Here are a few tips that apply everywhere, particularly to the Lofoten Islands, before you go hiking…

Don’t hike alone
groupe de randonneurs aux LofotenEven though you may love being alone and be in good physical shape, and there is no risk of being kidnapped and held for ransom here, the nature of the terrain, unpredictable weather and limited number of hikers may have dramatic consequences in the event of an accident, however minor (twisted ankle, a fall, etc.). Mobile phones can’t always find a signal and the nights can be cold and damp even in July…

Tell someone where you are going
Whether you are leaving alone or in a group it is important to tell someone who is not coming with you where you are going, and to then stick to that itinerary. In the event of an emergency, help will arrive considerably quicker. If you are staying in a gite or hotel, tell the owner about your hike or mention it to the owner of the local supermarket or café, showing him/her your destination on the map.

Ensure you are well-informed 
Hiking maps, guides, ask the locals (when possible) or other hikers you may meet. Check the local weather forecast at www.yr.no. This website offers an English version that is easy to use: on the homepage simply enter the name of your location and you will be given an accurate forecast for the next 24 hours and a less certain forecast for the coming week).

If you do not have internet access most shops, hotels/gites and tourist offices display a weather forecast in their window every day showing what the weather will be for the next 24 hours.

Take the right equipment
You are in an Arctic region and even though the temperature is generally mild for the latitude, there may be huge differences in temperature in a single day. Always make sure you carry warm clothes, gloves, a cap and a change of clothing in case you get wet. Because the terrain is that of high mountain areas, a pair of walking boots, preferably waterproof, for uphill walking is strongly recommended. A mobile phone (in a waterproof case) and a compass or handheld GPS are also vital in the event of an emergency. Lastly, even though you may begin hiking in blazing sunshine and a cloudless sky, take your waterproof clothing as you can never be too cautious in the Lofoten Islands.

> Read more about the right equipment

Search the site ...

Connection

In order to access certain services available on our site, (participation in forums, access to hiking sheets) you must register.

Our tips

Where to sleep, eat, drink and more in the Lofoten Islands

As we are not a tourist office, we will only publish recommandations for places we think are hikers and backpackers friendly and that we have tested AND appreciated. This section will get more stuff as we go along.

Latest news

 Visitor statistics

161,424 users, 24,000 subscribers and over 1,500,000 pages viewed in 2018!

To find out more about all the Rando-Lofoten visitor statistics with accurate data from Google Analytics, click here

 Increasingly accurate maps!

The Day Walks section has been improved thanks to the work of Frank Ingermann and the fantastic vector map background of Norgeskart.no (Norwegian Mapping Authority - Karverket). Hiking-Lofoten offers hiking guides that are getting ever more accurate and professional. Come and find out about them!

norgeskart-

 

Download the official Lofoten Islands maps

Lofoten Islands maps, scale 1:50 000 (UMT33)  download them for free on hiking-lofoten!Maps from the Norwegian National Institute of Cartography (Kartverket) are available in high definition (Tiff) on a set of ten maps.  Essential to prepare your hikes in the Lofoten Islands...

Lofoten maps

Northern lights forecast

Discover aurora forecast for Lofoten islands, thanks to NOAA POES satelitte from the "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration"

GPS routes

  • The GPS hiking routes are finally available as free downloads from the Hikes section!
  • Discover eight new routes in the Lofoten Islands with detailed Topos from Rando-Lofoten.

Day Length in the Lofoten

The Lofoten archipelago is located above the Arctic Circle, the result of this situation is a period of permanent days in summer and at the opposite a period of permanent night in winter (polar night).

To organize properly your trips and expedition in this region, it is important to take this phenomenon into account due to the high latitude. Discover our sunset/sunrise calendar

Copyright

Any representation whether total or partial of this site or content (general structure, texts, sound, logos, images whether animated or otherwise), by any method whatsoever, without the authors express prior approval is prohibited and constitutes infringement sanctioned by the Intellectual Property Code. The GPX tracks that can be downloaded on this website, bellong to hiking-lofoten and is for a private use only (not for commercial use). In order to reproduce the tracks in any form or on any medium (paper, digital, website, etc.), we ask you to mention the following (under or on the map): GPX track © hiking-lofoten.net