Sapmi Park

Karasjok is the seat of the Sami Parliament and one of the main centres of Sami life in Norway, and Sapmi Park is its visitor introduction: a site with lavvu, the conical tents used by reindeer-herding families, a turf gamme, an enclosure with reindeer, exhibitions on Sami history, language and the reindeer economy, and a multimedia presentation on Sami cosmology and the assimilation policies of the Norwegian state. Guides are Sami and the material addresses colonisation and language loss directly. The park also has a shop selling duodji, Sami handicraft, made by registered makers. In winter it offers reindeer sledding and other activities, and the Sami Parliament building nearby is open for tours.

Highlights

• The lavvu camp - conical tents and a turf gamme with interpretation.
• The reindeer enclosure - animals central to the herding economy.
• The history exhibitions - Sami culture, language and assimilation policy.
• The duodji shop - handicraft made by registered Sami makers.

When to go

June to August for the summer programme and the midnight sun; February to April for winter activities with reindeer and returning light. Karasjok has some of the coldest recorded temperatures in Norway in midwinter.

What to expect

The park is a commercial visitor operation rather than a community, and some find the presentation packaged. Winter temperatures here regularly fall below minus thirty. Karasjok is remote, several hours from Alta or the Finnish border towns.

Nearby

The Sami Parliament building is in Karasjok; Kautokeino and the Finnmark plateau lie west.