Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lyngen Alps
Some of the most rugged alpine heights in all Norway ruck up to form the spine of the
heavily glaciated Lyngen Peninsula, east of Tromsø; you get the best views of them from
the eastern shore of 150km-long Lyngenfjord. The peaks, the highest of which is
Jiekkevarre (1837m), offer plenty of opportunities for climbers but this challenging glacial
terrain is strictly for the experienced.
The Lyngsdalen valley, above the industrial village of Furuflaten, is an altogether more
accessible and popular hiking area. The usual route begins at the football pitch south of the
bridge over the Lyngdalselva and climbs up the valley to the tip of the glacier Sydbreen,
500m above sea level.
The best map for hiking is Statens Kartverk's
Lyngenhalvøya
at 1:50,000.
Activities
Tour in Lyngen Alps
ADVENTURE SPORTS
( 91 73 54 97;
www.tourinlyngenalps.no
)
This company offers everything from horse riding (Nkr1645) and mountain hiking
(Nkr1095) to sea-kayaking (Nkr1645), fjord fishing (Nkr2095) and glacier hikes
(Nkr1195).
Senja
Senja, Norway's second-largest island, rivals Lofoten for natural beauty yet attracts a frac-
tion of its visitors (we meandered the length of its northern coastline and saw only two
non-Norwegian vehicles).
A broad agricultural plain laps at Innersida, the island's eastern coast facing the main-
land. By contrast, birchwoods, moorland and sweetwater lakes extend beneath the bare
craggy uplands of the interior. Along Yttersida, the northwestern coast, knife-ridged peaks
rise directly from the Arctic Ocean. Here, the Rv86 and Rv862, declared a National Tour-
ist Route, link isolated, still-active fishing villages such as Hamn and Mefjordvær and
traffic is minimal. The now flat, mildly bucking road, almost always within sight of the
