Rewilding: Orcas, Auroras + the Polar Night
For one week, the sun never breaches the horizon. Sail dark fjords on a luxury yacht and slip into frigid water to snorkel with wild orcas mid-hunt. Take a polar plunge, hike snow-blown islands, and spend one unforgettable night ashore in a self-dug snow cave or fire-warmed teepee — all while the aurora ripples overhead.
Set sail from Tromsø aboard a privately chartered expedition yacht and head deep into Arctic Norway at the peak of orca season — when the days are short, the nights are long, and nature doesn't care about your comfort zone.
Each day, a brief window of cobalt twilight stretches across the horizon — just a few quiet hours of light before darkness returns. And in that narrow window, everything happens. You'll scout for wild orcas and, conditions permitting, slip into the frigid water beside them in a drysuit — an experience that's equal parts humbling and electric. You may encounter humpbacks. You'll fish, hike remote islands, build fires on frozen beaches, and take the kind of polar plunge that resets your entire nervous system.
At night, the Arctic comes alive in a different way. The sky opens up — northern lights dancing overhead, the Milky Way cutting through the darkness — and your floating basecamp becomes a front-row seat to one of the most raw, untamed environments on Earth.
This is about re-wilding. About stepping outside the routines, the noise, the soft edges of modern life — and remembering what it feels like to be fully awake in the natural world.
Space is limited to just 6 guest spots aboard an intimate expedition yacht, hosted personally by the Lockwood family. No crowds. No fluff. Just a small group, a seasoned crew, and a week that will stay with you long after you've thawed out.
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Trip Itinerary
Tromsø: Lines Off at Last Light
You land in Tromsø, grab your bags, and take private ground transportation to the dock. Settle into your cabin aboard the Arctic Dream, meet the crew, run the safety briefing and enjoy lunch on board. You'll then perform an orientation dive in full gear before your catamaran slips its lines and the last cobalt light drains off the horizon. First night aboard, first taste of the dark.
Into the Dark Islands
Your first full expedition day: sailing the coastal islands while the crew scouts the herring runs — because where the herring go, the orcas follow. You'll also be on the search for humpbacks and other whale species. At any points where your crew deems it safe and ethical, you'll don your drysuit and slip into the frigid waters alongside them. As the twilight fades, eyes up for your first chance at the aurora.
Eye to Eye with Orcas
Another day of the headline act. Conditions permitting, you again look for opportunities to slip into 2–4°C water in a drysuit beside wild orcas mid-hunt — humbling and electric in roughly equal measure. Humpbacks are again likely gatecrashers. Back aboard for a hot meal, then aurora and Milky Way overhead if the sky plays nice. We promise the experience, never the weather.
Whales, On Their Terms
Day three of whale country, and by now you've found your rhythm. The crew keeps working the herring grounds patiently — Magnetic North never chases, never crowds, just positions the boat and lets the orcas decide. If you've already had your fill of fins and flukes, this is the day to pivot: drop a line for your own dinner, or push deeper into a quiet fjord. The whales set the pace here, and so do you.
A Night Ashore
Everyone steps onto a remote beach for the trip's wildest night. A 12-person teepee goes up with a wood-burning stove inside, reindeer skins and sleeping bags lining the floor. A fire burns all evening while the crew ladles out bowls of reindeer stew and keeps the portable sauna hot. Cold plunges between rounds, and — conditions permitting — snow caves you help dig and can actually sleep in. Teepee, snow cave, or back to the yacht: the choice is yours.
Snowshoes + Slow Hours
A gentler day to let the week settle. Strap on snowshoes for a hike across the white silence — distance scaled to the group, no summit-or-bust pressure. Back aboard, the day softens into sauna heat, hot food, and unhurried hours. One last full night under the polar sky, and if the aurora wants an encore, you'll be ready for it.
The Last Sail Back to Tromsø
One last breakfast aboard as the Arctic Dream points south. The sail back to Tromsø takes most of the day — quiet hours on deck or in the saloon, the coast slipping past, the polar light doing its slow blue dance. You'll thaw out eventually. A hot shower, a real bed, the slow return of feeling to your toes. The week itself takes a good while longer to wear off. Most guests find it never entirely does.
Where You’ll Stay
Arctic Dream
Your floating basecamp above the Arctic Circle
The Arctic Dream is a 2024 Lagoon 51 sailing catamaran, and for one week it's your warm, steady home base while the Arctic does its thing outside. Two saloons, a flybridge, and outdoor daybeds mean room to spread out, thaw out, and scan for orcas without elbowing your cabinmate. It isn't a cruise ship and it isn't pretending to be one — it's an intimate expedition platform that just happens to be genuinely comfortable.
What's Included
- Six nights aboard a privately chartered expedition catamaran
- Professional crew, including an experienced expedition chef
- All meals onboard — breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Guided expedition activities, including orca snorkeling, the polar plunge, island hikes, and the land-based overnight camp
- Expedition equipment: drysuits, snorkeling gear, towels, and backup winter overalls
- Tromsø airport pickup, hotel transfer, baggage assistance, and transfer to the yacht
- International and domestic flights
- Pre- and post-charter hotels in Tromsø
- Alcohol (guests purchase and bring their own)
- Meals before and after the charter
- Comprehensive travel insurance — required for this expedition
