Chasing the Aurora with Terence Murtagh & Dr. Bill Gutsch (October 15-22, 2017) pictureline

Is witnessing the Northern Lights something that has been lingering on your bucket list? Now is your chance to not only take a once in a lifetime journey to Norway to see the Aurora Borealis, but to also have the opportunity to capture incredible photos of them. The kinds of photos your friends and family will ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over for months after you return home. Pictureline is pleased to introduce to you this once-in-a-lifetime workshop excursion, with professional Aurora Borealis photographer Terence Murtagh. Seize this opportunity to finally cross this experience off of your bucket list! 

Pictureline has put together a team of experienced Aurora Borealis photographers to give you the opportunity to see, experience, and photograph this spectacular cosmic phenomenon. These photographers will be your guides and instructors throughout the excursion. The team includes, Terence Murtagh, Director and producer of many science documentaries for the Discovery Channel and experienced aurora photographer from the Arctic Circle. As well as, Dr. Bill Gutsch who is the former Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, and an astronomer, and university professor. To say you will be in good hands, would be a huge understatement.

Over the past few years they have run a series of photographic adventures to chase the Northern Lights in and around the Norwegian town of Tromso, which is a few hundred miles above the Arctic Circle. Terence and Bill have received incredible feedback from previous excursions, and hope to make this year even more successful. 

“It was a once in a lifetime experience – and it was great having the expert knowledge of the entire crew to help us enjoy the trip.” — 2016 excursion member

ITINERARY & DETAILS:

The group will spend seven full days and six nights in Tromso, Norway an Arctic town on a large island in the middle of a grand fjord, 220 miles north of the Arctic Circle.  

Our hotel will be the beautiful Radisson Blu, which includes a hearty breakfast every morning. It is situated in the heart of Tromso and just 20 minutes from some great dark sky locations. You may be wondering why Tromso? Well, because it is easy to access, it is the largest city north of the arctic circle, and it has plenty of restaurants, a mall, and a hospital. So you certainly won’t be stuck on an iceberg in the middle of nowhere. But mainly, Tromso was chosen as the best destination because it is directly under the Auroral Oval so, if it is clear, you almost assuredly will see the Northern Lights.  The same cannot be said, for example, for places like Fairbanks or Iceland. 

For four nights we will go Aurora chasing to places determined by the space weather and local weather forecast for that day. Most chases will last from 7pm until 1am.

There also will be two daylight trips included in the tour. One, along the western coastline of the Troms region, and the other east to the Norwegian mainland and the beautiful Lyngen Alps.

Travel will be in a luxury coach with restroom facilities. The coach provides ample room for camera equipment and is a shield against the wind in remote locations.

Airfare from LAX airport is included in the price. It is a simple non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Oslo, Norway, then a quick change to another large aircraft from Oslo to Tromso.  Both flights are conducted by Norwegian Airlines. It takes just over 14 hrs typically, so you would leave LAX at about 10.30pm and arrive in Oslo in the evening of the following day local time.  Then, you have a two hour layover to go through customs and immigration and then a 2 hour flight on up to Tromso arriving that night. On the return, flights from Tromso to Oslo to Los Angeles all occur in the same day arriving back in Los Angeles about 8.30pm local time. 

What’s Included:

• Round trip economy airfare Los Angeles to Tromso
• Accommodations at the Radisson Blu Hotel
• Airport transfers in Tromso to and from the hotel  
• A very full, all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast each morning at the hotel with lots of variety. This is not your typical “continental breakfast”. 
• A modern, heated motor coach with a bathroom, hot coffee, hot chocolate and snacks for 4 nights of aurora hunting PLUS a 6 hour day trip through the majestic “Norwegian Alps” including a ferry ride across a fjord. Along the way, you may see whales and reindeer.  
• A reflective vest for your safety.
• Expert advice before and during the trip from aurora and camera experts (with lots of experience in the Arctic) on the best equipment to bring and the best techniques to use to bring back pictures of the gorgeous scenery and the Northern Lights that will dazzle your relatives and friends, and make them wish they had come along.  We can also advise you in advance on cameras, lenses and other things best suited to capture the aurora in stills, dissolve sequences, and time lapse movies. Items can also be rented before you leave if you don’t own such equipment.

SAVE $500 NOW PER PERSON WITH AN EARLY BIRD SIGN UP (ENDS JULY 23RD)!

Pricing:

The Early Bird Special price for double occupancy is $5,000 per person and ends on July 23rd. If you are coming on your own and prefer your own room the Early Bird Special price is $5,400.
 
After that, prices go up to $5,400 per person for a double occupancy room (if you are coming on your own and prefer a private room it is $5,900 per person).
 
Minimum Deposit: $750 per person at the time of booking.  Final Payment is due by August 23rd.

“DOUBLE DIP” AND SAVE AN ADDITIONAL $750 BY PAYING IN FULL AT TIME OF BOOKING. If price is paid in full at time of booking you can reduce the total cost by another  $750.

You can double your savings by signing up before the early-bird discount expires on July 23rd, and by paying in full at time of booking! This will be a total savings of $1,250 per person. If you are able to get both savings, the trip total for a double occupancy booking per person will be $4,250; and for single occupancy booking $4,750.

All prices are in US dollars.  Children and adults pay the same amount.  

(Note:  This trip is recommended for persons 12 years of age and up.  Persons under the age of 18 will be required to be under the supervision of an adult at all times.)

While in Tromso, a whale watching day trip can also be booked by you separately for an extra charge of about $150 per person.  Last year, many people saw orcas and humpbacks, up close.

For more details and TO REGISTER contact Dave Ward at dave@pictureline or at (801) 364-1200.

Spots are limited and we expect this excursion to fill up quickly, so act now if you are interested in joining us on this amazing adventure!