This is an intense wildlife photography tour which has been described by many as an experience of a lifetime. An official National Park guide will take you into the mountains of Dovrefjell to photograph wild roaming musk-oxen. You will photograph these impressive animals in the harsh Norwegian winter conditions, with temperatures dropping well below -20 degrees and a good chance for a winter storm to pass through. This tour is for the more adventurous nature photographer. This particular tour is different from the other musk-oxen winter tours we offer, since we won't be camping. We will stay in comfortable cabins just outside the National Park, eat nice meals in the restaurant and will hike every day to the musk-oxen. 

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Itinerary

• Day 1. You will fly on Oslo Gardermoen airport. Here you will be picked up and be driven to the accommodation just outside the National Park of Dovrefjell. The drive takes about 5 hours. The first night we will stay in comfortable cabins, just outside the National Park. A nice warm meal will be waiting for us in the restaurant.

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• Day 2, 3, 4 and 5. After a good breakfast we head out into the mountains to the musk-oxen. Depending on where in the area the musk-oxen will be, we will have to hike between 30 and 120 minutes to get to the musk-oxen. If we are lucky, there can be some musk-oxen in the lower plateaus. In that case the hike will be in rather flat terrain. If there are no musk-oxen in the lower parts of the terrain, we have to get higher up in the mountains. Expect an altitude difference of around 600 meters spread over 3.5km and an additional 3km for the longest hikes. You need to be in a good condition for this tour. ​

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• Time of sunrise and sunset during this tour is at about 08:30 in the morning and at 16:45 in the evening. Depending on how far into the mountains the animals are standing, we try to be with the animals before sunrise and will stay with the animals until sunset.   

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• Every evening we eat a nice warm meal in the restaurant. ​

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• Day 6. In the morning you will be driven back to Oslo Gardermoen airport and fly home again.  

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The accommodation

We are staying at the comfortable cabins of Furuhaugli Fjellhytter. Each cabin has 2 two-person bedrooms, a bathroom, small kitchen and living room. The restaurant is on the same location, just a minute walk from our cabins. 

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The weather

The temperature will probably be around -15 on day time and around -20 at night time. These mountains are known for the strong wind which suddenly can pick up and disappear again. This means that the weather can change rather fast from hour to hour. During the tours there is a good chance that we will get into blizzards. Proper clothing is an absolute must! 

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The guides

These tours are guided by Floris Smeets and Maija Abele. Floris is one of the official Dovrefjell Nation Park guides. He is experienced and knows the area and animals well. Over the years, he has guided groups in some of the toughest winter weather conditions and will always put the group's safety upfront. Even though the conditions can be challenging, you will be safe in his hands. Additionally, he is a professional photographer and Sony Ambassador. He plans the tours to maximize your photographic results. You will be on the right spot at the right time and can always ask for tips and feedback. Maija is an experienced guide and has been working closely with Floris since 2022. She has a close eye on the guests and makes sure that everything runs smoothly. 

 

Physical condition of the participants

You need to be fit for this tour! You have to be able to walk several (3-5) hours per day, also in rather steep terrain. We will walk mostly with snowshoes. Only on the tops of the mountains, where the musk-oxen mainly are, we will not always need snowshoes. Snowshoes are provided for you. Participants have to carry their own photo equipment plus 1 Liter of tea or coffee and food for the day. 

 

Food and drinks

To be able to get out early into the mountains, we have early breakfasts in one of the cabins. During breakfast we also make our lunch packages for in the mountains. The dinners are served in the restaurant of the accommodation. 

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Disclaimer 

Dovrefjell is known for the harsh weather conditions. If the wind picks up and will stay for a longer period above 20 meter per second, there is a chance that the roads will be closed. Luckily the accommodation is within the barriers. If there is not too much snow on the roads, we will still head out for the musk-oxen. But in some extreme cases there will be too much snow on the roads and we will be stuck at the accommodation until the roads are opened again. It can happen that we won't be able to head out into the mountains every single day of the trip if the weather conditions are too extreme. 

 

Please contact us for any questions.

Or to book the tour, please fill out the online booking form.