The Far North - Norway - page 805

open outside the summer months, but don't count on it - clearly Sunday morning offers
your best chance.
Festivals & Events
Sami Easter RELIGIOUS, CULTURAL
Easter week is a time for weddings and an excuse for a big gathering to mark the end of
the dark season, before folk and flocks disperse to the summer grazing. It's celebrated with
panache: the reindeer-racing world championships, the Sami Grand Prix - no, not a
souped-up snowmobile race but the premier joik and Sami pop contest - and other tradi-
tional Sami and religious events.
Sleeping & Eating
Arctic Motell & Camping CAMPGROUND
( 78 48 54 00; www.kauto.no ; Suomaluodda 16; car/caravan sites Nkr200/250, cabins
Nkr400-1800, motel r from Nkr900; Jun-Aug)
At the southern end of town, this is a hyperfriendly place where campers and cabin dwell-
ers have access to a communal kitchen. Its lavvo is a warm and cosy spot to relax by a
wood fire and sip steaming coffee, laid on nightly at 8pm. If you ask, the small cafe will
also rustle up bidos, traditional reindeer-meat stew.
Thon Hotel Kautokeino HOTEL
( 78 48 70 00; www.thonhotels.no ; Biedjovaggeluodda 2; s/d from Nkr1120/1320; )
This impressive contemporary hotel is a lovely structure with an exterior of mellow wood,
built low to blend with its surroundings. Within, rooms are cheerful and cosy. Duottar
(lunch mains Nkr165-175, dinner mains Nkr220-335) , its gourmet restaurant, serves fine cuisine.
The main item on the menu, as you'd expect in such a town, is reindeer, served in several
guises. For dessert, enjoy the delightful fusion of cloudberry panna cotta soused in a
brandy syrup.
Kautokeino Villmarksenter CAFE