Step into a world of sapphire twilight, snow-laden forests, and folklore come to life. The Winter Kingdom Tour is a women-only literary journey inspired by the mythic landscapes and elemental magic woven through Ashley McLeoâs Norse-inspired novels.
From Osloâs candlelit cafĂŠs to the aurora-draped skies of Tromsø, from reindeer-dotted tundra to frozen waterfalls that shimmer like runesâyouâll explore the real places that shaped Ashleyâs worldbuilding while traveling with a group of women who love story, atmosphere, and a touch of the arcane.
If youâve ever wanted to step through the page and into a realm of winter magic⌠this is your invitation.
You land in Oslo and winter immediately sets the toneâcrisp air, soft light, and that âsomethingâs-about-to-happenâ feeling.
If timing allows, you can ease in with an optional visit to The Well Spa (treatments available for purchase). Later, we gather for a welcome drink with Ashley McLeoâa relaxed, low-pressure start that feels less like âgroup travelâ and more like walking into the right room.
Oslo
Dinner included
Welcome evening
This is your first full âweâre really doing thisâ dayâand itâs such a good one. We start with a mask-making workshop hosted by your group leader (creative, slightly mysterious, very on-theme). Then, with a Local Expert, you explore Osloâs highlights: the Royal Palace (exterior) and Vigeland Sculpture Park, which is equal parts art, emotion, and âhow is this so beautiful and unsettling at the same time?â
That evening, we tour Akershus Fortressâold stone, harbor air, history under your feetâfollowed by dinner at Osloâs oldest restaurant, serving Norwegian home cooking since 1857 (subject to availability). Itâs cozy, iconic, and exactly the kind of night youâll talk about later.
Oslo
Mask-making workshop ¡ Royal Palace exterior ¡ Vigeland Sculpture Park ¡ Akershus Fortress
Included Meals:
Breakfast,
Welcome Dinner
Guided city touring
Today, you head northâproperly northâand youâll feel the shift the moment you arrive. In Alta, the landscape is bigger, quieter, and more elemental. Youâll have an exhilarating dog sledding experience through snow-covered terrain and frozen fjord sceneryâone of those moments where your senses wake up and everything unnecessary falls away.
Then: the ice hotel. One of the first in the world. Sculpted walls, frozen artistry, and a chilled beverage served the way winter intended. Itâs surreal in the best wayâlike stepping into a scene that shouldnât be real (and yet⌠here you are).
Oslo â Alta
Dog sledding ¡ Ice hotel visit + chilled drink
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Domestic flight (included)
We travel through fjord scenery on the way to Tromsøâcoach and ferry, with views that make you go quiet without trying. After arrival, you have free time to settle in and grab dinner on your own. If youâre feeling brave (or just curious), thereâs the option to do a floating sauna + cold plunge, or join a group dinner (optional).
Later, we head out on a Northern Lights drive. No overpromisingânature doesnât take requestsâbut if the aurora shows up, itâs the kind of beauty that rearranges your brain a little.
Alta â Tromsø
Scenic fjords ¡ Free time ¡ Northern Lights drive
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Coach + â´ď¸ Ferry
Today is pure Winter Kingdom energy. Youâll spend the day at Tromsø Ice Domes Snow Parkâa literal snow-dome world of ice architecture, Arctic atmosphere, and outdoor winter activities paired with engaging storytelling.
And the standout: youâll get inspired by professional snow carving artists, then have the (very cool, very âI canât believe weâre doing thisâ) opportunity to create your own snow sculpture. This is the kind of experience that feels both playful and strangely powerfulâlike making something temporary and beautiful on purpose.
Alta â Tromsø
Tromsø Ice Domes (Snow Dome) ¡ Winter activities ¡ Snow carving + make your own sculpture
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Regional transfer
We start with something cozy and myth-soaked: a visit to the Troll Museum, where you explore troll lore and Norse myths (local guide subject to availability). Itâs charming, slightly eerie, and way more fascinating than youâd expectâlike story research, but make it fun.
In the evening, you join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTERÂŽ Experience with members of the Indigenous SĂĄmi community. Youâll be welcomed into a lavvu (traditional SĂĄmi tent), hear stories of SĂĄmi life and folk songs around the fire, and share a traditional meal with hot drinks. This part of the trip isnât just memorableâitâs meaningful.
Tromsø area
Troll Museum ¡ Såmi camp experience ¡ Stories + folk songs in a lavvu
Included Meals:
Breakfast & Traditional Dinner
Privsate Transfer
After breakfast, there is one group transfer to Tromsø Airport for your flight home (flight-time permitting). You leave with cold air still in your lungs, a camera roll full of proof, and that quiet internal shift that only happens when youâve lived something you didnât know you needed.
Tromsø
Departures
Breakfast
Group transfer to airport
Because this is a boutique, small-group journey, final pricing is based on the number of travelers who join the trip. This allows us to offer the best possible experience while keeping the group intimate and well supported.
Ashley McLeo writes immersive fantasy shaped by frost, folklore, and the quiet power of survival. Her debut novel, Kingdom of Frost and Malice, draws readers into a world where winter is both weapon and sanctuaryâand where strength is forged as much in stillness as it is in fire.
Inspired by Nordic landscapes, mythic traditions, and the emotional complexity of women who endure and evolve, Ashleyâs storytelling is atmospheric, grounded, and deeply human. Her worlds feel lived-in: cold air that bites, silence that speaks, magic that comes with a cost.
When sheâs not writing, Ashley can usually be found researching folklore, dreaming up morally complicated characters, or chasing the kind of experiences that make stories feel real. Traveling through Norwayâits Arctic skies, SĂĄmi culture, and winterbound terrainâhas long influenced her work, making this journey a natural extension of the world sheâs created on the page.
On the Winter Kingdom tour, Ashley invites readers beyond the bookâinto the landscapes, textures, and moments that shaped her story. Itâs not about recreating a novel scene by scene. Itâs about stepping into the feeling of the world together.
Author ashley mcleo
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