Bird Watching at Hornøya.

2026 SEASON

INFORMATION ABOUT TRIPS TO HORNØYA.

The government of Norway has made new regulations on how to visit the island from the 2026 season. This year you have to be part of a group with a guide. (Blue area C on the map below) 

Only operators that has a license from the Governor of Finnmark is allowed to transport people to the island.

List of operators with premission to transport people to the island for the 2026 season:

Destinasjon  Vardø  
Vardø  veteranbåtlag  
Finnmark  Booking AS  
Varanger View  AS  
Vian Film  Production
Kate Johanne  Utsi  
Kuusamo Nature  Photography  
Nature talks  BV  
Cape East  Adventures  
Knut Sverre  Horn      
Photo Tours  Norway AS      
ARGE  Naturfotowerksatt  
Tobias Gjerde  Photo    
Bjarne  Riesto      
Øyvind Zahl  Arntzen  

Unfortunately there are no coordination between the operators on how to sell or distribute tickets to Hornøya.

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Link to lovdata:(Norwegian laws, only in Norwegian) https://lovdata.no/dokument/LF/forskrift/1983-01-28-120?q=Horn%C3%B8ya

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General information: 

Easternmost in Norway you will find the island Hornøya. The island is located in the Barents sea, approximately one kilometer from Vardø, just a 10 minute boat ride from Vardø Port. Already on the way up there you will get a feeling of what you are about to enter into. Looking up you will see full traffic with birds flying in and out as they are looking for food in the ocean.

From the dock on the island, the bird mountain will be seen right above you. Here you will find a wide variety of birds. For instance, you can experience colonies of polar lomvi, a known bird that only hatches in the arctic environments. Other birds you can spot include seabirds, puffins, auk, common murre, grebe, great cormorant, teal, crested cormorant and storm petrel.

Moving towards flatter areas, you will find the hatching grounds for lots of grey gulls, seagulls and great black-backed gulls. Hornøya and Varangerfjorden are also one of the most important winter dens for the arctic ducks.

Opposite to the arctic scenery on the north side of Varangerhalvøya, Hornøya has more flourishing vegetation as a result of fertilization from the birds on the island. The island is a protected nature reserve, therefore all areas are not available to the public. Some areas are restricted. Luckily, you can follow a path that lets you see nearly all of the birds up front.

Be sure to bring food, (very) warm clothing, a hot beverage and of course your camera! Use the path, always stay together with your group and follow the instructions from your guide.

Pets are not allowed on the island.

Unfortunately there are no toilet facilites on the island at the moment.

Please respect the rules of the nature reserve at Reinøya and Hornøya. You are only allowed to be in the marked areas on the map including the path that goes from the west side of the island to east side and the dirt road up to the light house.

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‍Weather Policy:

 No one, including the weather forecast accurately predicts the wind and current conditions on the day of your scheduled trip to Hornøya.

 If the conditions are challenging  we make the sole decision in the morning of the trip wether or not to go over to the island, depending on the waves, currents and wind conditions.

WE WISH YOU A PLEASANT STAY AT HORNØYA.

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