The North Cape, Honningsvåg....and beyond

[Mura]

For people who get to Gjesvaer I recommend the boat ride to Bird Island. We had a lovely time. You can book tickets online. (You cannot go on the island itself, you just view the birds from the boat.)

 

In our case we had a driver who took 8 of us there on one day, North Cape the night before. Unfortunately I don't have his name since I didn't make the arrangements.

 

Mura

[Eboracum_d]

I'm really not concerned about the length of the cruise, we enjoy longer cruises, but rather the activities in the northern ports. I was just curious if they required a lot of physical activity, such as hiking.

 

 

No need to hike anywhere!

 

One if the advantages of cruising in Norway is that some days are best spent on the ship taking in the scenery!

[angeleyes27]

Love your pictures. We have plans to go there next year

[afto]

Ssislandgirl, really enjoyed your photos. You have really got me thinking about adding a Norwegian fjords and North Cape cruise to the bucket list. Thanks for posting.

[4774Papa]

Wonderful photos. We want to do a cruise to the North Cape one day.

 

The photos remind me of the Shetland Islands and Iceland.

[patrickmoran]

Was there an entrance fee to Nordkapp?

[kahtrav]

Was there an entrance fee to Nordkapp?

There is a pretty hefty price for NordKapp - includes parking, museum, exterior walkways, etc. It's an all-in-one per person fee (most tours include the fee, but I'm not sure if the regular bus does). We are still unsure whether we will actually go into the tourist area or just go to other villages to see the scenery (we are renting a car).

[Marquette98]

Thank you, thank you for your report. This is exactly what I was looking for. We were also thinking about renting car to get around and see the island. So grateful to you for sharing your itinerary and advice! Looking forward to visiting it next June!

[kahtrav]

We've been home almost two months, but in some ways it feels like years ago. We were very happy renting a car and were fine with not going into the official area (we went as far as the gates and had great views). We actually saw it from some other vantage points, and twice from the ship (the night before and the next night). I wouldn't count on two times, but I'm pretty sure most ships will go around the cape. With midnight sun, the sun was up all night.

 

I believe the car rental was Nordkapp Bilservice. The price was about $70 USD plus gas for their smallest car (you have to ask - it wasn't on the website). It would have held 2 small adults in the back seat, but we went on our own.

 

We went out to all the (3) villages on paved roads. They are very small and we didn't really do much, but fun to see. We saw lots of reindeer and did stop at the one Sami shop on the way to NordKapp (bought a reindeer hat) and learned just a bit about the reindeer herding. It gave a definite different perspective with the lightening strike that killed several hundred this week, since we know that each one is actually owned by someone - they roam free all summer, but are tagged.

 

It was a fun day and we were pretty much on our own on the roads - pretty short distances (if you have insurance with your credit card, they are fine with that). It's a much simpler rental agreement than we are all used to. Basically you sign for the credit card and that's about it - I did make them document that we did not buy insurance since the credit card companies seem to want that. There's not much to run into out there :-)

[angeleyes27]

We are doing the North Cape cruise next summer in July. We would be interested in seeing the NordKapp. We would love to drive it but a little concerned about weather. We thought about doing the king crab and Sami village excursion but if the seas are rough, I would be scared. Was the driving scary at all?

 

 

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[Mura]

While we didn't personally do the driving any of the times we've been to Nordkapp, I remember doing two drives with a hired driver in 2010 -- one to Nordkapp, and one to the jumping off point for Bird Island. The roads were pretty empty ... even when there were dozens of buses from Insignia heading to Nordkapp at midnight! It's not difficult driving in terms of topography, and traffic was usually light.

 

Just don't hit a reindeer ...

 

Mura

[Eboracum_d]

We are doing the North Cape cruise next summer in July. We would be interested in seeing the NordKapp. We would love to drive it but a little concerned about weather. We thought about doing the king crab and Sami village excursion but if the seas are rough, I would be scared. Was the driving scary at all?

 

 

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I think a bit of scariness is built into the King Crab excursion. If the sea is not itself rough the crew indulge their guests by doing some rapid transits and curves to bring you back over the wake of the boat. Participants seemed to enjoy it.

 

The best way of seeing the NordKapp is from the ship on the sail in or out. That said, there is not too much to do in Honingsveg itself.

 

 

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[kahtrav]

We are doing the North Cape cruise next summer in July. We would be interested in seeing the NordKapp. We would love to drive it but a little concerned about weather. We thought about doing the king crab and Sami village excursion but if the seas are rough, I would be scared. Was the driving scary at all?

 

 

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There are hardly cars on the roads, so that's not an issue. Super easy driving. We had figured if the weather was bad, we'd cancel the car since you wouldn't be able to see anything anyway.

[TLCOhio]

While we didn't personally do the driving any of the times we've been to Nordkapp, I remember doing two drives with a hired driver in 2010 -- one to Nordkapp, and one to the jumping off point for Bird Island. The roads were pretty empty ... even when there were dozens of buses from Insignia heading to Nordkapp at midnight! It's not difficult driving in terms of topography, and traffic was usually light. Just don't hit a reindeer ... Mura

 

Yes, driving up and around the North Cape is possible. That's what we did!! BUT, we had a "plan" and location as to where we were headed. Below are some of the details and "visual evidence" as "proof" that things worked well. BUT, weather in this part of the world can be changing. We went from perfectly clear and super sunny conditions out on the water going to Bird Island and then to heavy fog in just a few hours. BUT, things worked very well.

 

More on the full live/blog. Happy to answer any added questions.

 

EXCURSION DETAILS:

We visited the small fishing village of Gjesvaer, about 22 miles NW of Honningsvaag. We had a rental car for the four of us and we traveled a route that was sunny, very dramatic and rising through this stark, but beautiful landscape. There are no trees to be seen this far north. We had packed a picnic lunch with us. We got there early, but our bird rock charter was doing a photo tour with a Polish photographer with 26” lens. He took about 1000 different pictures while on his trip out there.

 

Before boarding, I asked our Captain if we would see any puffins. His reaction? “You’ll see 2.6 million there. There will be so many, it will seem like they are mosquitoes.” That sounded like hype, but it was true . . . and more! These pictures give you only a small sampling of what all we saw. It was birds, birds, birds!!!

 

To do our boat charter, you can check this website:

http://stappan.com/birdsafariny.html

or e-mail at ro71no@stappan.no

Cellphone: +47 95037722

Our Captain was super, excellent for doing a 90-minute tour. It was scheduled for only sixty minutes, but we got more. His boat had a capacity of eight persons, was a 27-feet size and was propelled by 222-horse power*engine with thrusters to get closer to the rocks of this protected island where humans are not allowed. For the four of us, it cost us a total of 2000 NOK for the boat charter. We had special “polar suits” to protect against the cold and wind. It was not too cold, but we needed these warmer suits they provided. To be honest, weather is a “crap shoot” here. We were lucky, very fortunate! And happy. We got our car rental through communications with: lene@nordkappbilservice.no

Or see this website:

http://www.nordkappbilservice.no

Its location is about a mile north of the docking location.

 

What an experience!!!! Loved it! On larger boats, you cannot get as close to the birds as we did, being closer to water level, seeing the gull colony up front and personal, etc. It was great with super weather, until the fog set in hard as we were going back to port. Fortunately, he had a sophisticated GPS, depth screen to guide him back in this “soupy” setting.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 202,844 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Going down into Gjesvaer, near the North Cape, here was a harbor scene/mountain scene. At the bottom right are some of the wooden fish drying racks. Second is a picture more from water level up to the mountains hanging over the water, a boat in the harbor, birds in the sky, etc.:

 

 

 

 

 

In the small fishing village of Gjesvaer near the North Cape, here was the harbor scene as we had our picnic at an open table before going on our charter boat to the bird rock areas. That tree trunk/limbs shown didn't actually grow there. It was brought in and placed there. This far north, nothing major grows and the land areas are very much a type of tundra. Extremely interesting and beautiful area!:

 

 

 

Sailing from the small fishing village of Gjesvaer near the North Cape, this is the first of many puffin visuals, showing their bright orange feet, plus their cute and unique beaks.:

 

 

 

These are some of these Cormorant black birds at their perching area on this island.:

 

 

 

This shows a huge colony of sea gulls along the rocks and deep into the large opening in the side of the mountain that is this bird island.:

 

[TLCOhio]

Below are some additional visuals and "eye-candy" regarding our exploring in and around the North Cape. Really loved what we did and achieved at this great location. Glad we did it "DIY" where we could set our own schedule, decide when we wanted to stop and chart our course of exploring.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 217,050 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

After getting our rental car in Honningvag, the store clerk mentioned in passing a warning of “watch out of the reindeer.” Just casually saying it. Sure. Maybe, we’ll see some in the distance. Two or three, maybe!? On the way to Gjesvaer near the North Cape, here was a small part of the large herd of reindeer we discovered on the way to our boat charter. They believed that all of this territory, including the road, belong to them. The young baby reindeers were especially cute!:

 

 

 

This is a large flock of white birds with their different coloring at the top. I have been told that their official name is Northern Gannets. They are a seabird and is the largest member of the gannet family. They normally nest in large colonies, on cliffs overlooking the ocean or on small rocky islands.:

 

 

 

Here, the puffin is looking left, allowing a different angle to see their unique beak.:

 

 

 

Here are more in and around Gjesvaer, near the North Cape. First of a harbor scene/mountain/docking area scene. Second is my wife and Janet in our small charter boat with the special warm suits they furnish to protect against the elements going out to the Bird Island. Third, an example of the massive number of puffins in the waters.:

 

 

 

 

 

[Mura]

Great photos! Our visit to Bird Island with the same outfit was equally spectacular.

 

Mura

[kahtrav]

Amazing trip. All I had seen were zodiacs and we've had a really bad and dangerous experience some years ago. This would have been a great option.

[TLCOhio]

Great photos! Our visit to Bird Island with the same outfit was equally spectacular. Mura

 

Wonderful, Mura, to read that you used the same folks for your adventure trip to Bird Island as we did. AND, that things also worked out super great.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 202,885 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[roothy123]

I know this thread has been inactive for a while, but I was wondering if anyone can comment on this. It turns out we will only be in Honnigsvag for 6 hours, so I figure with a rental car, I can only plan on having 4 1/2 hours to do things. I've gotten some info on how far it is to both Nordkapp and the town where trips to Bird Island originate. I've also googled to see how long it might take to hit both in one shortened day. It looks to be possible but kind of difficult, especially since we're there on a Sunday afternoon, which is pretty limiting.

 

Does anyone remember how long (approximately) it took to get up to Gjesvaer for the bird trip? What about to Nordkapp?

 

Did anyone do a ship's excursion to Nordkapp? I'm wondering how long you get at the Visitor's Center and monument if you take one of those. Also, it looks like our cruise ship doesn't have to go past the monument to get to its next port, so I'm wondering if there was any chance I'd get to see it if I bagged the Nordkapp visit and just did the Bird Island trip combined with a little bit of driving around the area.

[Mura]

I think you could do Nordkapp in the time you have. It's not a huge place. Well, the "new" building (I call it new because it wasn't there on my first trip in 1975) is large but there isn't all that much to see in it. At least from my perception there wasn't. It's mainly the view, which doesn't take all that long. If you spent an hour there you'd still be okay, I'm sure.

 

Is the ship doing tours to North Cape? I can't imagine that they wouldn't. I'm not advocating that you take a ship's tour, just that if the ship is doing them, you should be able to do so as well.

 

As to Bird Island, my recollection (my diary got eaten by my computer so I'm going by memory from 2010) is that the drive was about an hour and the boat trip was 2 hours. I suppose you could do it safely enough, but I'd not take the risk myself. It IS a lovely activity when you are there.

 

The outfit that handles the trip was very helpful and probably could answer any questions you have.

 

It's a pity the ship is spending so little time in Honningsvaag. When we were there in 2010 we actually overnighted there so we went out to North Cape at midnight and did Bird Island the next day, which also gave us time to walk through town.

 

Mura

 

P.S. You couldn't do both in one day that is only 6 hours long, no way. But you probably could do ONE visit. The distance to either one isn't that long, but this is not major highway. And get a flat tire on the way and you might not see many other cars ...

And it's not as if they are in the same direction. They are to a certain point but then the roads diverge.

Edited December 4, 2016 by Mura

[kahtrav]

I know this thread has been inactive for a while, but I was wondering if anyone can comment on this. It turns out we will only be in Honnigsvag for 6 hours, so I figure with a rental car, I can only plan on having 4 1/2 hours to do things. I've gotten some info on how far it is to both Nordkapp and the town where trips to Bird Island originate. I've also googled to see how long it might take to hit both in one shortened day. It looks to be possible but kind of difficult, especially since we're there on a Sunday afternoon, which is pretty limiting.

 

Does anyone remember how long (approximately) it took to get up to Gjesvaer for the bird trip? What about to Nordkapp?

 

Did anyone do a ship's excursion to Nordkapp? I'm wondering how long you get at the Visitor's Center and monument if you take one of those. Also, it looks like our cruise ship doesn't have to go past the monument to get to its next port, so I'm wondering if there was any chance I'd get to see it if I bagged the Nordkapp visit and just did the Bird Island trip combined with a little bit of driving around the area.

Nothing is really very far (we rented a car). We went out to each little village but did not actually stop at Nordkapp visitor center. I would not expect to have time for a boat trip and Nordkapp, especially with such a brief port stop. I actually don't think you'd have time for the boat trip. Our ship did go around Nordkapp and I would be surprised if yours doesn't. However, I don't know if you can find out beforehand. Have a great cruise.

[wilkij]

Nothing is really very far (we rented a car). We went out to each little village but did not actually stop at Nordkapp visitor center. I would not expect to have time for a boat trip and Nordkapp, especially with such a brief port stop. I actually don't think you'd have time for the boat trip. Our ship did go around Nordkapp and I would be surprised if yours doesn't. However, I don't know if you can find out beforehand. Have a great cruise.

 

Has the itinerary changed here thought we were here much longer than 6 hours???? Where did you hear that we were here for only 6 hours? Jan

[TLCOhio]

I think you could do Nordkapp in the time you have. It's not a huge place. Well, the "new" building (I call it new because it wasn't there on my first trip in 1975) is large but there isn't all that much to see in it. You couldn't do both in one day that is only 6 hours long, no way. But you probably could do ONE visit. The distance to either one isn't that long, but this is not major highway. And get a flat tire on the way and you might not see many other cars ... And it's not as if they are in the same direction. They are to a certain point but then the roads diverge.

 

Appreciate this great additional information. Much is going to depend on when your ship arrives and weather conditions. Our ship arrived earlier than scheduled, allowing added time there. BUT, the weather got very "iffy" after our private boat ride out to the Bird Island. Be flexible!! You can do lots on your own with a rental car. BUT, weather conditions require some creativity, etc. Happy to answer any added question for what we did. You can see more details from my earlier posting on this thread and/or from the full coverage on the live/blog connected below.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 206,294 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[roothy123]

So just curious now - can anyone tell me:

1. Just how windy & cold might it be at Nordkapp in late June with wind chill? Do I need to bring all my cold weather gear - down jacket, hat, heavy gloves, muffler, warm sweater and pants? I DO want to walk out to the statues.

2. I've read that some ships cruise up to the cliff at Nordkapp so passengers can see the globe statue. However, I think after our visit, the ship (Viking Star) heads back down to a more southern port in Norway, so I would guess this would be out of our way to go up north. Does anyone have any idea of how often people see the cliffs at Nordkapp, and the globe statue from their cruise ship?

Edited December 21, 2016 by roothy123

[Eboracum_d]

A light sweater and waterproof should be all you need. The ship will have rounded North Cape on the way into Honingsvag so automatically passes again on the return journey South.

 

There seems to be way of knowing in advance whether the Captain will press on straightway or will take a closer look at the Cape itself.

 

It's also worth while being on deck (or your balcony if it's on the right side) to have a look at the Cape as you pass on the way up to Honingsveg.

 

 

 

 

 

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