Norwegian Fjord Sailing With Pukka Travels

Tromsø Excursions: Norwegian Fjord Sailing with Pukka Travels

Want to know what to do in Tromsø in September? Try a Norwegian fjord sailing excursion from Tromsø with Pukka Travels.

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“Ahoy Matey,” I called out as I took the steering on The Golden Eagle, the yacht we boarded in central Tromsø, just a short walk from our Tromsø hotel, the Clarion Collection Hotel With.

Fjord Sailing Norway
Ahoy Matey! All hands on deck

I would have added a more piratey “Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,” if I wasn’t so busy watching the horizon, hoping I wouldn’t ram us into another boat. Luckily for us all, my stint as skipper was brief and I was relieved when Tobias took the wheel again.

Hard a port and look sharp

We were on our fjord sailing excursion from Tromsø, and I was enjoying the splendid view and the breeze hitting my face as I kept warm in my thermo suit.

Enjoying the breeze in my warm thermo suit
Enjoying the breeze in my warm thermo suit

When I was planning our trip to Norway, researching what to do in and around Tromsø in September, I realized that it was the perfect time for a Norwegian fjord sailing excursion.

Norway in the autumn
Norway in the autumn

The weather was great (between 8 and 16 degrees C), the days were not too short, and the fall colors were lovely. Sailing the fjords of Norway was one of the Tromsø excursions on my bucket list, so it was a no-brainer.

Autumn colours on shore
Fall colours on shore

I booked our fjord excursion in Tromsø with a tour operator called Pukka Travels, which sails in the fjords 364 days a year.

Our Skipper Tobias
Our Skipper, Tobias

The night before our fjord sailing trip, we were out till 3 am, chasing the Northern Lights with GuideGunnar, and managed to get only a few hours of sleep.

After a quick breakfast at 8 am, we met the three crew members, Tobias, Nick, and Jonas (I kid you not!), near their lovely little yacht parked in the Tromsø harbour alongside the Scandic Ishavshotel.

Jonas and Arun
Jonas and Arun catch the breeze

Luckily for us, early September is the lean season in Norway, so we were the only people on the excursion and got their full attention.

Tobias gave us a rundown of all the safety measures to be followed and what to do in the unlikely event that the boat sank. He offered us the thermo suits because the wind chill was brutal, despite the pleasant weather. I gladly took one.

As we set sail along the harbor, Jonas told us about the mountain peaks up ahead and about the stone-age settlements that were found there.

The mountains with the stone age settlements
The mountains with the Stone Age settlements

They also pointed out some prehistoric stone carvings on the distant shore as we sailed through the fjord.

The site of the prehistoric stone carvings
The site of the prehistoric stone carvings

Tobias informed us that we needed to catch some fish so they could make fish soup for lunch, or else we’d have to settle for a vegetarian soup. I don’t like to fish, but Arun was game, so Tobias gave him a quick lesson with the fishing rod.

Arun gets a fishing lesson
Arun gets a fishing lesson

Arun managed to get a couple of nibbles, but they got away.

Trying to catch our lunch
Trying to catch our lunch
Hoping for a bite
Hoping for a bite

Tobias caught a little fish which he let go since they’re not supposed to catch small fry. He finally managed to snag a decent-sized one for our lunch and proceeded to gut it in a bucket.

Tobias guts the fish he caught for lunch
Tobias guts the fish he caught for lunch

While the crew cooked our meal, Arun and I sat at the bow of our fjord sailing boat, taking photos and enjoying the journey.

Splendid views of the fjord
Splendid views of the fjord
Me mate at the bow
Me mate at the bow

Soon our lunch was ready, and the crew called us down into the dining room where they served us a piping hot fish soup, accompanied by some bread.

Lunch is served
Lunch is served

The fish soup was delicious and very filling, and we downed it with the bread pretty quickly. After the soup, they offered us a choice of a number of teas or coffee.

Steaming hot fish soup
Steaming hot fish soup
Accompanied by bread
Accompanied by bread

We chose coffee and sat around the table exchanging travel stories and enjoying a few laughs. Nick happened to be an expat from Australia who moved to Norway with his wife, so we found his experiences quite unique and interesting.

Jonas and Nick
Jonas and Nick

Our Tromsø fjord excursion lasted around 3 hours and, although we didn’t spot any wildlife (it was too early in the year for whale-watching), we had a very enjoyable time, thanks to the amiable and funny crew of The Golden Eagle.

A fine crew they were, too
A fine crew they were, too

Also, read:

Watch the video of our Norwegian fjord sailing excursion with Pukka Travels.


Tromsø Excursions - Norwegian Fjord Sailing With Pukka Travels

Tromsø Excursions - Norwegian Fjord Sailing With Pukka Travels

Priya Florence Shah

38 thoughts on “Tromsø Excursions: Norwegian Fjord Sailing with Pukka Travels”

  1. This looks so much fun inspite of the cold! Good to see other things getting featured in Norway other than Northern Lights.

  2. These are great photos! I love the landscapes you guys got to see and the boat looks quite nice, too. I always have enjoyed boat riding and being on the water, but my wife is terrified of it. Maybe one of these days I can convince her. 🙂

  3. What a fun excursion, something that would definitely be on my travel bucket list! I think it’s cool that you guys caught you lunch, what a fun and memorable experience

  4. This was a really enjoyable part of our Norway trip. We had the whole yacht and its crew totally to ourselves, and we had three hours to talk with them. Apart from the amazing views, I found their individual stories completely fascinating. They’ve packed more unique experiences into their young lives than I have in my entire 54 years on this rock. My fish got away, but what the hell – we saw and learned a lot, and the weather out there on the water was fantastic.

  5. I’d love to see Norwegian fjords one day! What a beautiful trip, especially since you had the crew to yourself. That would be a nice personal touch. There is nothing worse than being freezing cold on a boat ride, so I commend you for choosing to wear the winter gear. 🙂

  6. Wow this looks like so much fun, it was good that you were the only ones on the tour, so you could get the full experience of the tour, the Fjords are probably amazing at this time of year, too bad you couldn’t see any whales, but hey there is always another time am I right?

  7. Priya, that’s a great time you had. Sailing on the fjords is a thing to do when you are traveling through the Scandinavian region. I have never been to Tromso yet, but heading to Iceland soon. By the way, did you like the fish soup? I am wondering how it would taste.

  8. I love how you called out “ahoy matey” haha! This looks like a fantastic excursion – I’ve been to Norway, but not to Tromoso. I have a friend from there and she tells me it’s a beautiful place 🙂 x

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