Travel back in time
Cloudberries
The most beautiful adventure of the arctic summer! Every year, more than 100 enthusiastic people gather on Tamsøya looking to secure their share of cloudberries of the highest quality...
Couple’s trip in goahti
Get the ultimate nature experience and relax far away form the chores of everyday life. This fabric goahti is located just above the shoreline on the north end of the island, with views of the Sværholdt peninsula and Arctic ocean. Experience wilderness camping with a luxurious twist...
Hike the seashore from one hut to the next
Experience Tamsøya and its varied and magical nature. Cliffs, colourful vegetation, the ripples of the waves on the beach, seagulls calling and the wind in your hair...
What is Tamsøya?
Store Tamsøy (the official name, meaning “large Tams island”, alluding to its smaller sister island named Lille Tamsøy/little Tams island) is a 14,1 km2 privately owned island in Porsanger county, Finnmark, Norway. It’s known for its occurrence of large amounts of cloudberries, but since 2018 we have expanded our operations to include alternative tourism, and from the summer of 2020 we will be offering even more exciting activities.
We wish to offer our guests an experience of “traveling back in time”. The houses and interiors are still exactly how they were after the post-WWII reconstructions. The Tamsøy life is a humble, yet cozy life, without any running water or electricity. You light the fire and do the dishes by hand. These surroundings make it easy to unwind, but for those who might want a bit more action, we host RIB ocean rafting safaris to the Sværholt peninsula, with a landing in extraordinary and remote “Slottsvika” – Castle bay.
Birdlife, fauna and the midnight sun
Experience birdlife, colourful nature and the midnight sun. From the 14th of May to the 29th of July, the sun never sets, so why not make Tamsøya your base for exploring the Norwegian summer night? The possibilities are plentiful. The island is just 8 nautical miles away from the mainland, but still far enough to feel like you’re a long way from civilization.
Excerpt from one of our customers: “if you’re contemplating this trip – do it, and experience the unique feeling of being on a deserted island, and a proper brake from busy days and noise”.
The history of Tamsøya
The island was granted protected status by the King-in-Council as early as during the 1600’s. This was due to its abundance of seabirds, down and cloudberries. To this day, it still has this status, making it inaccessible to unauthorized individuals. Historically, it was managed by a bailiff, but during the 1800’s this changed, and it was ultimately sold to the Ulich family. In addition to the harvesting of the aforementioned natural resources, the Ulich family used it for agriculture. Fredrik Bull, the grandfather of the current owners, bought it in 1927 and took over operations. Later, during WWII and the occupation, all the animals were killed and the buildings burnt down by the Nazis. After this, people no longer lived here permanently, but seasonal harvesting of birds’ eggs, down and cloudberries continued into the 60’s. After this, the only commercial operation on the island has involved cloudberries, until now.