Visit the Øvre Pasvik National Park

There aren’t many possibilities for Kirkenes day trips, since there aren’t many cities around. The closest ones are in Russia, but the border can’t be crossed freely. However, there is an exciting, but not so well-known day trip available to the Øvre Pasvik National Park. It is located a little over 100km south of Kirkenes and is accessible by road. These details will help you get the most out of your trip.

Overview

The park was established in 1970 and has an area of 119 square kilometers. Most of its territory is covered by beautiful pine forest, which is part of the Siberian taiga. The landscape is flat, with many little lakes around. Øvre Pasvik National Park is home to a large wildlife population, consisting of brown bears, elks and some rare bird species. To ensure its preservation, the authorities restrict the access of motorized vehicles to the park and there are serious fines and punishments for disturbing the animals or harming the plants.

Activities

The Øvre Pasvik National Park offers numerous leisure activities. There is a nice hiking trail, which is very well-marked, with many information boards placed along it, giving tourists interesting information about the history and nature of the area. Several cabins are available for overnight stays. The winter is an excellent time for riding a snowmobile along special tracks. Visitors of the park should definitely go to the Treriksrøys, a point at which the borders of Russia, Finland and Norway and their 3 different time zones converge.