WHO IS BEHIND THE GUIDE TO LOFOTEN?
Welcome to Guide to Lofoten!
We’re Ivar and Radka, the faces behind the Guide to Lofoten. In summer 2021, we moved to Lofoten to run accommodation in Fredvang, conveniently situated right at the trailhead to Ryten and Kvalvika beach.
Over the next few months, we discovered that we love talking to our guests about their travels and showing them Lofoten more than we loved accounting and daily management of the accommodation.
Our guests had lots of questions, and we struggled to find an online resource that would have all the answers. So we decided to create one and that is how Guide to Lofoten was born.
ABOUT US
We are an international couple in our thirties. Ivar grew up in Oslo, the capital of Norway, while Radka spent the first 22 years of her life in the Czech Republic before she moved to Norway.
We met in 2015 while working as personal assistants for the same disabled client, and we connected over a mutual love of travel and the outdoors. Our dream was to travel the world before we would buy a cozy red house with a grassy roof and settle down in Lofoten, where Ivar would be guiding people in the mountains and Radka would be taking pictures of the northern lights.
STUCK IN ARGENTINA
However, our dream to travel the world was put on hold during the Covid pandemic when we got stuck in Argentina while traveling the Panamerican Highway in our converted van. We had to leave our car in Ushuaia, Argentina, and return to Norway.
While hoping that the borders would open soon and we could get back to our car, we got a fantastic chance to run a hostel/accommodation in western Lofoten. So naturally, we did not hesitate for a moment, and we took it since running a B&B in Lofoten was always our dream.
RUNNING A RORBU
We arrived in Lofoten in April 2021 and we immediately fell in love with the view of Volandstinden that you could see from the porch of the Lydersen rorbuer – the accommodation we were managing.
It was a challenging time because the world was still in the middle of Covid-19 pandemic, and Norway was very strict about whom they would let into the country.
We tried to make the best of the situation, and in the months when we did not have many guests, we painted the rooms, upgraded the apartments, and explored the mountain hikes in western Lofoten.
Not knowing for how long the Covid restrictions would be in place and if we could financially survive the winter and possibly another challenging summer, we decided to leave.
LIFE IN TROMSØ
After we left Lofoten, we briefly lived and worked in Narvik. In January 2022 Radka started a job as a trip planner in a travel agency in Tromsø. Her task was to plan trips for the travelers who wanted to visit Tromsø and Lofoten.
Radka loves to plan trips, and she has been successfully running her own company, designing custom-made itineraries and providing travel advice to Czech tourists heading to Norway for years.
However, her job in Tromsø was more focused on selling the company’s tours than putting together perfect itineraries based on the client’s wishes. And that’s how the idea of Guide to Lofoten resurfaced.
LOFOTEN COMEBACK
Our goal with Guide to Lofoten is to create a platform containing updated, relevant, and independent information about traveling to and around the Lofoten Islands. So we moved out of Tromsø, bought an old motorhome, and hit the road with a clear direction: Lofoten!
Since then, we have spent several months traveling on these beautiful islands, hiking almost every peak, eating as many cinnamon buns as possible, and trying different activities, restaurants & cafés, and accommodations & campsites.
GUIDE TO LOFOTEN NOW
We currently live in the charming village of Sørvågen, close to the Moskenes ferry terminal. We hope to settle down here permanently, but unfortunately, due to the unregulated nature of short-term rentals like Airbnb, it’s almost impossible to find long-term rental options in western Lofoten. Buying a house is also incredibly expensive.
As a result, we’re uncertain about where we’ll live after our current contract expires in May. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many young people in Lofoten.
Currently, we offer sightseeing tours, guided (snowshoe) hikes, northern lights tours from Reine, and winter equipment rentals (snowshoes, microspikes) at the trailhead to Ryten. If you’re looking for a guide in Lofoten, check out our public tours or send us an inquiry about a private tour.
We look forward to showing you the beauty of Lofoten!
Are you planning a trip to Lofoten?
So, if you plan your trip to the Lofoten islands, you have come to the right place!
We put all of our knowledge and inside tips about the best places to see in Lofoten into a Google MyMaps Interactive Map, which is the best tool you can have when planning your Lofoten holiday.
If you have travel-related questions and wonder when is the best time to visit Lofoten, what to do there, or how to get around, you can book an Online Travel Consultation with us! We are excited to design the perfect trip to Lofoten with you!
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