Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Three Weeks
The Arctic North
The mystique of the extreme north has drawn explorers for centuries. Here is a horizonless
world seemingly without end, a frozen wilderness that inspires the awe reserved for the
great empty places of our earth.
Tromsø
, arguably Norway's liveliest medium-sized town, is a university town par ex-
cellence. Its Polar Museum captures the spirit of Arctic exploration; its Arctic Cathedral
wonderfully evokes the landscapes of the north while the surrounding peaks host a wealth
of summer and winter activities. Tromsø is also an ideal base for excursions inland to the
Lyngen Alps
, which are rugged and supremely beautiful with many glaciers and craggy
summits. You could also visit
Senja
for a day, but it's far better to stay overnight to truly
embrace the quiet of northern Norwegian nights.
Heading east, the rock carvings of
Alta
should also not be missed, and the same can be
said for
Nordkapp
, although for different reasons: as far north as you can go in Norway
without setting out to sea, Nordkapp is high on novelty value, if somewhat overwhelmed
by visitors. Forsake the crowds and instead hike out to neighbouring
Knivskjelodden
,
Norway'struenorth.Furthereast,the
Nordkyn Peninsula
hasmuchtoexploreandnearby
Tana Bru
is one of the best places in the world to go salmon fishing.
Kirkenes
and the
neighbouring
Pasvik Valley
,closetotheRussianborder,haveloadsofsummerandwinter
activities, including the unusual king crab safaris.
Next, head to Inner Finnmark, the heartland of the Sami people.
Karasjok
is the un-
disputed capital of Sami Norway, filled with fascinating sites of Sami patrimony and op-
portunities for winter dog-sledding and cross-country skiing, and summer hiking. Further
west,
Kautokeino
is another long-standing centre of Sami culture, and its museum is an
ideal place to provide cultural context to your visit. Hiking in the
Reisa National Park
is
a possibility, but only for the seriously fit.
And no exploration of the Arctic North would be complete without
Svalbard
. Return
to Tromsø and catch a flight deep into polar regions where the Svalbard archipelago is one
of Europe's last great wildernesses. This old whaling centre supports a rich array of Arctic
wildlife, including reindeer and polar bears, not to mention epic glaciers, icebergs and ice-
fields.
