Alta is considered to be the northernmost city in the world situated 70 Degrees North, 400km north of the Artic Circle. Alta was established in 2000, combining several villages, and named after Altafjorden. Its most famous building is the Northern Lights Cathedral completed in 2013, which divides the opinions of the locals. Alta airport is considered one of the most difficult to land at with pilots requiring a special licence.
We stayed 30 minutes inland from Alta at Sorrisniva Wilderness Lodge, built three years ago, but its owners have been building an Ice Hotel each year for the last 25 years. The lodge sits on the Alta River which is famous for salmon fishing and the Alta Canyon, the largest canyon in Northern Europe.
Sorrisniva is a base for outdoor activities, especially viewing the Northern Lights. We visited during the Polar Winter when the sun never comes above the horizon. It does however come close to the horizon for several hours meaning it is light from about 9am to 1.30pm with the extent of the light depending on the cloud cover. Sunrise and sunset tend to merge from one to the other; it was odd watching the sunset at lunchtime ! The temperature was considered “warm” by the locals ranging from minus 1 to minus 10 but with another 5 degrees of windchill at times.
Each year the Ice Hotel has a different theme for its sculptures such as “Africa” and “Vikings”. We were asked not to post this years theme on social media as there is a media “unveiling”
Shilli-Fully Travels 