Want to know what to do in Tromsø in September? Try a Norwegian fjord sailing excursion from Tromsø with Pukka Travels.
“Ahoy Matey,” I called out as I took the steering on The Golden Eagle, the yacht we boarded in central Tromsø, just a short walk from our Tromsø hotel, the Clarion Collection Hotel With.
I would have added a more piratey “Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,” if I wasn’t so busy watching the horizon, hoping I wouldn’t ram us into another boat. Luckily for us all, my stint as skipper was brief and I was relieved when Tobias took the wheel again.
We were on our fjord sailing excursion from Tromsø, and I was enjoying the splendid view and the breeze hitting my face as I kept warm in my thermo suit.
When I was planning our trip to Norway, researching what to do in and around Tromsø in September, I realized that it was the perfect time for a Norwegian fjord sailing excursion.
The weather was great (between 8 and 16 degrees C), the days were not too short, and the fall colors were lovely. Sailing the fjords of Norway was one of the Tromsø excursions on my bucket list, so it was a no-brainer.
I booked our fjord excursion in Tromsø with a tour operator called Pukka Travels, which sails in the fjords 364 days a year.
The night before our fjord sailing trip, we were out till 3 am, chasing the Northern Lights with GuideGunnar, and managed to get only a few hours of sleep.
After a quick breakfast at 8 am, we met the three crew members, Tobias, Nick, and Jonas (I kid you not!), near their lovely little yacht parked in the Tromsø harbour alongside the Scandic Ishavshotel.
Luckily for us, early September is the lean season in Norway, so we were the only people on the excursion and got their full attention.
Tobias gave us a rundown of all the safety measures to be followed and what to do in the unlikely event that the boat sank. He offered us the thermo suits because the wind chill was brutal, despite the pleasant weather. I gladly took one.
As we set sail along the harbor, Jonas told us about the mountain peaks up ahead and about the stone-age settlements that were found there.
They also pointed out some prehistoric stone carvings on the distant shore as we sailed through the fjord.
Tobias informed us that we needed to catch some fish so they could make fish soup for lunch, or else we’d have to settle for a vegetarian soup. I don’t like to fish, but Arun was game, so Tobias gave him a quick lesson with the fishing rod.
Arun managed to get a couple of nibbles, but they got away.
Tobias caught a little fish which he let go since they’re not supposed to catch small fry. He finally managed to snag a decent-sized one for our lunch and proceeded to gut it in a bucket.
While the crew cooked our meal, Arun and I sat at the bow of our fjord sailing boat, taking photos and enjoying the journey.
Soon our lunch was ready, and the crew called us down into the dining room where they served us a piping hot fish soup, accompanied by some bread.
The fish soup was delicious and very filling, and we downed it with the bread pretty quickly. After the soup, they offered us a choice of a number of teas or coffee.
We chose coffee and sat around the table exchanging travel stories and enjoying a few laughs. Nick happened to be an expat from Australia who moved to Norway with his wife, so we found his experiences quite unique and interesting.
Our Tromsø fjord excursion lasted around 3 hours and, although we didn’t spot any wildlife (it was too early in the year for whale-watching), we had a very enjoyable time, thanks to the amiable and funny crew of The Golden Eagle.
Also, read:
- Why I Chose To Visit Tromsø For My Northern Lights Bucket List Tour
- Chasing the Northern Lights From Tromsø With GuideGunnar
- Lyngen North: Northern Lights, Fjords, and Fogbows
- Exploring The Macabre And Fascinating Polar Museum In Tromsø, Norway
- What to Do in Tromsø – Tromsø Excursions and Activities
Watch the video of our Norwegian fjord sailing excursion with Pukka Travels.
Ay ay captain…. That was a great posts…. Relived the childhood memories and the penchant for being a pirate… A good pirate like Jack Sparrow….
Really enjoyed reading…..
Ha ha, Jayashree, that’s why my blog is called Ahoy Matey! I love pirates. 😉
This looks so much fun inspite of the cold! Good to see other things getting featured in Norway other than Northern Lights.
There’s a lot to do in Norway besides the lights, Ketki.
Wow,
Norway is on my bucket list. Especially fiords!
Awesome, Andrew. I hope you get to do that soon.
Very detailed and informative well written one. I wish i plan someday to this awesome place.
Thanks. I hope you do.
These are great photos! I love the landscapes you guys got to see and the boat looks quite nice, too. I always have enjoyed boat riding and being on the water, but my wife is terrified of it. Maybe one of these days I can convince her. 🙂
I hope you can convince your wife to go, Frank. It’s really quite safe.
What a fun excursion, something that would definitely be on my travel bucket list! I think it’s cool that you guys caught you lunch, what a fun and memorable experience
It was really quite enjoyable.
Looks like you had a great experience and this is great! This kind of excursion is soemthing we’d like to do someday… How was the temperature?
It was very pleasant, except for the wind chill.
Looks like it was a real thrill to be out in that chill! Fresh homemade fish soup for lunch, what a treat!
It was quite delicious, I admit. 🙂
This looks like such a wonderful experience. I bet all that fresh air made you hungry by the lunchtime. The food looks amazing. I envy you.
Yep, we were ravenous by lunchtime 🙂
This was a really enjoyable part of our Norway trip. We had the whole yacht and its crew totally to ourselves, and we had three hours to talk with them. Apart from the amazing views, I found their individual stories completely fascinating. They’ve packed more unique experiences into their young lives than I have in my entire 54 years on this rock. My fish got away, but what the hell – we saw and learned a lot, and the weather out there on the water was fantastic.
I loved their stories, too.
What an interesting experience! Norway is an amazing country. I love its picturesque landscapes.
Yes, it was fun, Arunas.
It looks like a lovely way to spend a day exploring the Norwegian Fjords. The soup sounded delicious! I loved the names of the crew!
I know. I couldn’t get over having Nick and Jonas on the same boat. 🙂 Just kidding.
I’d love to see Norwegian fjords one day! What a beautiful trip, especially since you had the crew to yourself. That would be a nice personal touch. There is nothing worse than being freezing cold on a boat ride, so I commend you for choosing to wear the winter gear. 🙂
Thanks, Kristie. I prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to sailing in the Arctic 🙂
Wow this looks like so much fun, it was good that you were the only ones on the tour, so you could get the full experience of the tour, the Fjords are probably amazing at this time of year, too bad you couldn’t see any whales, but hey there is always another time am I right?
Yes, Matija. Definitely going back for the whale-watching tour. 🙂
This sounds like the most incredible experience
It was fun, Jenn.
Seems like an amazing excursion, would love to visit Fjord one day.
It was really enjoyable, Evelyn.
Priya, that’s a great time you had. Sailing on the fjords is a thing to do when you are traveling through the Scandinavian region. I have never been to Tromso yet, but heading to Iceland soon. By the way, did you like the fish soup? I am wondering how it would taste.
I’m Goan, so I love seafood, Shreya. The fish soup was delicious, but they do make vegetarian soup if you ask in advance.
Yum, that fish soup looks delicious! I’d love to try something like this one day, and Tromso looks so stunning too. What an adventure!
Thanks, Lisa. More blogs on Tromso coming up soon.
I love how you called out “ahoy matey” haha! This looks like a fantastic excursion – I’ve been to Norway, but not to Tromoso. I have a friend from there and she tells me it’s a beautiful place 🙂 x
All my piratey fantasies come true 😉 Tromso is a beautiful city. Will be writing more on it soon.