Join us on this expedition to swim with orcas, where we will photograph the largest gathering of whales in the world. This trip offers an exclusive opportunity to see and photograph orcas and whales underwater and to capture the breathtaking landscapes of the Norwegian Fjords and the Northern Lights at night.
We are running this Whales of Norway photo tour from November 15th to 22nd, 2024, during the best weeks of the year, granting us great conditions for possible whale sightings and plenty of hours of light.
Every winter, one of the most spectacular natural shows on Earth occurs when hundreds of whales migrate to Northern Norway looking for food. They follow the giant schools of herring and mackerel that travel across the fjords every winter, creating the largest gathering of whales in the world.
This migration starts at the beginning of the winter when the majestic landscapes of the Norwegian Fjords are painted by the ephemeral winter light. These conditions provide a constant sunrise-to-sunset light ideal for photography. At night, another natural show starts when the Northern Lights illuminate the night sky across the fjords.
This Orcas of Norway photo tour is focused on photographing the whales, landscapes, and Northern Lights in the Norwegian Arctic, with a unique opportunity to snorkel with orcas and whales.
We will travel aboard a private small expedition ship to search for schools of herring and pods of orcas and humpbacks. By traveling this way, we’ll have the best chances of finding orcas and whales in the fjords.
We will personally help you capture the best possible images during our expedition to swim with orcas, and show you the best techniques to shoot wildlife, landscapes, and the marvelous Aurora Borealis at night.
Download the Orcas and Northern Lights Photo Tour Brochure
Before you continue reading, it’s important to note that some activities on this orca photo tour require a certain level of fitness.
All the activities on the boat, as well as the landscape and Northern Lights sessions, are suitable for all levels.
However, the snorkeling activity is intended for those in reasonably good health. You need to have a certain level of fitness and strength in order to participate. Staying afloat is easy thanks to the dry suits, but getting in and out of the zodiac can be challenging. You have to be able to lift yourself out of the water into the zodiac.
If you don’t want to take part in the snorkeling, you are still more than welcome to join us on the zodiac for a unique perspective and to photograph the orcas, whales, and landscapes.
Like any wildlife or weather-dependent activity, photographing and snorkeling with orcas and whales is not guaranteed. Our captain and guides will be on the constant lookout for them, and they’ll do their best so we can enjoy memorable encounters.
The Northern Lights sessions also depend on the clouds. This area is one of the best in the world for big Aurora displays, and we’ll try to capture them as much as we can.
We will follow a similar itinerary every day, but some activities will change and be adapted according to the conditions so you can enjoy the best possible experience.
This Orcas & Northern Lights photo tour will begin at the Clarion Hotel the Edge, in Tromsø, where you can arrive anytime. (check-in time is after 3:00 PM).
On this day, there are no tour activities, but it’s fundamental to arrive at least one day before we embark on the adventure in case there are flight delays, cancelations, or lost luggage, which are common at this time of year in Northern Norway.
We will give some recommendations to visit Tromsø, including the most popular walks, activities, and Aurora tours so you can warm up for the trip!
On the second day of our orcas photography tour, we will do the official tour orientation at the Clarion Hotel at 10:00 AM.
After the meeting, we will do a camera gear and settings review in the morning to prepare for the trip so you can capture anything from wildlife in action to stunning Northern Lights displays.
At 16:30, we will meet with our local guides and embark on our private expedition ship. Once we’re settled on board, the crew and local guides will give a brief overview, explaining all the details of the trip before we venture into the Northern Norway fjords.
The trip will take about three hours, and, during that time, we’ll have the first dinner aboard and do a Northern Lights session from the deck of the boat.
On day 3, we’ll start with the most exciting part of the trip; looking for orcas and whales in the remote northern fjords!
As we commented, the activities can change every day depending on the conditions, but you can expect the following itinerary:
Right at dawn, the captain and crew will be on the constant lookout for whales. We will have breakfast at 8:00 AM, followed by a morning photography session from the deck, capturing the morning light in the fjords and the whales using our telephoto lenses.
As soon as the guides spot the orcas and whales and see a good opportunity for a closer encounter, we will get our gear ready, jump into the zodiacs, and move closer to the whales.
The zodiacs will be the main transportation and, depending on the conditions, we can spend from one to four hours in them looking for wildlife. The guides will get as close as possible to the orcas and whales and position ourselves so we can photograph them with the winter Arctic light hitting the fjords in the background.
Sometimes, we will photograph big pods of orcas and whales traveling across the fjords, while other times, we’ll look for special behaviors like spyhopping and breaching.
When the guides deem it safe to get in the water with the orcas & whales, we’ll gently slip off the side of the zodiac and explore an underwater world where you’ll experience one of the most privileged sightings on Earth.
The encounters are always unpredictable; sometimes it can be a quick look, seeing how the orcas are traveling underwater looking for food, while others it can be a longer encounter with curious whales that approach us.
Our crew will do their best to spot a “baitball”, a giant swirl with schools of fish tightly packed in a spherical formation about a common center. Seeing the orcas and whales hunting and eating in groups is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you’ll never forget.
You are always free to decide if you want to take part in the snorkeling activities or not. If you choose not to snorkel, no problem! Our guides will provide a comfortable and waterproof zodiac suit and you’ll have an exceptional opportunity to photograph the orcas and whales from the zodiac at a very close distance.
*Note: Snorkeling is always done in a responsible way and by following all the regulations in Norway to get in the water with these animals. Orcas have a bad reputation as killer whales, but they are very intelligent and there has never been an attack on humans out of captivity.
Once we run out of light or the conditions are no longer good, we will get back to our ship to take a hot shower, have lunch, and take a break.
In the evening, we will do different activities like photo editing sessions, photo reviews, and talks about wildlife/landscape/Northern Lights photography. Our local guides will also offer nature presentations so we can learn more about orcas, whales, and their behaviors.
After dinner, we’ll start the second hunt of the day, looking for the Northern Lights. Some days, we will stay anchored and shoot them from the boat, while others, we will go ashore in different small villages where we’ll look for a good spot to shoot the Aurora. At this latitude and, providing the skies are clear, you can expect to photograph the Northern Lights almost every night!
After the last zodiac trip on day 7, the boat will bring us back to Tromsø, where we’ll spend our last night on the boat.
After breakfast at 09:00 AM, we will disembark and bid farewell to the crew and the rest of the group.
You can fly back home at any time or extend your stay in Tromsø or Northern Norway.
You can catch your flight back home at any time from day 8 or stay longer in Tromsø if you’d like. I recommend checking our Tromsø trip planner if you decide to stay before/after the trip.
Note: All prices are per person
Deposit: $3,000 USD
A non-refundable deposit of $3,000 USD is required to reserve your spot for this tour. You can also pay in full at any time. The remaining balance is due 4 months before the start of the tour. If the remaining balance is not paid in full by the due date, you will lose your spot.
This trip is focused on wildlife, landscape, and Northern Lights photography.
What you learn during the workshop will vary according to your goals and skills. Your instructors are professional photographers with extensive experience who will help you take your photography to the next level.
During the tour you’ll have the opportunity to learn:
Some of the post-processing techniques that you can learn with the included tutorials are:
Your instructors on this Orcas & Northern Lights Photo Tour
Dan Zafra will be the tour leader throughout this Whales & Northern Lights Photo Tour, and he will make sure that you get the best photography results and experience from this tour. He will help you with composition, technique, and post-processing in your wildlife, landscape & Northern Lights images and use the best methods according to your skills.
He is based in Nevada and has explored the higher latitudes of our planet over the years on countless trips to Northern Norway, Iceland, Alaska, and Kamchatka. He has experience swimming with orcas and whales in Norway and he will provide constant tips and instruction so you can capture the best possible images.
Dan is a renowned photographer who enjoys educating other photographers with photo tours, workshops, and tutorials. His online photography courses have helped more than 700 photographers over the last few years and he’s an expert Northern Lights photographer with images published by NASA and the Royal Observatory of Greenwich.
You’ve probably seen Dan in…
Ascen will be the co-leader on this snorkeling with orcas photo tour. She is an expert in the Norwegian Arctic after taking many trips throughout the region over the last few years.
Her main passion is wildlife photography, and her dream since she was a kid has been to swim with orcas, a dream that she’ll help you fulfill on this tour! Ascen will also provide the best settings and techniques to capture all the action on the tour.
Ascen loves traveling and helping others with their craft. She’s traveled extensively and led photo tours in other regions like Iceland and the Norwegian Lofoten Islands.
This vessel is the ideal ship for intimate, small-group expeditions to Northern Norway, offering bright and spacious interior areas and large deck spaces outside. It was originally built as a Swedish buoy-laying vessel and was completely refurbished in 2021 to prepare it for new adventures as a leisure expedition ship.
It can accommodate up to 12 guests in 9 cabins with new Scandinavian interiors and private bathrooms. Included on the boat:
One of the highlights of our ship is the spacious lounge. The large windows offer good viewing opportunities and plenty of space for photo editing, listening to lectures, or just having a drink with your fellow photographers. It’s the heart of the ship and a nice place to spend time during the darker hours.
Food will be served at designated times in the dining area, but we will be flexible should any wildlife suddenly appear. The chef has a varied and tasty menu that can be adapted to special dietary needs.
Below, you can find a summary of things you might need:
- DSLR/mirrorless camera and a sturdy tripod
- A wide-angle lens, such as a 14-24 mm lens
- A medium zoom lens, such as a 24-70 mm lens
- A telephoto lens in the 100-400 mm range
- A camera bag to transport all your equipment
- A waterproof dry bag for the Zodiac (Example)
- An L-bracket to take vertical images and panoramas
- A headlamp for the night shoots
*Zoom telephoto lenses are ideal for capturing the best possible whale images. From the boat, we recommend a lens in the 200-600 mm range and, for the zodiac, a lens in the 70-400 mm range.
Some camera gear like telephoto lenses or housing cases can be very expensive, so we always recommend the option of renting for the trip. We always rent our camera gear through Lensrentals. You can find more information on how Lensrentals works and get a discount here.
Unlike the interior of Northern Norway, where the climate is purely Arctic, the coastal areas have rather mild winters thanks to the Gulf Stream. This means the harbors along the coast are free of ice throughout the year. Nice calm winter days regularly occur and the low position of the sun can create a continuous sunrise to sunset.
The average temperature in the Norwegian Arctic in November is between 21ºF to 30°F (-1° C to -6ºC), with a water temperature around 35ºF (2ºC).
We are still above the Arctic Circle and you should come prepared for all kinds of weather, so bring warm clothing. Snow and strong winds can occur during our trip. Some of the things that we recommend bringing on this swimming with orcas photo tour are:
You will find more items and details on the official list of recommendations that we provide before the trip.
If you want to take part in the swimming with orcas activities, our local team will provide all the necessary equipment, including:
If you don’t want to snorkel, we’ll provide you with a special waterproof and windproof suit you can wear in the zodiac to stay warm and dry.
We also include the rental of polar thermal overalls to wear under your dry suit. These overalls have been specifically designed to keep you warm while snorkeling in cold water. You can also wear it as a windproof outer layer for while you’re outside on the deck or during the Northern Lights session.
There’s no hiking on this trip with the exception of some short walks to photograph the Northern Lights when we are ashore.
All the activities on the boat, as well as the landscape and Northern Lights sessions, are suitable for all fitness levels.
However, the snorkeling activity is intended for people in reasonably good health. Staying afloat is easy thanks to the air in the dry suits and you don’t have to actively swim, but you need to have a certain level of fitness and strength in order to participate, especially to get in and out of the zodiac. You have to be able to lift yourself out of the water into the boat.
If you don’t want to take part in the snorkeling, you are still more than welcome to join us in the zodiac for a unique perspective to see and photograph the orcas, whales, and landscapes.
The currency in Norway is the Norwegian Krone (NOK). You can pay by credit card in almost 100% of the places in Norway, no matter how small the amount is, so you don’t need much cash for the trip.
Still, if you want to bring some cash, it would be more convenient to bring NOK from your home country, although if that is not possible, you could exchange it at the Tromsø airport.
You don’t need a Visa to enter Norway from the U.S. or any country in the EU.
Please check if you need a Visa to enter Norway. We can help you with the process.
The price of round-trip flights to Tromsø from Europe and the U.S. is approximately $600-1,000.
The main airlines flying to Tromsø are Scandinavian Airlines, Norwegian, and Widerøe. There are plenty of flights from Oslo, Bergen, and other big Norwegian cities.
We strongly recommend booking your flight to arrive one day before the start of the tour (Nov. 2nd) in case there are flight cancelations because of bad weather.
Also, make sure that there’s enough time between layovers so your luggage arrives on time. Once we board the ship, we won’t be back in Tromsø for 6 days, so you won’t be able to join the tour on a later day.
The trip from Tromsø airport to downtown and the Clarion Edge is very short, and there are many transportation options like express bus, local bus, or taxi.
Meals are included except lunch and dinners in Tromsø.
We recommend preparing to spend about $40-$60 USD on food during the two days that we’ll stay in Tromsø.
There’s free Wi-Fi at the Clarion Hotel but no Wi-Fi on board the ship. We will spend all nights anchored or ashore next to small fishing towns where all the major mobile network operators have cellular service.
If your data plan doesn’t include roaming in Europe, we recommend purchasing an Holafly eSIM data plan for the trip. You can find more details in our Holafly article.
Our photo tours are completely centered on photography: finding the best moments to shoot, running dedicated post-processing sessions, and creating an intensive experience that is conducive to learning and taking the best possible images.
This Orca photo tour is limited to a small group of 12 photographers on an exclusive expedition boat just for our group.
This is the only photo tour that you’ll find that focuses on all the main highlights of Northern Norway, not only orcas and whales but also landscapes and Northern Lights photo sessions at night.
We will discuss your goals before the tour so we can create a dedicated instruction plan for you. It doesn’t matter your age or skills; we will design your plan and provide you with materials before, during, and after the workshop so the learning process is not limited to just the tour.
We have spent years designing national and international photo tours with successful results, helping photographers with everything from the simple task of getting off Auto to the ambitious goal of capturing complex images. Dan’s online courses have also helped more than 400 photographers over the last few years.
Beyond the photography, our photography tours help build strong bonds that last forever. After our trip, you’ll feel like you have been with a group of friends rather than on a standard tour. We are thankful to have plenty of repeat clients who keep traveling and learning with us.
Whether you are experienced or just starting out in photography, you are welcome to join us, and I am convinced that you will progress very fast. Together, we will get you back home with a greater and deeper knowledge of many photography topics.
There has never been a recorded attack of orcas or whales on humans out of captivity.
We follow all the regulations and guidelines to have a memorable and safe encounter. Some of the rules that we need to follow:
Water in Northern Norway is cold; about 35ºF (2ºC). However, we will be prepared with special gear including polar thermal overalls, professional dry suits, waterproof hoods, 7 mm mittens, and waterproof boots.
You can feel some cold at times in the hands and feet, especially after a long day, but most times, the excitement will keep you warm.
All the activities on the boat, as well as the landscape and Northern Lights sessions, are suitable for all fitness levels.
The snorkeling activity is intended for people in reasonably good health. Staying afloat is easy thanks to the dry suits, but you need to have a certain level of fitness and strength in order to participate, especially to get in and out of the zodiac.
If you don’t want to take part in the snorkeling, you are still more than welcome to join us in the zodiac for a unique perspective to see and photograph the orcas, whales, and landscapes.
There is no age limit. This trip is perfect for anyone over 18 years old who wants to photograph the whales of Norway with us.
This trip is drone-friendly, but you must have the captain’s approval to fly the drone when we’re in the boat. Also, you’ll have to take off and land in a designated area.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with and help countless photographers over the last years:
This tour is governed by specific cancellations & refunds terms to meet the terms and conditions of our charter provider.
– Both deposit and remaining payment are non-refundable. We highly recommend getting a cancel for any reason insurance.
– In case a participant needs to cancel, Capture the Atlas will do its best to find a substitute to cover the spot. If your spot is filled by another participant, we’ll refund your balance minus payment processing fees and $300 administrative fee plus any additional costs incurred, as well as any fees that are charged by the suppliers providing the services included in the photo tour such as hotels, transportation, tours and others.
Our standard Terms and Conditions also apply for this photo tour with the exception of the CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS section.
There aren’t many experiences as exciting as being with orcas and whales underwater.
You’ll feel like you’re on a Blue Planet documentary when you see big pods of orcas traveling together or when the impressive whales swallow the fish a few feet for you.
Raise your head and you’ll see constant tails, fins, and blowholes with a dramatic background of fjords painted by the ephemeral winter light of the Arctic.
At night, it’s the cherry on top when the Aurora Borealis dances above your head for hours. The fjords of Northern Norway are a magical place during the winter that many people don’t know yet.
Are you ready to embark on an adventure like this?
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