Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Experience Norway - Nordland
Experience Sulitjelma Once upon a time, Sulitjelma, with its rough climate and a population that peaked during the copper mining days of the village, was nicknamed the Siberia of the Nordics. Since the mines closed in the 1990s, the small community has been able to offer an uncontested and unique nature experience in the mountains of northern Norway.
local flora and fauna have to offer, and gives lectures teaching visitors which mushrooms are edible. The forest surrounding the tourist centre is ripe with berries and mushrooms.
By Andrea Bærland | Photos: Sulitjelma Turistsenter
Today, the village of Sulitjelma provides first-rate nature experiences throughout the year, while Sulitjelma Turistsenter offers visitors a place to spend the night and Fjellfarer takes guests on guided hiking trips in the majestic Sulis mountains.
Live close to nature Located next to Dajavann, a mere 90minute drive from the city of Bodø, you will find Sulitjelma Turistsenter, with a capacity to host 130 mobile homes alongside 12 cabins with all modern conveniences – including Wi-Fi – for rent. The two wood-fired hot tubs and the sauna are new for this year, available to rent to all guests who want to relax after a long day in the Sulis mountains. For the disabled, the tourist centre offers a 250-metre long wooden trail along the beautiful Emmavann nearby. “We are also the go-to people if you want to rent any of the facilities belonging to 86 | Issue 86 | March 2016
the hunting and fishing association,” explains Bjørn Thomas Hansen who, alongside Laila Nilssen, has been running the tourist centre for the past three years. He is referring to an additional three cabins, located at Dorro, Willumsvann and Fuglevand, as well as traditional fishermen’s shanties by Balvann and Sølvbakk and boats on the Rossna lake, one of Norway’s best-known lakes for trout fishing. In the mountains surrounding the tourist centre, you will find 400 lakes brimming with wild mountain trout.
After all the fresh air the surrounding nature has offered, visitors should take the chance to sample dinner in the dining hall, which serves delicacies such as deer stew, finnbiff and fish baked in foil, all based on local produce. And anyone with a sweet tooth can round it all off with the local specialty, møsbrømlefse, a Norwegian close relative to the Mexican tortilla. “It is very important to us that every aspect of our guests’ visit to Sulitjelma is a positive experience, whether they come to experience the northern lights or the midnight sun,” assure Hansen and Nilssen.
“But if you’re more of a hunter you can practise your shooting on the hunting and fishing association’s shooting range,” says Hansen, adding that the shooting range is a popular training venue ahead of the hunting season. For the more domestic guests, Nilssen offers classes in cooking with what the
For more information, please visit: www.sulitjelmaturistsenter.no