Seiland National Park

Seiland lies between Hammerfest and Alta, and the national park covering most of it protects a landscape unusual for its latitude: two small glaciers, Seilandsjokelen and Nordmannsjokelen, which are the northernmost in mainland Norway and among the northernmost anywhere outside the Arctic islands, sitting on a mountain plateau that rises steeply from deep fjords cutting into the island. The park was created in 2006 and covers about 316 square kilometres. There is no road access into it and no marked trail network to speak of, so visits mean chartering a boat and then walking on trackless ground. Sami reindeer herding uses the island in summer, with animals swum or ferried across.

What you actually see

• The northernmost glaciers - two small ice caps on the island plateau.
• The deep fjords - inlets cutting into the island from the sea.
• The trackless interior - open mountain with no marked routes.
• The summer reindeer - Sami herds brought over to graze the island.

When to go

July to September, when boats can reach the shore reliably and the snow has cleared; the season is very short. Weather in this part of Finnmark is unpredictable in every month.

Honest expectations

There is no infrastructure at all: no roads, marked paths, cabins or facilities inside the park, and visitors must be fully self-sufficient with a boat arranged both ways. Glacier travel needs equipment. Boat charter is expensive and weather-dependent.

Nearby

Hammerfest lies north; Alta and the Altafjord are south across the water.