CNN ranks Senja in the top 10 most beautiful islands

CNN ranks Senja in the top 10 most beautiful islands in the world and The Aurora Borealis Observatory is the best place to start the Senja experience

In a recent article, CNN travel established a top-ten list of the world’s most beautiful islands. It doesn’t come as a surprise that you can find Milos (Greece) or even Kaua’i (USA) among them. But scroll down to the middle of the ranking and there is our beloved island Senja! It is with little surprise but great pride that our ‘gem in the Arctic’ made the list.

Indeed Senja island is called ‘Norway in miniature’ because it harbors all the different landscapes of Norway, giving the best possible variety of choices when it comes to experiencing the country. You can roam the more residential eastern coast in your quest to capture typical fishing houses in a flatter and more rural area whilst still having a stunning mountain backdrop. You can also spend some more time in the middle of the island in search of more snowy hills filled up with birch trees and humid plateaus. Although it is an island, Senja has tons of beautiful fresh-water lakes that mirror the environment. It’s especially stunning in the Fall with all the golden leaves and the snow-capped mountains in the far background.

When you come to the ‘outer’ side of Senja you are greeted by some of Norway’s most spectacular fjords. Razor sharp mountains plunging into the sea that’s offering the most varied palette of lights and colors throughout the year! When browsing through these imposing formations, you will be rather surprised to find white-sanded beaches with turquoise waters in the middle of the mountains and the snow! Senja simply has it all, and much more like washed-granit shores, stunning waterfalls, hundreds of small islands and inlets…

Although it is an island, there is a lot of wildlife that is observable and photographable all year-round. Senja is like a huge wild fauna and flora sanctuary. There you can see many mammals like reindeers, moose, hump-backs, orcas, seals, small carnivores. The bird life is also quiet diversified: sea eagles, owls, golden eagles, falcons, marine birds, migratory birds like swans and geese.

If you have the northern lights on your photography bucket list, wait no more! Aurora Borealis Observatory Senja Norway is THE destination to fulfill this dream. Because of its geomagnetic location in the world right in the middle of the auroral oval where the aurora sparks up, it takes close to nothing for it to light up the entire sky. Eastern and southern Senja also have microclimates giving them better weather and in turn aurora experiences. The fjord backdrop makes the aurora pictures the best in the world! And you won’t get the nasty light pollution you get else where in Tromsø and Lofoten!

Senja’s local population is very progressive about outdoors and nature. People respect and take care of it. The result? An island that looks like is hasn’t been remodeled by humans! It stands as a true natural gem within the artic. The roads are very clean, the speed limit is low and the very few roads make Senja a very nice place to evolve as a photographer. You could hike for hours through the island and not cross a road. Senja also holds Ånderdalen nasjonal park, a wildlife reserve in the South of the island that is mostly accessible in the summer time. So if you are a traveller in search of the feeling of uncharted places with low light pollution for aurora, abundant wildlife and endless landscape possibilities, Senja is waiting for you!