THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS OF GETTING TO SÁPMI

By Airplane

There are good connections by air to and from the main airports at Kirkenes and Alta, with several departures daily. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) have most flights between Finnmark and Tromsø and Oslo, while Widerøe flies to many of the small airports and has a network of routes between Vardø, Vadsø, Hammerfest, Honningsvåg, Lakselv and Båtsfjord. The fact that Hurtigruten calls daily at the county’s major ports allows you to take it easy on your way north, on what is described as the prettiest voyage in the world. We recommend you go ashore in Hammerfest and then travel through Sápmi, enjoying our hospitality on the way. You can make this journey in a number of ways; there are numerous bus/boat connections, and you can also hire a car and travel about on your own. You can drive up through Norway on the E6 or take the trunk roads through Sweden and Finnmark.

Even so, perhaps the best way is to plan ahead and book one of our packages. We can then arrange for you to be picked up at the airport or wherever you may arrive in our beautiful part of the world.

Further information available at:
The SAS home page:http://www.scandinavian.net/

Or, if you want to work out how to travel with Widerøe to smaller places in Finnmark you will find what you need here:http://www.wideroe.no/

Oslo - Alta
From          To            Flight   Dep.   Arr.   Stops   Duration
Oslo(OSL)     Alta(ALF)     SK372    08:10  11:10    1     03:00
Oslo(OSL)     Alta(ALF)     SK376    11:40  14:35    1     02:55
Oslo(OSL)     Alta(ALF)     SK380    14:15  17:10    1     02:55
Oslo(OSL)     Alta(ALF)     SK384    19:15  22:10    1     02:55

Alta — Oslo
From          To            Flight   Dep.   Arr.   Stops   Duration
Alta(ALF)     Tromso(TOS)   WF931    07:20  09:20    2     06:50
Tromso(TOS)   Oslo(OSL)     SK375    12:15  14:10    0

Alta(ALF)     Oslo(OSL)     SK381    07:30  10:35    1     03:05
Alta(ALF)     Oslo(OSL)     SK377    15:20  18:20    1     03:00
Alta(ALF)     Oslo(OSL)     SK385    17:55  20:55    1     03:00

Oslo - Lakselv
From          To            Flight   Dep.   Arr.   Stops   Duration
Oslo(OSL)     Tromso(TOS)   SK378    15:50  17:45    0     03:15
Tromso(TOS)   Lakselv(LKL)  SK2356   18:15  19:05    0

Oslo(OSL)     Tromso(TOS)   BU461    17:20  19:05    0     03:25
Tromso(TOS)   Lakselv(LKL)  SK2350   19:55  20:45    0

Oslo(OSL)     Tromso(TOS)   SK372    08:10  10:05    0     03:30
Tromso(TOS)   Lakselv(LKL)  SK2346   10:50  11:40    0

Oslo(OSL)     Tromso(TOS)   BU471    07:00  09:35    1     04:40
Tromso(TOS)   Lakselv(LKL)  SK2346   10:50  11:40    0

Lakselv - Oslo
From          To            Flight   Dep.   Arr.   Stops   Duration
Lakselv(LKL)  Tromso(TOS)   SK2351   13:00  13:50    0     03:30
Tromso(TOS)   Oslo(OSL)     SK373    14:35  16:30    0

Lakselv(LKL)  Tromso(TOS)   SK2353   19:35  20:25    0     03:30
Tromso(TOS)   Oslo(OSL)     SK379    21:10  23:05    0

Lakselv(LKL)  Tromso(TOS)   SK2339   07:25  08:15    0     04:25
Tromso(TOS)   Oslo(OSL)     BU454    10:05  11:50    0

Lakselv(LKL)  Tromso(TOS)   SK2351   13:00  13:50    0     05:05
Tromso(TOS)   Oslo(OSL)     BU462    16:20  18:05    0

Oslo - Kirkenes
From          To            Flight   Dep.   Arr.   Stops   Duration
Oslo(OSL)     Kirkenes(KKN) SK378    15:50  19:10    1     03:20
Oslo(OSL)     Kirkenes(KKN) SK372    08:10  12:15    2     04:05

Oslo(OSL)     Tromso(TOS)   BU461    17:20  19:05    0     04:20
Tromso(TOS)   Kirkenes(KKN) SK2350   19:55  21:40    1

Oslo(OSL)     Alta(ALF)     SK376    11:40  14:35    1     05:15
Alta(ALF)     Kirkenes(KKN) WF954    15:00  16:55    2

Oslo(OSL)     Trondheim(TRD)SK1360   16:00  16:55    0     05:40
Trondheim(TRD)Tromso(TOS)   SK2326   17:30  19:25    0
Tromso(TOS)   Kirkenes(KKN) SK2350   19:55  21:40    1

Kirkenes - Oslo
From          To            Flight   Dep.   Arr.   Stops   Duration
Kirkenes(KKN) Oslo(OSL)     SK379    19:50  23:05    1     03:15
Kirkenes(KKN) Oslo(OSL)     SK373    13:10  16:30    1     03:20

Kirkenes(KKN) Tromso(TOS)   SK2339   06:25  08:15    1     05:25
Tromso(TOS)   Oslo(OSL)     BU454    10:05  11:50    0

Kirkenes(KKN) Alta(ALF)     WF953    12:40  14:30    2     05:40
Alta(ALF)     Oslo(OSL)     SK377    15:20  18:20    1

Kirkenes(KKN) Tromso(TOS)   SK2339   06:25  08:15    1     05:50
Tromso(TOS)   Trondheim(TRD)SK2341   09:00  10:55    0
Trondheim(TRD)Oslo(OSL)     SK1353   11:20  12:15    0

FINNAIR
In the period 22 June – 17 August www.finnair.com flies Helsinki/Rovaniemi/Lakselv return on Tuesday, Fridays and Sundays. Helsinki has connections to most major destinations in the world. Flying with Finnair will also allow you to combine visits to Finland and Finnmark.

For further information, please call 810 01 100

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Bus and Boat connections

They call it the world’s most beautiful voyage. Many people who take the sea route travel from Bergen to Kirkenes and back. It is often a tremendous experience. At the same time, it is possible to use the service like many of the people who live along the coast have done and many of whom still do, to travel between places. They travel northward, between Bergen, Bodø and Hammerfest or Kirkenes and then drive southward through Sápmi.

You can sit on deck and allow the serenity to become part of your rhythm before you go ashore and allow challenging, different, exciting experiences in Sápmi to become the climax of your trip.

For further information about Hurtigruten, please see www.hurtigruten.com

A network of bus and ferry routes serves the coast of Finnmark; information about these is available from Finnmark Fylkesrederi. www.ffr.no/

Although the journey is a long one, it is possible to travel by from Oslo and other major Norwegian cities. Information can be found at the following addresses:

www.express2000.no and www.nor-way.no/ruteopplysning.htm

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By Car

You can, of course, come by car wherever you are coming from and you can fly to one of the main travel centres and hire a vehicle so as to travel around under your own steam.

Vehicles can be hired from the following companies:

AVIS: www.avis.no
HERTZ: http://www.ffr.no/show.asp?id=5
STATOIL: www.statoil.no/MAR/SVG01183.nsf/fs/bilogstasjon

At this address you will find a list of all the local vehicle hire operators in Finnmark:

www.fonco.no/bilweb/bilbransje/Bilutleie/bransje_leie_finnmark.htm

• Alta bruktbil utleie (used car rental): 78 43 65 50
• AVIS Bilutleie, Lakselv: 78 46 25 55
• Eurocar Alta: 78 44 40 50
• Statoil Karasjok: 78 46 63 56

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Trekking Routes

Finnmark is bigger than Denmark. If you want to go trekking then you should choose either east or west Finnmark. We would recommend that you use the old thoroughfares across the mountain plateau. Along these routes there are huts about a day apart. You cannot drive along the old routes; they are only suitable for trekking in the summer or for snowmobiles, dog sledges or reideer-drawn sled, all according to weather conditions. This is perhaps still the best way to travel if you want to experience meeting the elements that give Sápmi its unique character; the grandeur of the plateau and the peace of the place. We can of course arrange such trips and arrange your trip so that you can cover a variety of distances using this traditional means of transport. All you have to do is contact us.

Dog sledges
The sound of the snow and panting dogs. Across the endless plateau, sparkling sunlight and the cold tearing at your face. On the horizon wait the open doors of a warm lodge. It is hard to imagine a better way to sense the language of the plateau than at moments like these, to the sound of silence and the sound of the snow. You can book your own dog sledge or choose to be a passenger instead. Our dog-sledge drivers are experienced experts. They have put many hundreds of miles behind them in what is considered to be one of the toughest parts of the world. An area reckoned among the very best for passionate dog-team drivers. So you will have the best guides and the best teachers available anywhere. Our hosts can arrange long and short trips.

Snowmobile safari in Europe’s last wilderness
For those who appreciate a bit more speed, a snowmobile makes a good alternative. Finnmark has a well-developed runs which enable you to cross the plateau or move between the main towns in East and West Finnmark. You can drive from Alta to Karasjok and stay at huts on the way. Or you could drive from Alta to Maze or Kautokeino. Or between Neiden and Polmak. En route you pass lakes which offer ice fishing you could only dream of finding elsewhere in the world. We will arrange your trip, provide guides, overnight accommodation, the necessary clothing, food and fishing tackle. We can tailor safaris into Europe’s last wilderness precisely according to your wishes.

Trekking
Trekkers use skis in the winter and go on foot in the summer. We can assist in organising trips and provide information about the mountain passes trekkers ought to experience. One of the most fantastic treks is to the Halde peak. Halde is Finnmark’s highest mountain and the metropolis for Northern lights research in the beginning of the last century. The old footpath to the top bears witness to this story. At the peak stands the big old house where several of the researchers’ families lived. History literally whispers in the wind up here, where trenches used to be built between the main house and the spring and the main house and the observatory – as protection from bad weather. The main house burned down during the war and has been partly restored; the observatory has been rebuilt and modernised. There is overnight accommodation and kitchen equipment. The observatory can be rented through Alta Museum.

Europe’s last wilderness has many walks to offer and places to stay along the way. The distances involved are considerable, so you can walk for days if you want to, or take shorter walks if you prefer. Experiences are queuing up for the taking, and in Passvik Valley and Neiden you even risk seeing bears. The rivers and lakes have excellent fishing to offer. Endless golden cloudberry coloured marsh landscape in the autumn. Northern Europe’s largest canyon is here – boxing in the upper Alta River, an open invitation to go on a river boat trip – and to hear the dramatic story of the damming and extension of the falls, which represented a turning point for the Sami people. You can walk across the mountains along the canyon, from Gargia mountain lodge towards Maze and Kautokeino. Further information about trekking routes and overnight accommodation can be found at www.turistforeningen.no. If you decide to visit East Finnmark there are plenty of opportunities here, too. There are hostels and paths between Neiden and Polmak as well as between Neiden and Karlbotn/ Sevetijærvi in Finland. These paths offer varied scenery, and excellent fishing rivers and lakes. The Upper Passvik National Park is certainly worth a visit.

River Boats and Canoeing
Finnmark’s many waterfalls and lakes provide countless opportunities for river boat and paddling expeditions. These can last for days on the extensive river system, Kautokeino, Alta, Karasjok, Neiden and Tana – or shorter day excursions as a part of other activities. Equipment, guides and whatever else you might need can be hired. Please contact one of us and we will make arrangements to suit your specific requirements.

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