Amaco Small Group Tours invites you to join our ‘Above the Arctic’ Small Group Tour & Conference departing in February 2024.
Amaco has carefully designed a bespoke experience travelling above the Arctic Circle for the best possible opportunity to experience the Aurora Borealis in all its glory.
The itinerary begins with two nights in Helsinki. You’ll be mesmerised by the city’s unique layout, exciting and tranquil all at the same time, Helsinki is a city whose landscape is interrupted by lengthy waterways and romantic inlets, which in the winter are completely frozen over.
On the first evening, a Welcome Networking Dinner will introduce you to the capital’s flourishing food scene. After the first two conference sessions, you’ll explore the harbour city taking in the design history and unique past of this scandic city.
It’s then time to head off above the Arctic Circle. Flying to Kittila, your base for the next 3 nights will be the Golden Crown Iglut just outside the Lapland town of Levi. The glass-roofed igloos are located on the slope of a fell and allow for unobstructed views of the northern sky.
The days will be filled with adventure. You’ll drive a team of huskies over the white, shimmering snow. The eager dogs run at full speed and you’ll experience the exhilaration as the sled glides effortlessly over the snow drifts.
You’ll spend the evenings with views of the darkened sky. There is no chasing the Northern Lights here, they’ll be visible whether lounging in your glass igloo or relaxing in the Lounge.
You can’t visit Finland without experiencing a traditional sauna. We have exclusive use of the Northern Lights House at the Golden Crown where a private sauna and lounge will be available throughout your stay.
Reindeer are part of everyday life in Lapland and are semi-wild in this area. You’ll hop on a sleigh and head out with reindeer as your mode of transportation into the snow-covered wilderness.
It’s then off to the town of Levi for a spot of ice-kart racing to get the adrenalin flowing before heading back for another night basking in the glow of the dancing lights (we hope)!
Heading further north you’ll cross the border between Finland and Norway arriving in the Sami town of Kautekeino. This is the land of the Sami, the northernmost indigenous people of Europe. Most people here have Sami as their first language, and the area is officially bilingual.
Nomadic reindeer herders have lived here for hundreds of years, and the traditional lifestyle is still very much alive. This is a true experience and an opportunity to meet the Gaup family and learn about the culture and way of life from the Sami people firsthand.
You’ll complete another two Conference sessions before heading even further north to Sorrisniva staying at the Arctic Wilderness Lodge, built on the bank of the Alta River in Norway’s high Arctic. You will be based here for two nights, visiting the world’s northernmost ice hotel. Each year experienced artists and builders come together to build a new and unique hotel from scratch with a special theme. Unlike other ice hotels in the region, ice used is not stored in freezers until required but harvested from the first snowfalls of the season in Sierravann, a few kilometers further into the Alta Valley.
You will have a guided tour of the ice igloo hotel and have a go at a bit of ice sculpting yourself before enjoying a drink at the Ice Bar before heading back to the warmth of your lodge rooms. There is an opportunity to stay in an ice room (optional extra) for the night.
The wide-open landscape is awe-inspiring here, wildlife roams and the silence is deafening. Once again there is no chasing the lights here, if they are out there you will see them. This is where the only noise will be you and perhaps the snowmobile you’ll be riding through the snow.
Your journey continues to the main town of Alta and into the fjords and the tiny town of Oksfjord to board the Hurtigruten and cruise to Tromso, aptly labeled, the Venice of the North and the Arctic capital.
You’ll visit the Polar Museum and the major sights of this lively city before your last two Conference Sessions. You’ll hop on the Fjellhesisen Gondola to the mountain ledge of Storsteinen for panoramic views of Tromso and possibly another sightinf of the aurora borealis.
Hopping on board a hybrid electric ship you’ll cruise the fjords and islands of the region before a Farewell Dinner at one of Tromso’s finest restaurants.
Don’t miss your opportunity to be part of this curated journey to one of the most remote parts of the world travelling ‘Above the Arctic Circle’.
We believe that this conference offers exceptional value for money – with all meals, non-alcoholic beverages, and sightseeing included. We encourage you to register now or risk missing out on this bucket-list travel and educational experience.
For your enjoyment and due to limited capacity on many of the included activities, we have capped the number this tour at just 32 people.
1st February 2024 @ 7:00pm
13th February 2024 @ 9:00am
Starts: Helsinki, Finland
Ends: Tromso, Norway
Conference Participant: $995 pp
Non-Conference Participant: $795 pp
Amaco Family Price: $18,995 pp
(For previous Amaco Conference Participants)
Standard Price: $19,995 pp
Ice Igloo Hotel Room Experience: $995 per room
(Price is for 1 night and your Lodge Room will still be available)
Above The Arctic Circle Single Supplement (if traveling alone): $6,795
Given everything that has happened in the travel industry of late – you’re correct to be vigilant about where you spend your travel dollar.
Amaco is not only a member of AFTA (the Australian Federation of Travel Agents) and CATO (Council of Australian Tour Operators) but we are also ATAS Travel Accredited. This means we have met strict industry financial, operational, and management standards and criteria. Only the best industry agents achieve this accreditation meaning that you can travel with us knowing that you’re in safe and very capable hands.
With almost 30 years’ of experience in planning and running conferences, we understand that participants often want to add additional travel destinations and adventures either before or after the all-inclusive packages we provide.
Other operators might discourage you from doing this. Sometimes, it’s because of the added complexity it creates and at other times they’ll try to talk you out of it simply because they don’t have capable or experienced consultants with the breadth and depth of the consultants we employ.
We encourage all participants to make the most of the time away. This might mean departing earlier than the rest of the group and visiting other destinations before meeting up with the main group at the conference or staying on at the conclusion and doing some additional travel.
Either way – our consultants are perfectly positioned to assist you with making these arrangements and will do all the hard work for you – seamlessly combining your personalised itinerary with the group program.
Amaco is an Accredited Education Provider for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Australian College of Rural & Remote Medicine.
Each conference we run includes an education syllabus that assists GP’s, pharmacists and health professionals to improve the quality of care they provide to patients and customers while at the same time providing them the opportunity to travel to and experience new and exciting destinations.
Our conference will allow delegates the opportunity to earn CPD points based on the content and time in session. As has been the case with past conferences, we will work closely with participants affiliated with other associations to ensure that they receive maximum recognition for attending the conference.
The content of the education sessions will be relevant to GPs, Medical Specialists, Pharmacists, Dentists, Nurses, and other health providers. We encourage all attendees to register for the conference sessions.
The Education Committee for the Above The Arctic Circle Conference will be selected in mid-2023 with final conference topics to be chosen based on the feedback from our previous conference attendees and with input from the RACGP, ACRRM, and Medical Journals. Suitable speakers will be approached based on the topics selected.
Subject to final accreditation, the Above The Arctic Circle Conference will include up to 14 hours of accredited education.
ACRRM members can also expect the education program to be accredited and to earn CPD points. RACGP and ACRRM accreditation will be applied for under the triennium 2023 to 2025.
As has been the case in the past, Amaco will work with pharmacy bodies and those affiliated with other associations to ensure that they receive maximum recognition for attending the conference.
We welcome applications from potential presenters and encourage anyone interested to contact us to obtain further information.
