Trekking Holiday at the Nordkyn Peninsula – the Northernmost point of the European Continent!
Experience herds of reindeers feeding in freedom in the highlands and sheltered virgin fjords on the beautiful and wild Nordkyn Peninsula, on the far out edge of the European coast towards the Barents Sea! Enjoy the luxury of staying at Adventure Camp Mehamn in traditional rorbu-style huts built on land, but with one end on poles in the water and with all modern facilities. Experience the midnight sun in July or the blue- and cloudberry season in August with bright and short summer nights.
Location and Climate
Nordkyn is a peninsula at the very north of Norway. The tip of the peninsula – Kinnarodden – is the northernmost point of the European continent. Approximately 100km in bee-line east of the island Magerøya, where the famous and more crowded Nordkapp is located. Mehamn is a small fishing village just east of Kinnarodden in a sheltered bay facing north towards the Barents Sea. Dry climate, temperature minimum +6C and maximum +25C in the summertime. Daylight 24 hours in the period of the midnight sun from 13th of May to 31st of July.
The landscape, flora and fauna
‘Breathtaking’ and ‘magnificent’ are the best ways to describe the landscape. You will also walk across idyllic, fairytale-like softer plains with lyng, blue- and cloudberries, or meadows with wild flowers and herbs, as well as challenging roughed valleys with rocks and boulders and streams to cross. The climate combined with a coastal breeze of wind makes the area almost completely mosquito free. You will see many different birds, probably reindeers and if you are lucky an eagle or even an otter.
Lodging
The base for the trekking is Mehamn Adventure Camp located at the edge of Mehamn, on a narrow tongue of land that stretches into the bay. The adventure camp has 5 rorbu-style huts – all with 3 double rooms, a bathroom, and a combined kitchen-dining-lounge area. Breakfast and dinner is served in the main building – also traditional rorby-style – in the cozy dining hall. At breakfast you also prepare your own lunch box for the day. For relaxation after an active day, there are also outdoor hot tubs next to the sea, if you should be tempted to dive in and a big sauna (remember to book in the morning to ensure that the facilities are warm and ready), as well as a lounge area where it is possible to relax and buy a beer or a bottle of wine to digest the experiences from the day’s trekking.
The Trekking
Every morning starts with a breakfast and a briefing of the group, where the guide presents the planned tour for the day. The weather may differ from east to west or from north to south on the peninsula. Therefore, the guide will plan the trekking according to the weather forecast. With Mehamn as base, there are numerous options for day trips. Some start directly from the Adventure Camp, others require a short transfer with the minivan to get to the starting point or to get back to base by the end of the day. The various trips each have their own characteristics in landscape and atmosphere – along the fjords, through valleys, with views to the Barents Sea – and some more challenging than others. There are small fishing communities along the coast, but if you move away from the coast you feel the greatness and remoteness of the landscape. Some of the trekking is along marked trails and some of it is guided by maps, compass or GPS where you will enjoy the feeling of making your own tracks in the soft but still firm surface covered with heather and crowberries. The landscape is friendly and even though you will have great views from high-up the slopes the way down are never ‘scary-steep’.
Equipment
Good trekking boots are recommended. To cross small creeks and rivers we recommend waterproof chaps – or quick dry shoes/sandals for ‘barefoot’ crossing. At Adventure Camp Mehamn you can rent equipment: tent, sleeping bag, chaps, backpack, GPS, maps, thermos and all you need to do a successful trekking holiday.
