For those travelling from the UK, the adventure will begin when we meet as a group in Heathrow, before our connecting flight to Helsinki. From there we take an internal flight to Ivalo airport where we meet our guide from our good friends and ground agents on this tour, Finnature.

Dinner and accommodation at Hotel Ivalo, close to the airport in Ivalo.

Today we begin our journey up into to Northern Norway, but not before we enjoy our first assignment of the tour with the delights of Finnish-Lapland’s iconic passerines at the forest feeders. Our first stop will be the popular feeders at Kaamanen ‘bird café’, before we spend the rest of the morning at an exclusive feeding site where bird feeders at a secluded site attract wintering passerines such as Pine Grosbeak, Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit, Willow Tit, Common and Arctic Redpoll, as well as numerous Red Squirrels. Birds and squirrels can be photographed at a close distance.

After our shoot, we continue north and have lunch at the Finnish-Norwegian border. We then drive into Norway and leave the treeline behind as we cross the highlands of Varanger Peninsula to the village of Vestre Jakobselve. There is a good chance of Hawk Owl on this and the next leg of our journey so we keep a keen eye (s!) on the tree tops and power lines along the way. Tonight, and on any other that the skies are clear, we may venture out in the hope of the Northern Lights if the Aurora activity is good.

Dinner and accommodation at Varangertunet in Vestre Jakobselve.

The day starts with a photography session at the bird feeder at our lodging, where we’ll be hoping for Waxwings in particular, before setting off east to Vardø, our base for the next few days. As ever we’ll be keeping our eye out en-route for any photography opportunities. After lunch at the hotel, and with fingers crossed for good weather conditions we will embark on the first of several visits to the awe-inspiring island of Hornøya. The boat transfer takes just 10-20 minutes (depending on which boat is used). With the excitement of the adventure it is to reach the island, snow blanketing towering cliffs and the skies filled with swarms of seabirds- few seabird cities in the world can match the heady blend you feel on this island. Atlantic Puffins and all their charms on snow is for most the headline act and yet once here, so unique are the opportunities with the many other species here, it is quite overwhelming- in the very best of ways!

From point-blank portraits, (literally at arm’s length) to wide angle work, placing the approachable birds in their dramatic Arctic environment, to creative use of light and experimental techniques, not to mention the frequent territorial disputes that break out- the opportunities to create powerful imagery is all around us here and is all within a few hundred metres of the landing jetty.

It is estimated that upwards of 100,000 seabirds return to Hornøya each summer. By mid-March Atlantic Puffins, Common and Brünnich’s Guillemots, Razorbills, European Shags, and Black-legged Kittiwakes have usually returned to their breeding cliffs. Having recently arrived back, there is an intensity throughout the colonies as birds are reclaiming nesting sites, rekindling pair bonds and competing for a partner to raise their young.

The sight of Gyrfalcon or White-tailed Eagle is always possible here as they patrol over the island and cause panic among the masses of seabirds. It is not uncommon to see a Gyrfalcon take the occasional unlucky prey.

Weather permitting, we will hope to spend a minimum of three hours here on each visit. It is important we are aware here that conditions can feel extreme and so the weather and sea state conditions control these visits and so delays, even cancellations to sailings can occasionally happen.

After dinner in the evening the first group will head off for their Mountain Hare hide session, situated just 15 minutes from Vardø. In total we have four hide sessions booked with Arctic Varanger, with the group split into two, allowing two visits for each participant to the hide. This innovative assignment to photograph hares at night, responsibly lit by flash at a feeding station, has been carefully developed over recent years and is fast becoming one of the region’s must-do attractions. As well as Mountain Hare we hope to be lucky in encountering Arctic Fox which occasionally visit the hide area. We stay at the hide well into the night, possibly up to midnight, depending on activity. A long day, but absolutely worth it!

Dinner and overnight at Hotel Vardø in Vardø.

Eider and other seaduck are the focus for photography this morning, making use of floating hides to get eye-level with the range of iconic sea duck that inhabit these waters. Top of the wish list will be King and Steller’s Eider, with a charismatic supporting cast of Common Eider and Long-tailed Duck. Other photogenic subjects and possibilities in Vardø may include Black Guillemot, Purple Sandpiper, Glaucous and Iceland Gull and Raven. There are also the amazing Black-legged Kittiwake colonies which are established along window ledges of harbour-front buildings, a fascinating feature in all the small harbour towns we visit.

After lunch at the hotel we head out again for our second visit to Hornøya, weather permitting, with another Mountain Hare session scheduled for the next small group in the evening.

Dinner and overnight at Hotel Vardø in Vardø.

The day starts with a truly new experience, as we will be one of the first groups to visit this newly-built hide for White-tailed Eagle photography. If all goes well, these stunning birds will soar in close. If other species, such as Raven, Red Fox or Arctic Fox are present, there will also be the chance of interaction shots.

After an early dinner part of the group will be heading back to the Mountain Hare hide for another chance to enjoy capturing images of hares in the unique interplay of snow and light conditions these evening sessions provide.

Dinner and overnight at Hotel Vardø in Vardø.

Our final day in this very special place. Weather permitting, we head out on a thrilling RIB boat safari to photograph rafts of Common and Brünnich’s Guillemots and King Eiders, but also in search of Fin and Humpback Whales which are found here during this exciting season. Between Vardø and Svartnes large rafts of King Eiders are often seen resting on the sea this time of year, offering an amazing seaside spectacle.

After lunch, there is time for another trip out to Hornøya and a last chance to savour the spectacle of the seabirds thronging around us, with a final evening Mountain Hare session before departing for Finland in the morning.

Dinner and overnight at Hotel Vardø in Vardø.

With a long journey ahead of us to travel back to Finland, most of the day is spent travelling so this is a good chance to rest. We will of course break up the journey with a couple of stops and on route, the experienced eyes of your guides will be constantly on the lookout for photo opportunities- particularly Hawk Owl, that may be seen along this route. These roadside opportunities have provided many amazing encounters on previous tours – fingers crossed it is a good year for the species in the region!

Dinner and accommodation at Hotel Ivalo in Ivalo.

In the morning we are transferred the short distance for our departure from Ivalo airport and connecting flight to Helsinki.