Finnmark

Introducing Finnmark

Along the jagged coast, deeply cut by forbidding fjords, you’ll find numerous isolated fishing villages; Alta with it’s StoneAge rock carvings; Kirkenes, a frontierlike town sharing a border with Russia; and Nordkapp, mainland Europe’s northmost point. Or very nearly so; to reach the actual end of the earth, prepare to enjoy an 18km round-trip hike across the eerie peninsula.

Those that head inland will find the vast and empty Finnmarksvidda plateau, a stark expanse with only two major settlements: Karasjok and Kautokeino. They and Finnmarksvidda are part of the heartland of the Sami people (traditionally know as Lapland), where reindeer herding has occurred for centuries. At either, enjoy a dogsled journey across empty tundra half lit under the bruise-blue winter sky.

Drawback: virtually every town in Finnmark was razed to the ground at the end of WWII by retreating Nazis, whose scorched-earth policy was intended to delay the advancing Soviet troops. Unfortunately, the rebuilt towns all look rather grim. Satisfying urban life north of Tromsø does not exist. In the summer, the eerie midnight sun takes over, as do swarms of mosquitoes (at their peak from late June to late July).

You can get information about the entire region from the Finnmark Tourist Board (78 44 00 20; www.visitnorthcape.com).

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009