welcome to our special series, Family Trips Worldwide. In this series we post short facts about a cool place from various parts of the world that is great for a family trip.
WHAT: a hike to Svartisen – Norway’s second largest glacier.
WHERE: located in Arctic Circle in Northern Norway, north of the town of Mo i Rana. 66°37’60.00″N 13°59’60.00″E
HOW TO GET THERE: It can be reached from Mo i Rana to the north along E6 by car. Turn off at the Svartisen sign and continue along the country road until it ends at Lake Svartisvatnet. The whole drive takes an hour or less. There’s a parking area, from where you have to cross the lake, either by shuttle boat (about 20 minutes) or walk (approx. 4 km) along the shore of the lake. From here you have to hike another 3 km to come near the glacier.
WHEN: May to September, the shuttle boat operates between early June and late August.
WHAT TO DO: the hike from the lake to the glacier is quite easy, even when you have little children like we did (2,5 year old and we carried him half way to glacier and back). The boat ride itself is great, with spectacular views. Already from the distance you can see an impressive waterfall underneath the glacier. After the hike it’s refreshing and relaxing to wait by the waterfall for the next boat back to parking area.
TIPS: Plan your trip carefully so you don’t miss the last boat back to the parking area (you can get stuck underneath the glacier until next day, so be sure to check when the last boat back to the car park leaves). Remember to wear good footwear and to bring a rainjacket as the weather can change extremely fast in these areas. You can also arrange a glacier walk with a local glacier guide at Mo i Rana.
You can read more about Norway here: Lofoten islands or see the video of our roadtrip to Scandinavia.
