We arrived at Hellmobotn under light cloud cover. Our landing site is next to a small Sami settlement, which forms a base for a community that makes a living by logging in the forest that spreads up from the sea. The Sami are native to northern Scandinavia and Finland, and are known for living a nomadic lifestyle, traditionally, as reindeer herders. However this is not exclusively the case with fishing and forestry being among various other important occupations also.
The area itself is remarkable for its greenery, particularly birch trees, and the many waterfalls that feed the lakes and rivers of the valley. Some fall vertically from high cliffs and overhangs, while others cascade down more gradual slopes of smooth rock. Various birds fly back and forth from tree to tree.
Along the sides of these rivers run a number of trails, and we explored the length of one to reach its base at a large waterfall. Some hikers continued on further up to the surrounding cliffs to take in the vista of the lakes from high up. There was also plenty to be seen from the sea, as a number of people took to Zodiacs to view the cliffs and the wildlife on and near the mirror calm waters of the fjord.
We returned to the ship for lunch and spent the afternoon sailing through the fjords amongst some of the most beautiful scenery in northern Norway. This was a fitting goodbye to the green of continental Europe before heading north to Svalbard from the city of Tromso, the gateway to the Arctic.
