WHERE THE SKY DANCES

After touching down in Tromso, you’ll be scooped up and whisked away by helicopter to Lyngenfjord, soaring over snow-blanketed peaks rising from the still waters. Here, on the edge of the Lyngen fjord, your luxury Arctic lodge awaits. Settle in with a glass of wine in the lounge of Lyngen Lodge and take in the views from the wide windows, before tucking into a hearty Norsk meal like reindeer, halibut or salmon.

Fuelled up and raring to go, take your pick of which exhilarating activity to begin with: you might be tempted to kick things off with a skiing adventure, or snowshoeing through the forest. Explore the pristine surroundings and be rewarded when you reach the Hammarsletta viewpoint with a warming coffee and lunch inside a lavuu tent. Zip across the frozen lake on a snowmobile, or go off on a sea safari to spy grey seals, sea eagles, whales and giant cod fish as you circumnavigate Uloya Island, Follesoya and the Lyngen Peninsula.

Back at the lodge, sink into the steamy outdoor hot tub to soothe tired bones and gaze up at the Northern Lights dancing in the night sky.

Then prepare for your journey to the fringes of the Earth as you jet off to Tromso by heli-transfer and take the flight to the far, far north - Svalbard. A hostile but ruggedly beautiful archipelago, where the polar bear population is greater than that of people, encountering one of the world’s last great wildernesses is an experience you won’t soon forget! Spend the night in Longyearbyen, the frontier town on the main island of Spitsbergen, lined with brightly coloured wooden homes and a smattering of bars and eateries.

You’ll stay at Basecamp Hotel where the trapper style, using driftwood, sealskin and slate, is distinctively characteristic of the islands. Relax in the cognac attic and gaze through the glass ceiling towards the vast, unforgiving landscape, in anticipation for the days of expedition ahead.

Today you’ll delve into this wilderness in the most apt way: by snowmobile or husky sled, making the journey to Billefjorden as exhilarating as the destination itself. Once you’ve sped across the snow and ice, warm up in Nordenskiold Lodge with its traditional wood sauna, and quench your thirst with water melted from the Nordenskiold Glacier. This is a real expedition lodge in the heart of the Arctic, which means no running water or electricity, and the heating is produced the old-fashioned way - using wood-burners. This is, after all, probably the northernmost vacation accommodation on the planet, so the luxury is in the isolation.

In this extraordinary, remote setting, discover the glaciers, mountains and icy fjords that dazzle in blue and white, touring the region by husky - you'll learn how to feed, harness and look after your own dogs. Tread through the ghost town of Pyramiden, a Russian mining town that was deserted in 1998, and spy animals in the wild that call this white landscape home: from walruses and beluga whales to the great King of the Arctic, the polar bear.

After two nights in Billefjorden, take your last snowmobile or husky sled ride towards Longyearbyen, spending the night at Basecamp Hotel before your flight home the next day. Once you’ve returned from the vast, dramatic wilderness of Svalbard, you won’t quite be the same.