Drive it Yourself: Olderfjord to North Cape on the E69 via Honningsvåg
In this article...
Download this Guide
All of our guides can be downloaded via our online store.
We offer downloadable versions of our self-guided drives on our online store.
Online Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the neighbourhood
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Information about facilities along the way
Downloadable Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the region & towns
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Facilities including supermarkets, toilets, petrol, hotels, cafes, restaurants with addresses.
- Interactive Google Map for easier navigation
Watch on Youtube
All of our roadtrips are available on YouTube to watch. They include information about the area provided in text and voiceover form, plus they show the drive in full (sped up in some spots!) so you can get an idea what the drive is like.
The drive: Olderfjord to North Cape on the E69
Olderfjord
Settlement
Olderfjord is a small village with a population of around 74. The village is located at an important road junction between the E69 and the E6 highway, so all traffic going to North Cape passes through here.
Smørfjord
Settlement
Smørfjord is a small settlement with around 50 permanent residents, some of them being of Sea Sami (Sjø Sami) descent. There has been a Sami settlement here for thousands of years, with cultural relics from as far back from the Neolithic Age. In the summer months, around 50 reindeer herders have their reindeer grazing area.
In the village is the Sea Sami Museum (Sjøsamisk tun), which is a reconstruction of a Sea Sami settlement from the early 20th century. There is also a kiosk selling local products and some souvenirs. You can follow a cultural heritage walking trail through the village and surrounding landscape.
Skarvbergtunnelen
Tunnel
The Skarvberg Tunnel is 3.5km long and opened in May 2023, making it one of the newest tunnels in Norway. The old tunnel was too low and narrow, and the supply roads were in an area prone to landslides, so it was decided to build a new tunnel.
The tunnel is somewhat cursed. During the development, a sacred Sami sacrificial stone (called a siedi) was blown up. After this, the road project experienced a series of inexplicable incidents and accidents, such as a fire, an avalanche, and a coronavirus outbreak. The local Sami population linked the problems to the destruction of the siedi. The contractor apologised by laying flowers at another sacrificial stone.
Nordkapp Municipality
Nordkapp municipality has a population of around 3000 people and the administrative centre is Honningsvåg, the northernmost city in Norway.
Fishing is an important industry here, with around 167 vessels registered as fishing boats. The municipality is state subsidised for the fishing industry. Fish farming is a growing industry here. Tourism is also a major industry, with North Cape being one of the most important tourist destinations in Norway. Around 110 cruise ships come here every year, but many more vehicles come.
Repvåg
Settlement
Repvåg is a small village that has a large Sea Sami population. The village has several settlements from the Old Stone Age, but the village’s modern history goes back to the late 18th century, when a trading post was established here. In 1832, the trading post was bought by the Scottish immigrant Charles Robertson from Hammerfest. Repvåg was an important trading post for the Pomor Trade. The site was burned down in 1944 by retreating Nazi soldiers.
There is a large beach outside the village called Stranda, which used to have a large coastal Sami population and is the last area in the municipality that is still characterised by some coastal Sami culture. Today only some of the residents speak a Sami language. The beach has a number of important cultural monuments, hunting pits, graves and tufts.
Today Repvåg has a guesthouse but also excursions to do a King Crab Safari.
Nordkapptunnelen
Tunnel
The North Cape tunnel is an undersea road tunnel that passes under the Magerøy Strait, linking the mainland to the island Magerøya. The tunnel is 6.8km long and reaches a depth of 212 metres below sea level. The maximum gradient is 10%. The tunnel opened in 1999.
The tunnel has cold doors at each end that keep the cold our in the winter, to avoid ice forming in the rock walls. The gates open automatically when a car approaches.
Magerøya
Island
Magerøya means “steep, barren cliff”, though a direct translation would be “the meagre isalnd” which is what it is. In spite of looking barren it has in the summer a surprisingly varied plant life with over 200 registered species. Some of them you know, such as dandelions and daises, bluebells, violets and wild chives.
There’s also a selection of alpine plants, which in Switzerland and Austria grow on a 3-4000ft altitude, here they grow all the way down to the sea. There are no trees here – the tree line is a hundred miles further south. There are trees in Honningsvåg, planted in peoples gardens, but they rarely get taller than 3 feet. The owners protect them in the winter, covering them and then in summer they needed to be protected from the reindeer.
No farming is carried out on Magerøya, but each year six Sami families from Karasjok drive their reindeer flocks to graze here on the North Cape plateau in the summer. The plateau appears bleak and barren but around 200 different plants have been discovered here. Along the cliffs, there are millions of nesting birds and the sea around the island is teeming with life. Marine species include Killer Whales, Minke Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises and various species of seals.
The orange poles along the road are snow poles, Sometimes in the winter there is so much snow that you can barely see the tops of poles. The first snow arrives in November and lasts until April. They can easily have 5-6 feet of snow. The problem is that there are no trees on the island, so the snow drifts.
There are no reindeer here in winter. The first ones arrive by truck or boat in April. Then they are too weak after the long winter with sparse food to get over the island. In October they are all brought back to the mainland, after the summer grazing of the 5-6000 animals there isn’t enough food left. They are strong enough to swim back and then be herded for three weeks back to he Finnmark plateau. This is a safe place for the reindeer – there’s no predators on the island.
Honningsvåg
This drive begins in Honningsvåg, the northernmost city in the world. You can find a detailed overview to Honningsvåg via the link below.
Skipsfjorden
Fjord/Scenic Spot
This is a small fjord located by the airport. It has a maximum depth of 101m. Close to the fjord is the Copacabana Beach, where the locals go swimming in the summer.
Kamøyvær
Village
Kamøyvær is a small town with a population of around 70. The town is predominantly a fishing village. It’s believed the first peoples here were the Sami and Kven people, with Norwegians settling later. A Sami family owns the Arran hotel, which are the three blue buildings in the town. Here you’ll find the Gallery – East of the Sun, a small harbourside gallery where resident German artist Eva Scmutterer exhibits a collection of intriguing, Arctic-inspired paintings.
Gjesvær
Village
Gjesvær is located 14km outside of Honningsvåg and truly feels isolated. Located 14km In fact, until the road was completed in the 1970s, this was one of the most isolated villages in the area. Gjesvaer has a recorded history that dates to the Viking times. The Vikings came here for fishing and to harvest sea birds, especially puffins and kittiwakes, who congregate on the offshore islets that are now protected as the Gjesværstappan Nature Reserve.
In Gjesvaer you can do bird safaris to Gjesvaerstappen.
Skarsvåg
Detour
Skarsvåg is the world’s northernmost fishing village, located just south of North Cape. Around 60 people live in the village and most of them work in the fishing industry. In the village you’ll also find a well-known Christmas shop.
Knivskjellodden
Hike
Knviskjellodden is a peninsula and the true northernmost point on the island. It is sometimes considered the northernmost point of the entire continent of Europe. Knivskjellodden can only be reached on foot, and it is 9km (5.6 mi) one way. This is where you park the car to start the hike.
North Cape
You can find our detailed overview of North Cape via the link below.
Where to Go From Here
After our visit to Honningsvåg and North Cape, we continue to Hammerfest – the northernmost city in the world (with a population over 10,000 people).
This drive is part of the multi-day series “From Tromsø to North Cape and back again”. You can view the entire drive via the link below.
If you liked this drive, or if you have any travel tips, please leave a comment in the section below!
