Itinerary:

Day 1, Saturday. Arrival.
Make your own way either by car directly to Ljørdalen or by coach from Oslo City Bus Terminal or Airport Oslo Gardermoen to Trysil. In Trysil you will be met by our guide. Transfer to Ljørdalen where you will be warmly welcomed on Villmark Lodge. After check-in welcome dinner with game dish. After dinner you meet your nature guides who will show you the pristine wilderness of this area during the next days. Tonight they provide you with a great insight into the rich diversity of wildlife and flora in Fulufjäll National Park during a slide and video presentation. You also receive a comprehensive overview over the itinerary and the upcoming safaris.

Day 2, Sunday. Wood Grouse Safari.
Breakfast. Time at leisure. In the afternoon you have dinner with all guests at Villmark Lodge before you depart on your first night safari. Equipped with lunch package and night-vision device you leave Villmark Lodge at about 5.30 p.m. Transfer to the starting point. A short walk leads you to the shelter and observation stand where you will spend the night. It is situated right on a plateau where flocks of wood grouses will gather to start their spectacular courtship for the hens. You will be captivated by the graceful and colourful sight of the birds.

Day 3, Monday. Snow Grouse Safari.
Return to Villmark Lodge at about 9.30 a .m. Breakfast and time to sleep and relax. In the afternoon you will have dinner before departing to your next night safari adventure. Tonight you will experience the courtship and mating of the snow grouse. And we promise you it will not be less spectacular and thrilling than the courtship of yesterday's wood grouses.

Day 4, Tuesday. Moose & Beaver Safari.
Return to Villmark Lodge at about 9.30 a .m. Breakfast and time to sleep and relax. You will join the other participants for dinner at early afternoon. The you will prepare your catamaran raft and head for an exciting moose and beaver safari on the river Ljøra, famous for its rich population of beaver. But the river Ljøra is also an ideal place to encounter some moose which love to hide in the meadows and bends of the river. Enjoy a delicious late dinner served on board of the spacious raft out of large cast-iron pans at the camp fire. Return to the lodge in the late evening.

Day 5, Wednesday. Black Grouse Safari.
Breakfast. Day at leisure until dinner at late afternoon. Tonight you depart for the black grouse safari. Experience the impressive spectacle at daybreak when flocks of black grouses start to court with ruffled feathers and sonorous call for the hens' favour.

Day 6, Thursday. Brown Bear Safari.
Return to Villmark Lodge at about 9.30 a .m. Breakfast and time to sleep and relax. Today the real highlight of the week awaits you! After an early dinner at late afternoon you depart for your bear watching safari. You will spend the night in a bear safe shelter and observation stand at the edge of the National Park. You can find hardly another place in Europe where you will experience similar great conditions and chances to encounter brown bears in open nature and in their authentic environment. It is also likely that you will be able to observe the majestic golden eagle on this safari.

Day 7, Friday. Day at leisure.
Return to Villmark Lodge at about 9.30 a .m. Breakfast. Today it is free day for you to relax and review the great experiences you made during the last few days. Those who do not want to simply relax can choose one of the optional activities available, e.g. hiking, canoeing or horseback riding.

Day 8, Saturday. Departure.
You depart either with your own car or will be transferred by our guide to Trysil where you will join the coach back to Oslo.

Departure dates 2009:
Departure dates 2009 upon request. We are looking forward to your request.

Minimum people:
None. Guaranteed departure!

Maximum group size:
8 people.

Included:

• 7 nights accommodation in an apartment with private bathroom (shower/WC) at Villmark Lodge (please see beneath)
• Extended MAP (half-board): 7x breakfast, 7x lunch package, 7x dinner.
• transfers and tours as per itinerary
• well experienced multilingual (English, Norwegian) guides

Accommodation:
You stay at cosy Villmark Lodge, nestled amongst lush forest right at the banks of the river Ljøra and built out of wood and glass. The Lodge consists of 10 free-standing cottages (double houses) with 2 private apartments each and a central building with reception, a cosy restaurant with fireplace, bar, billiard table and darts. Furthermore the resort features a centrally located complimentary sauna. The spacious apartments (double house half) of approx. 63 m² are furnished in typical Norwegian style and offer private entrance, 2 bedrooms, bathroom (shower, WC), a cosy living area, TV and an open gallery. Apartments are serviced once per week.

Wildlife Watching:
The region of Ljørdalen and Fulufjäll National Park is home of southern Norway's largest population of brown bears. Over many years the migration of the bears in this area has been studied and recorded. When the bears leave their den after the long winters in springtime many of them stay in a quite small area at the edge of the National Park for the period of approximately four weeks. Right in this area we built our bear safe shelter and observation stand. With a bit of fortune you will be able to observe a brown bear from a distance of 30 – 100 m . The chance to encounter a brown bear is about 60 % in this area at that time of the year.

The chance of seeing of seeing other wildlife as wood, black and snow grouse, golden eagle, moose and beaver is about 95 %. Please note however that these are all wild animals and that the observation of wildlife cannot be guaranteed.

On this safari you turn night into day. Most wildlife is especially active from dusk until dawn. The courtship of the forest birds only takes place in the wee hours. In order to get the best experiences you will therefore spend the night in purpose built shelters and observation stands furnished with seats. The observation stands are all accessible by easy walks of 1 – 2 km length.

Wildlife Photography:
Equipped with night vision devices you will be on night safari from about 6 p.m. to 9.30 a .m. Nevertheless it will be complete dark only from about 11 p.m. to 2.30 a .m. in Fulufjäll National Park at this time of the year. It's best to use sensitive films of 400, 800 or 1600 Iso. Flash light is not permitted.

Bring:
Warm clothing, rain coat, sturdy walking shoes.

Itinerary and touring content are subject to change.

Rates (in EURO per person/week):

Double room: 1099,- EUR
Single room: 1199,- EUR

Optional transfer from Oslo to Trysil:
Return coach transfer to Trysil:
from/to Oslo City Centre (return): 610,- NOK
from/to Oslo-Gardermoen Airport (return): 530,- NOK

Extension week (excl. any additional touring, incl. 7 nights at Villmark Lodge Ljøratunet and extended MAP (half-board) including 7x breakfast, 7x lunch package and 7x dinner):

In Double/Twin room: 399,- EUR
In Single room: 399,- EUR
(Booking of single rooms: 2 single rooms share an apartment (double house half). Each guest has his own private bedroom. No single supplement!)