Hamningberg – Varanger

Hamningberg lies at the very end of the National Tourist Route Varanger, 160 km from Varangerbotn. The last stretch runs through a bare “lunar landscape” of sharp slate rocks along the Barents Sea. The fishing village survived the Second World War intact – unlike almost all of Finnmark – but was later abandoned as a permanent settlement; some of the old houses are used in summer, and reindeer graze between them.

At the end of the road: a wheelchair-accessible rest area with seats and fire pits, toilets (closed in winter) and a waste station, and a bird-watching hide designed by Biotope.

Tips for campers: the road between Smelror and Hamningberg is closed in winter – it has closed between early November and late December and opened between mid-April and late May; after opening it can close at night and in bad weather. Between Svartnes and Hamningberg it is narrow with many bends, so it is not for every motorhome. Emptying toilets is not allowed at the rest area; the nearest dump station is in Vadsø. On the way, in Vardø: Steilneset and Vardøhus.