Enough reviews have been written about Amazing Views fantastic Tours all over the world, and these Lofoten tours are not any different, being well planned and beautifully executed, with caring leadership. Both Cody and Jennifer were going way beyond the normal requirements of a tour guide. No matter what the individual guest’s level of photographic knowledge was, they always had some helpful tips on how to improve even further. Accommodations and general needs, like meals etc., were the same for both trips, and well taken care of.

Instead, I will answer the question I recently was asked the most, namely which of the two trips, Fall or Winter, I liked more. And I give you the short answer upfront, it is “Both!”. Given that leadership and accommodations etc. are the same, the differences are mostly in the daily photographic activities and availabilities of accessible and photogenic locations.

Fall and Winter offer unique perspectives, the latter showing here with a storm approaching

In general, the Fall landscapes are more colorful, displaying the rich autumn yellow to red/brown tones, while the Winter shots bring much more structure to the snow-covered mountains. But, from the beginning! Immediately after getting off the plane in Winter the first difference to Fall becomes apparent; all is white! And it’s beautiful and exciting to just look at all these mountains in white. Right thereafter, after getting into the cars, the other side of snow cover, and Winter overall, becomes apparent, namely the snowy and icy roads. On some days in Winter we had gale force winds creating snow drifts on the roads. On other days we had white-out conditions, with incredible amounts of snow falling rapidly. Fortunately, Cody and Jennifer are excellent drivers! The weather in the Fall was much more moderate, with an occasional downpour of rain that resulted in beautiful rainbows.

The accommodations near Reine, during Evening in Fall and Daytime in Winter

Similar photos of the rugged coastline in their seasons

Lastly, I was surprised how many tourists, mostly photographers, where there in the Wintertime. I would estimate at least twice to three times the numbers I had seen in the Fall, making the latter an insider tip for people that don’t like to share shooting locations with other photographers. The temperature difference between the seasons was not very high, we dipped below freezing usually at nights in the Fall, in the Winter it was plus/minus two degrees Celsius most of the time. Oh, did I mention avalanches already? The chance that you will be in one in the Winter seems extremely slim, but you might feel the impact of traffic re-routing and such. The influence of the weather on traffic extends also to the air, a cancelled flight anywhere on the way to and from Leknes is more likely during the Winter, but the sight out of the airplane window makes up for it.

Sites that have only been visited in one season, for reflections and awe respectively

To sum it up, I was blessed to have been with Amazing Views on both trips, Fall and Winter, and I can only recommend this experience to everybody who likes rugged coastlines, dramatic skies, serene locations, rapid weather changes, and a professional and friendly leadership in Jennifer and Cody. I had a blast!

Northern lights in autumn and in winter