Skjervøy – a small town with a surprisingly big history
Humpback whales, herring shoals and polar legends collide in this remote harbour on Norway’s northern coast.
The small town of Skjervøy huddles along a bay on the eastern shore of a small island of the same name, surrounded by sharp peaks and icy seas.
At heart, it’s a working fishing harbour, but its wild waters draw whale watchers, and its history is threaded with tales of Arctic traders, explorers and brave mushers.
Here, you can visit Seppalatunet, the former home of world-famous dog-sledder Leonhard Seppala, and go in search of humpback whales and orcas.
Skjervøy: from hardcore explorers to humpback whales and hammocks
Skjervøy has long been a hub for Arctic seafarers. The town’s first trader was Christen Michelsen Heggelund, a Danish man who settled here in the mid-17th century.
By the time he died, he had become so rich that people nicknamed him the ‘Skjervøy King’ and a wealth of local lore sprang up about him. He had a reputation for stinginess.
Rumour has it, he diverted church funds into his own pocket and poured his coins into a crack in Stussnesfjellet mountain to stop locals inheriting his fortune after his death. Apparently, local boys still search for it.
In 1877, Skjervøy gave the world Leonhard Seppala – a local fisherman’s son who emigrated to Alaska in search of gold and became a dog-sledding legend.
His team led the longest leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome, a town threatened by a diphtheria epidemic; in doing so, they became part of the inspiration for the famous annual dog-sled race, The Iditarod.
Seppala was also a friend of explorer Roald Amundsen, and Skjervøy itself has polar ties: the town has the unusual honour of being the first port the polar ship Fram returned to after being trapped in ice for three years as part of Fridtjof Nansen’s expedition to the North Pole.
Captain Sverdrup steered her into the harbour on 20 August 1896 and, three weeks later, the ship arrived back in Oslo where she is preserved inside the Fram Museum.
Today, Skjervøy remains a working fishing town, but its main draw is the sea itself. Every winter, orcas and humpback whales follow the herring into these waters, making it one of the best places in Norway to see these giants up close.
For a different perspective, hike up to the hammock park above town – the first in the Lygenfjord region. Here, you can wake up after a night in a hammock to a view of snow-dusted peaks and sea stretching into the Arctic horizon.
(Image credit: Mats Grimseth - SeilNorge - Visit Norway)
What is the weather like in Skjervøy?
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | Jul | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Min temperature (°C) | -9 | -8 | -7 | -3 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 0 | -4 | -7 |
Max temperature (°C) | -5 | -5 | -3 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 0 | -3 |
Visit Skjervøy with Hurtigruten
How long will I be in port?
Northbound
In port: 15 minutes
Southbound
In port: 15 minutes
As seen from the sea
Seated on the eastern coast of Leinøya, Torvik consists of a handful of low warehouses and traditional homes dotted between the sea, fields and forested hills.
Just around the corner to the south, you’ll sail beneath the 544-metre-long Herøybrua, one of the network of bridges connecting the municipalities main islands.
Port address: Havnegata 18, 9180 Skjervøy
Neighbouring ports of call
Tromsø
Snow-filled adventures, Arctic wildlife and vibrant festivals flourish beneath the Northern Lights and Midnight Sun of this buzzing Arctic city.
Øksfjord
A village poised between fjord, peaks and a glacier that calves into the sea.