The Route to the North Cape - Norway - page 425

The Best Salmon Fishing in Norway
Our favorite place in all of Norway for an angling holiday is Alta, where
the cold, pure Norten rivers in Finnmark nurture some of the “fight-
ingest” brown trout in Europe and where you can battle with Atlantic
salmon. The leading outfitter for fishermen in Finnmark is AKU,
Storengveien 26 ( & 78-43-48-40; www.aku-finnmark.no), in business
since the 1980s. The company also offers deep-sea fishing along the coast
of Finnmark, where fishermen pursue cod, coalfish, and even gigantic
Atlantic halibut, among other species. Canoeing expeditions can be com-
bined with both fishing and wildlife viewing.

Tips

SEEING THE SIGHTS
A series of prehistoric rock carvings at Hjemmeluft , about 1km ( 1 ⁄ 2 mile)
southwest of Alta, dates from 2,000 to 5,000 years ago and is the biggest col-
lection of prehistoric rock carvings in the north of Europe. These pictographs,
discovered in 1973 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, form part of the
Alta Museum ( & 78-45-63-30 ). It is believed that the rock carvings were orig-
inally painted in red ocher. They have been repainted in the same color to make
them stand out better. The rock carvings from both the Stone Age and the Iron
Age are linked to the museum by a series of 3km (1 3 ⁄ 4 miles) of boardwalks, the
best place for a walk in Alta. The carvings depict hunting scenes, with clear like-
nesses of moose, bears, and reindeer. One stunning carving shows an ancient
boat carrying a crew of 32 hunters. The paintings aren't visible during snowfalls.
The museum itself shelters an array of exhibitions, related to Finnmark and
its history going back 11,000 years. It is open June to August daily 8am to 9pm;
May and September daily 9am to 6pm; and October to April, Monday to Fri-
day 9am to 3pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4pm. Admission is 75NOK
($11) for adults, 60NOK ($8.50) for students, and free for children under 12.
From Alta you can take a riverboat excursion along the Alta River up to the
Sautso-Alta Canyon , which, at 400m (1,312 ft.), is the “Grand Canyon”
not only of Scandinavia but of northern Europe. Despite the protests of envi-
ronmentalists, the canyon has been dammed, but it and the region around it still
offer massive scenic beauty. (Historical note: Some historians claim that the con-
troversies that surrounded the dam's construction between 1979 and 1986 even-
tually led to some degree of government autonomy for the Sami people. At least
in theory, they benefited from the many changes that the spotlighting of the
dam and the region introduced.).
To hook up with a tour, contact Alta Riverboat Service ( & 78-43-33-78 ).
From June 5 to September 5, 2 1 ⁄ 2 -hour tours to the outer canyon cost 450NOK
($64) for adults or 225NOK ($32) for children under 12. Shorter tours of 20
minutes go for 150NOK ($21) for adults or 75NOK ($11) for children under 12.
SHOPPING
Within Alta's town center, the best inventories of local handcrafts are located
within the Håndverkshuset, Løkkeveien 55 ( & 78-44-22-33 ), where stacks
and stacks of knitted sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, as well as Sami (or Sami-
inspired) carvings in wood or bone, jewelry, and gift items are presented in
abundance. It's open Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, and Saturday 10am to
4pm. During midsummer it remains open later, depending on the weather, busi-
ness, and the mood of the shopkeepers.