Overlooking the shores of the Reisafjorden, Sørkjosen is a peaceful village in Norway’s Troms og Finnmark county. It features a cluster of historic buildings within its open-air museum and lies on the doorstep of one of Norway’s most popular salmon fishing rivers.

Sørkjosen serves as the headquarters of the Nord-Troms Museum, which details the region’s cultural heritage. Exhibitions are regularly held in the historic Sokkelvikhuset and there’s a crafts workshop in the Kronebutikken. Also forming part of the museum is a twin lavvu where an annual festival honouring the region’s Kvæn people takes place.

Keen anglers can try their luck with luring in salmon from the Reisaelva river, which flows from Lake Raisjavri to the mouth of the Reisafjorden. It’s also a popular setting for canoeing and connects to the Reisautløpet nature reserve, a Ramsar-listed delta that provides habitat for migratory birds and sea trout.

Getting there

Sørkjosen is around 2.5 hours’ drive from Alta and three hours from Tromsø Airport, which has flights to destinations across Europe. The much-smaller Sørkjosen Airport lies on the edge of the village and has flights across Norway. Buses connect to Sørkjosen and the village centre is small enough to explore on foot.