When we were putting our two week Northern Norway itinerary together, I insisted that we start as far south as the Helgeland coast, while Dan insisted that we travel as far north as Alta. And I’m glad we are both so stubborn, because both places end up being highlights of the trip.
But why was Dan so set on visiting Alta? He’s actually had his heart set on the town for over four years – since before we even moved to Norway.
Back when we were living in Thailand and I first brought up the idea of moving to Norway, Dan immediately jumped on board all, “let’s move to the Arctic!” And before I could say “polar night” he had looked up a bunch of university courses and found the perfect Norwegian home for us: Alta.
And Alta stayed Dan’s dream home for many months, until we decided that perhaps we could ease ourselves into Norwegian winters a bit (lol a lot) farther south in Trondheim. And then life happened and we somehow found ourselves in the south of Norway, some 2,000 kilometers from Alta.
But no matter, we had finally found our way to Alta! And guys, I sort of loved it. In fact I’d say Alta can solidly claim the #2 spot on the list of places I’d like to live if I were to move somewhere else in Norway (funnily enough, Alta only comes in third place on Dan’s list).
I can’t really describe what it was I loved so much about Alta.
The town itself isn’t particularly pretty, and it’s a bit scattered since the town was actually only established in 2000, when the villages of Bossekop, Elvebakken, and Alta joined together. But the arctic landscape is spectacular and with most of the residential neighborhoods set on the hills rising up from the fjord, it does seem like it would make a lovely place to live.
It could also have been the outdoor adventure vibe that had me falling in love with Alta, as so many arctic tours are based out of the town.
Or maybe it was all the puppies.
While in Alta Dan and I stayed at Holmen Husky Lodge, accommodation that Northern Norway and Visit Alta had arranged for us. And I’ll admit I thought a husky lodge was a bit of an odd choice for the summertime. Like, isn’t husky sledding just a winter thing? Was this confirmation of my suspicion that Alta is mostly just a winter destination?
Actually, it proved to be the opposite, because when Dan checked out their website his eyes lit up. Puppies!
Puppies.
Puppies!
PUPPIES!
Seriously, I could go on saying puppies forever (in fact that’s pretty much all I did during our stay at Holmen Husky). But like guys, how cute are they????
Ahhh I’m dying just looking back through the photos. These little guys were THE CUTEST.
I tried not to take too many photos of them because I didn’t want to freak them out (do puppies even know what a GoPro is? probably not). Though the older huskies didn’t seem too camera shy.
Like, I don’t know if I can even finish typing up this blog post I want a husky so badly can I get one now they won’t mind if I’m constantly traveling they’re totally independent, right?!?!
The lodge itself was a wonderful place to stay, and the staff were so friendly – and very international! It had a bit of a summer camp vibe to it. A super cool summer camp with puppies. Puppies!
We stayed in a little lavvu that I imagine must be even more cosy in the winter when you can heat up the wood burning stove (it was a bit too hot for fires when we were there in June). The common rooms and dining area were all beautifully decorated, and the breakfast was delicious.
Plus we had a lovely view out into the Northern Norwegian nature.
The bathrooms and showers are separate, but who minds taking a walk to the toilet when it means you get to say hi to Storm?
If you want to go dog sledding you’ll need to visit Holmen Husky Lodge between the start of December and the end of April, when you’ll also be able to see the Northern Lights. But if you want to see the puppies you come in the summer instead.
And I mean I’ve never gone dog sledding, but I have seen the Northern Lights and husky puppies and I’d say they’re equally magical, so you will need to schedule yourself two trips up north!
Now pardon me while I go Google adopting huskies in Norway. If you never hear from me again it’s because I’ve abandoned my travel blogging career to become a husky mom.
P.S. You can see more of the Holmen huskies on their Instagram.
Olivia says
I’m always wary of visiting those sorts of places as I’m a major advocate for animal cruelty, how are these adorable precious puppies and adults being treated there? Is it safe to give them my money? I adore animals and that looks like an absolute lovely vacation (my husband and I dream of seeing every inch of Norway, we are so in love with it) but I would be mortified if I showed up and found their living conditions were poor. Looks like a great trip.
Silvia says
I totally understand – in fact that’s why I’ve never been dog sledding. However my impression here was that the dogs are all treated incredibly well. They are working dogs so they aren’t as spoiled as pets, but considering how much exercise they get running around and that they get to live in a pack, I think they actually probably have far better lives than most pet dogs would – especially those that live in a city and are left alone all day. Plus all of the staff were very knowledgeable about the huskies and were happy to tell us about how the lodge works and how the animals are raised.
Olivia says
Thank you for getting back to me and good to know.
Jojo says
It just happens that i found this post and your comment by accident, and having worked on that exact farm for one year I think I can give you some more information.
When it comes to huskyfarms it is often quite difficult to judge the state of animal well being. A lot of farms are family operated and most operators truly love their dogs and try to make their lifes as good as possible. Still, a huskyfarm is a company and the dogs are working dogs and there to make money for the owner.
While some people say that it is cruel to let the dogs run and stay on a chain, I would not agree with that. The dogs I met up there where among the happiest I have ever seen and running truly is a passion for them (they are actually sad if others are running and they cant run in this moment).
However there are some difficult cases:
If a dog gets injured or to old and can’t run anymore he is basically worthless for the company since he can’t “work for his food”. Responsible farms will either keep the dog (and accept the cost), give the dog away to friends/family/handlers or give him up for adoption. Others will simply kill the dog.
On farms with so many dogs (Holmenhusky has around 100), if often happens that there are unplanned pregnancies and sometimes there are several litters a year. With each litter having between 4 and 9 puppies not all of them are needed to replace old dogs or to sustain a growing farm. Again, responsible farms will raise the puppies, sell them or give them away/up for adotption. Others kill the puppies within a few days after birth.
There is a lot more to it and as a major advocate on animal cruelty it will definitely not be easy for you to find the perfect farm which corresponds exactly with your values.
If you want to read more about the topic I can really recommend the site of Hettahusky (http://www.hettahuskies.com/en/our-farm-dogs/sled-dog-ethics)
The company is very active when it comes to the wellbeeing of huskies and from what they described on their website it is most likely the most responsible farm I have ever seen (I haven’t been there personally yet, so its only my impression based on their website).
Regarding Holmenhusky I can say that it is in general a very good place for the dogs, but especially when it comes to surprise litters during the season there are some things that you would definitely not like about the place.
Hope I could give you some valuable information on the topic.
(And if you have any questions you can gladly ask and I see if I can answer them.)
Nynke says
Cool! Also, that must be verdens stiligste lavvo (the best-decorated lavvo in the world?)! Have you seen Monsen og hundene on NRK.no?
Dominique | dominiquetravels.com says
I absolutely fell in love with Alaskan Huskies. They are so cute, friendly & happy. It brings a smile on my face just thinking about them.
Amanda says
I LOVE this place! I stayed in winter a couple years ago, and I think it might be even more magical then! You go dog sledding through the forest at night, and then get to stay in those cozy lavvus and soak in the hot tub at night. We even got a glimpse of the Northern Lights there, which was amazing!
ClicketySnap says
ooooh I’ll do a co-op husky ownership with you, that way everybody gets to travel and the husky is always loved 😀
molina says
Må bare legge igjen en liten hilsen.
Ble hele natta for meg her på ‘heartmybackpack’. Det har vært en fryd for meg å ‘reise’ i dine ‘innlegg’ og gleden du uttrykker over -norway- med natur og stress-ned modus i mitt sære å forundelige hjemland, og artig var det med at å avslutte ‘min reise’ her – på din reise – ditt besøk i alta, som er mitt hjemsted(vinterens begivenhet her har jo nylig vært, nemlig ‘finnmarksløpet’) – likte-nettblogg-skriveriet-ditt! lykke til vidre på dine reiser og oppdagelser 🙂
Silvia says
Ååå så hyggelig å høre 🙂