Not everybody gets the chance to reach the North Cape (or Nordkapp), so I’m happy to share our roadtrip to the northernmost point in the European continent. The roadtrip started in Olderfjord, where we spent a quiet and relaxing night. We followed road E69, passing by smaller fishing villages, including Honningsvåg, and landscapes covered in blankets of snow. We were the only ones in Nordkapp that Friday morning in early April. Then, we drove down towards Karasjok, passing by a protected military area, and across miles and miles of Norwegian lapland. We reached the city of Karasjok, where the Sami Parliament is located, and spent the night there.
Here’s our entire route for the trip, c/o Google Maps:
When we left Olderfjord, the Porsangerfjord was bathing in a dramatic sunrise. Porsangerfjorden is 123 kms in length, making it the 4th longest fjord in Norway.
The E69 road from Olderfjord to the North Cape is a 2-hour drive, or 127 kms. In winter, the real challenge is not the traffic, but the weather conditions. In extreme snowfall/storm, kolonnekjøring or driving in columns might be required. Luckily, we didn’t have to go through that.
The road passes through several tunnels, long and short – I lost count. Norway can be dubbed a land of tunnels, really.
First, there was the 3.6-km Skarvbergtunnel:
Then, the Sortviktunnel and Russenestunnel:
The coastal road was a combination of dry and ice-covered parts.
We also passed by Kåfjorden, which is about 4.5 kms. And the Nordkapptunnel of 6.8 kms.
Then, we were in Magerøya! It is the large island where the North Cape is located. The main center is the town of Honningsvåg, and there’s a number of very small fishing villages, like Skarsvåg and Nordvågen. Although what I remembered most were the blankets of snow that stretched for miles, and the dramatic, sometimes rugged, coastlines. And the tunnels. The next one was just 190 meters, the Skarsnestunnel. Then the 4.4 km- Honningsvågtunnel.
Honningsvåg, the northernmost city in mainland Norway, has only 2,400 inhabitants (2017). However, it was recognized as a city in 1996, a year before it was decided that a Norwegian city should have at least 5,000 inhabitants. So, it got to keep its city status.
Tourism and fishing are two of the main livelihood of the people of Honningsvåg. The cruise ship Hurtigruten passes by its port, and from there, tourists can take a bus up to the North Cape. We stopped by a cafe in a gas station in the city to get some breakfast.
The roadtrip continues..
Now, the remaining parts of the road that leads to the North Cape were stretches of snowfields as far as the eyes could see.. I felt a deep respect for the snowplowers who make sure that the roads are passable for tourists during this season. Some swings of the road was windy, and glittery snow dust blew before us. It was a cool experience!
And at last, we were in the North Cape, 71º 10′ 21″ north. It was surreal! It was 9:30 am, and we were the only ones there. So, we got some perfect moments, although it was freezing cold.
There’s the Nordkapphallen, which was still closed when we arrived, the Obelisk to King Oscar II, and the famous Globe – the symbol of the North Cape. We wandered in the place a little bit and gazed at the open Arctic Ocean, as cold wind blew on our faces.
After a while, we were back on the road, following E69 down to Lakselv, where we had lunch. On one of the photos below, you can have an idea of how deep the snow wall can be. It was much taller than me.
And we met a winter hero:
.. and a shower of glitters!
Passing by Honningsvåg again:
I couldn’t help but take many photos to capture the place and the moment. Every corner was picturesque, and that’s one of the things I really love about Norway.
Norway has many beautiful rastplass or resting places. This one is not an exception:
Once refreshed, we stopped by the Sjøsamisk Tun, or Coastal Sami village. It was closed, though, like many museums and attractions in Finnmark during winter.
Stopped by to greet some reindeer from afar, then, we had lunch in Lakselv.
We still had a long way to Karasjok, where we decided to spend the night. The road to the city crosses the Norwegian lapland. We saw mountain tops blowing snowdust in the air – it was magical. I put the camera down and just enjoyed the rest of the road trip.
We reached Karasjok at 3pm. Karasjok is the seat of the Sami Parliament. It is also the 2nd biggest municipality by area in Norway, although it only has a population of about 2,900 (source: visitnorway.com). 60,000 reindeer reside in the area.
We stayed in Scandic Karasjok, with a Sami vibe:
After some napping, we went out to visit the Sami Parliament building. The Sami Parliament, or Sametinget, was established by King Olav V in 1989. It aims to promote and protect the Sami culture, rights, and language. We arrived too late, so we could only see the buildings from outside. It’s also closed on weekends, so maybe a guided tour some other time.
For dinner, we had some reindeer dishes take-aways (pasta with reindeer meat sauce and reindeer meat in pita bread). I thought that we stopped using styrofoam boxes, but nope – here they are.
I was excited to visit the Sami museum, which offers reindeer feeding experience, the next day. But sadly, only the glass displays and shop section was open. Until next entry! ❤ 🙂 ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ON THIS BLOG ARE MINE. 🙂 #spreadloveandpositivevibes
Fun fact: Nordkapp is the northernmost point in Europe that is reachable by car. The real “north-north” is Knivskjelloden, which 1.6 kms farther up north. It can be reached thru hiking.
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