Honningsvag help please

Honningsvag / Nordcap - any ideas or help,with non-cruise ship tours would be very much appreciated. We are there in June 2015 and whilst I have looked at all the websites I can find there are bound to be CCers who have been there and can offer advice.

Thanks in advance.

We never going on Seabourn's ship tours but we made an exception this one time figuring it was just too hard otherwise. There do not seem to be many easy DIY options.

Honningsvag is a bit different from most ports in Norway, as it is small, has a small dock area and is very dark during the winter and fully light for almost 24 hours during the summer.

As there are few Do It Yourself options, the tour offered by most ships is the usual choice. You may find someone who will arrange a tour for you, but I am not aware of anyone.

The trip to the North Cape is what everyone seems to book, and if the weather is good, can be enjoyable. The buses used were school buses in the winter...

Check out car rentals, we joined forces with two other groups and rented a seven passenger van for the day. It was very reasonable and the car was waiting for us at the dock. Driving to the north cape and to a bird safari was incredibly easy and economical. I'm sorry I don't remember the name of the company, just google it.

Honningsvag / Nordcap - any ideas or help,with non-cruise ship tours would be very much appreciated. We are there in June 2015 and whilst I have looked at all the websites I can find there are bound to be CCers who have been there and can offer advice.

 

Thanks in advance.

We are on your sailing and are also seeking alternatives to ship's excursions.

Check out car rentals, we joined forces with two other groups and rented a seven passenger van for the day. It was very reasonable and the car was waiting for us at the dock. Driving to the north cape and to a bird safari was incredibly easy and economical. I'm sorry I don't remember the name of the company, just google it.

Can you tell me how long the trip to North Cape took? Please tell more about the bird safari.

Thanks

Honningsvag / Nordcap - any ideas or help,with non-cruise ship tours would be very much appreciated. We are there in June 2015 and whilst I have looked at all the websites I can find there are bound to be CCers who have been there and can offer advice. Thanks in advance.

Hi, Roy and Fiona!! 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 charter boat 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://www.birdsafari-aurora.no/ or e-mail at ro71no@online.no.

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.

More visuals will follow from this spectacular location.

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 153,663 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

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

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 reindeer were especially cute!:

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.:

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.:

These various birds, including the puffins, were not just filling the cliffs and water, but the air, also. One of the eagles appears to be in the air. It was like a scene out of a Hitchcock film. They were not threatening us. Just busy getting food and living their lives.:

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.:

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and ideas.

Terry, what a fabulous experience, thank you for sharing the details and the photos - I am going to get my head into the right gear and start planning.

.

Terry, as always your information is so helpful, along with your stunning visuals. Now you've really got me thinking, North Cape or Gjesvaer? We really enjoy DIY and unique experiences, so I am thinking the bird trip may suit us perfectly.

FYI - the link to the bird safari does not work for me.

FYI - the link to the bird safari does not work for me.

try

http://www.birdsafari.com/index.php/en/

I went on a ship excursion to North Cape in mid-June 2012, and the weather was awful! I got up early that day to see the sail-by, and it was so foggy that you couldn't see anything. The weather didn't clear until early afternoon, so those who took the local bus later in the day had a much better experience. Unfortunately, whether you book a ship tour or a private one, you have no control over the weather.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and ideas. Terry, what a fabulous experience, thank you for sharing the details and the photos - I am going to get my head into the right gear and start planning.

sippican: Terry' date=' as always your information is so helpful, along with [b']your stunning visuals[/b]. Now you've really got me thinking, North Cape or Gjesvaer? We really enjoy DIY and unique experiences, so I am thinking the bird trip may suit us perfectly. FYI - the link to the bird safari does not work for me.

LHT28: http://www.birdsafari.com/index.php/en/

Appreciate these nice follow-ups' date=' comments and info. [b']Great sharing!![/b] That one link provided by LHT28 could work, but it is for a larger boat that takes many more people as a part of a bigger "group". Depends on what you seek, want, need and can afford. Our ship, the Aurora was much smaller and could do so much more to get closer, be more personal.

To do our boat charter, you might check this updated website and e-mail:

http://stappan.com/birdsafariny.html

or e-mail at ro71no@stappan.no

Cellphone: +47 95037722

Here is added background for another key factor for considering your choice of either the North Cape or Gjesvaer. It's the WEATHER!!?? It can vary and change up there. Even on the same day. Or, within a few hours!! As a few more visuals verify below the weather was super perfect, beautiful. Same way when sailing out out to the bird island. But, then when we were starting to head back, things got foggy. Then, hyper foggy!!! Barely being able to seat as he finished sailing into harbor. Glad he had the best navigation equipment on the ship. Otherwise, you're totally lost, even if you know where to go. We were going to drive to the North Cape and had plenty of time to do that part of the exploration. Things with the fog, however, were as thick as pea soup. No point in trying to go there.

Plan and aim for the best there, but be prepared to adjust and adapt as weather can affect your actual, potential options.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 72,884 views for this fun posting.

This is the harbor in Gjesvaer with its various small boats shown. Notice the reflections in the water of the boats as the sky was so sunny and blue with the water so calm.:

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!:

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

We found five seals on this rock. They slid off of the rock, into the water and then peaked their heads up to say "HI" to us.:

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 is the view as we were sailing into Honningsvag. Nice town and area, but not as dramatic and interesting as are the other areas that will take a rental car or ship tour to visit and experience.:

Here are a few more "eye candy" examples for what is possible to see and do in this interesting part of Norway and in being at the "Top of Europe"!! Had not posted these visuals till today.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 181,649 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

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

Here is what the larger "party boat" looks like as it is used at this near-North Cape location for ship tours and bigger groups. It holds up to 50 people. From this ship, they cannot get as close and personal to the "action" as what our smaller boat was able to do. Nice and sunny, weather, right?:

Here is a closer action shot for one of the reindeer we encountered as we headed to our Gjesvaer port location/tour.:

Here are some added examples and samples of the varied bird "action" in and around the Bird Island near Gjesvaer at the top of Europe. Lots and lots of birds with a nice range of types. This includes groups of puffins floating in the water.:

I was in Honningsvag summer 2011, small ship cruise up Norway's west coast. I did the small boat puffin [and many other birds!] watching trip. My friend went up to North Cape. We both had a marvelous time. But if you love nature, I would suggest the birdwatching boat trip. The photos posted above are very similar to what we saw. It was wonderful.

I did the small boat puffin [and many other birds!] watching trip. My friend went up to North Cape. We both had a marvelous time. But if you love nature, I would suggest the birdwatching boat trip. The photos posted above are very similar to what we saw. It was wonderful.

Appreciate this posting from our North Carolina "Belle" that these sights and options are possible at the Top of Europe. It's proof that these pictures are not "Photoshop" tricks and/or composite visuals.

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 153,792 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

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

When we rented the minivan in Honnisvag we did the fishing village, a bird safari, we stopped to see the reindeer and then drove to the north cape. We docked at noon, we were on a mid afternoon bird safari at about 2pm. We were at the north cape late afternoon, spend two hours there and we were back on the ship by 8:00 pm. It was the day of summer solstice so we had never ending daylight.

When we rented the minivan in Honnisvag we did the fishing village, a bird safari, we stopped to see the reindeer and then drove to the north cape. We docked at noon, we were on a mid afternoon bird safari at about 2pm. We were at the north cape late afternoon, spend two hours there and we were back on the ship by 8:00 pm. It was the day of summer solstice so we had never ending daylight.

Thanks, that is exactly the information I wanted. We really like the idea of the small bird safari that Aurora offers, but still want to see North Cape. Nice to know it is possible to do both if we rent a car.

Thanks, that is exactly the information I wanted. We really like the idea of the small bird safari that Aurora offers, but still want to see North Cape. Nice to know it is possible to do both if we rent a car.

YES, the logistics will allow you to do BOTH! But, however, remember the weather "wild-card". Our independent driving plan was to do both and we had plenty of time to accomplish those goals. It's just that the heavy fog rolled in and it forced us to adjust our plans. Still all worked very well.

Our ship, after departing the port, did a "sail by" for us to see the North Cape from our ship Below are two visuals for that "thrill". Not sure whether most or only a few ships offer this super scenic view of the North Cape.

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 153,988 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

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

Here are two views of the North Cape as we approached and the clouds started to clear and the sun broke through showing a great blue sky. The ship did a full 360-degree rotation to allow all on the ship, whether on the top deck as we were or in their rooms on both sides, to be able to see this wonderful spectacle of the North Cape. The second shot allows a great look at the detail for this massive rock formation at the top of Europe.:

Honningsvag / Nordcap - any ideas or help,with non-cruise ship tours would be very much appreciated. We are there in June 2015 and whilst I have looked at all the websites I can find there are bound to be CCers who have been there and can offer advice.

IIRC, there was no constraint about which bus to take to get back to Honningsvag, and there was no particular pressure on space for the one we wanted.

The big advantage of this is that you're then not tied to the cruise ship excursion's timetable for how long you spend at North Cape, and you can just play it by ear depending on how interesting you do (or don't) find it, and how clement (or otherwise) the weather is etc etc. Oh, and it's much cheaper, of course.

There's lots of advice already on this forum about it - it's where we got all the pointers to the details of how to do it.

You can simply take the town bus to North Cape - that's what we did last year. But you should make an effort to get off the ship early to buy your tickets, because once a particular bus sells out, it's sold out - and that could put a dent in your timing plans.

 

IIRC, there was no constraint about which bus to take to get back to Honningsvag, and there was no particular pressure on space for the one we wanted.

 

The big advantage of this is that you're then not tied to the cruise ship excursion's timetable for how long you spend at North Cape, and you can just play it by ear depending on how interesting you do (or don't) find it, and how clement (or otherwise) the weather is etc etc. Oh, and it's much cheaper, of course.

 

There's lots of advice already on this forum about it - it's where we got all the pointers to the details of how to do it.

Globaliser, how easy was it to get the town bus? And where did you have to go to get it?

Nobody seems to have mentioned the ice bar in Honningsvag. Is it easy to find in the town? Is it walkable after a tour to the North Cape?

Thanks

Nobody seems to have mentioned the ice bar in Honningsvag. Is it easy to find in the town? Is it walkable after a tour to the North Cape?

 

 

 

Thanks

It is a 5 min walk from the dock and easy to find.

Globaliser, how easy was it to get the town bus? And where did you have to go to get it?

The most difficult part was getting the ticket. Otherwise, just a straightforward bus from the centre of Honningsvag to the North Cape tourist centre. The tickets are sold at the tourist information office.

Appreciate the excellent tips/info on the bus from Globaliser. Very helpful. BUT, a big question/unknown is about what other ships will be this small port/town at the time you are there.

We had our own independent/car arrangements. Our smaller ship arrived there first. But, then there was big, big German AIDA ship with 2,000 plus loud and active passengers arriving there at the same time we were there. Your ship might be, if lucky, the only one in town that day. Maybe not. That little "detail" is important to consider if you are planning to have the bus be your transportation method.

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 160,115 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

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

If you want to be sure to get a ticket, you can book and pay in advance

nordkapp.no/en/…bus-to-northcape