For Participants

How to Get to Singla and other important information for participants

Getting to Singla

You will be above the Arctic circle in the farthest northern region of Norway. The nearest major airport is in the delightful city of Tromsø. You can look on the Tromsø Lufthavn page for options to get from the airport to Sentrum (downtown Tromsø).

We strongly suggest staying overnight in Tromsø on either end of your trip as air travel seems to be full of delays lately and many visitors have had to wait for luggage that did not make its connections. Please note that weather can also occasionally upset the ferry schedule.

by ferry

From Tromsø Sentrum, most visitors will catch a passenger-only ferry that leaves from the main ferry dock, called the Tromsø Prostneset. These ferry schedules are made far in advance, but we will confirm your date/time when we get closer to your arrival.

You will be taking Route 3 towards Skjervøy which boards upstairs at the terminal and then proceeds down an escalator to the boarding ramp at dock level. There may not be an attendant nearby so please ask around if you are at all unsure (everyone speaks great English). Your stop is at Arnoyhamn, and the boat often stops at multiple other islands along the way. You can buy tickets once you are seated on the boat (an attendant will come around, you can pay with a card) or there is an app called Svipper that allows you to buy bus and ferry tix for the area. The city of Tromsø is very walkable with great transit, and has many options for food and lodging in easy walking distance to the ferry.

At the end of your stay we will drop folks back in Arnoyhamn to meet the passenger ferry, to take you back to Tromsø.

By Car or bike

If you are already exploring the area by bike or car another option is to arrive via the car ferry from the island of Kågen (Storslet kai) to the village of Lauksletta (Lauksundskaret kai). This ferry connects you to the rest of mainland Norway and runs every few hours throughout the day. The nearby county seat town of Skjervøy on a neighboring island, has a couple lodging options if you need to piece things together within a larger trip. There is also wild camping available all over Arnøya and the surrounding area if you have that sort of gear with you.

Medical Services

The island does not have any medical facility, and any serious emergencies require helicopter or boat/ambulance assistance. We do have an EMT on staff and decades worth of first responder experience. Please be sure to have any medications with you and if an epi pen is required to treat an allergy you have, you must bring your own and it should be carried with you. We request that each member of the group be as up to date as possible with your vaccinations for Covid-19 in advance of travel.

Communications

We do not have wifi. YAY. But cell reception is good all over Norway and at Singla. Check with your carrier to see what they offer for international options,  We use T-mobile and they recently started free data and texting in most of Europe, but you can also buy a Norwegian sim card for your phone if you are planning a longer trip or will need to make more local calls. Our Norwegian cell phone is available to use if you need to book any last minute travel, etc. I recommend buying a good old guidebook or finding an online version as they have a wealth of basic info about phones, money, electricity, quirky customs, etc.

Tromsø and Surrounds

Tromsø is a delightful city that is super walkable. A few of our favorite things are PUST the floating sauna in the harbor, NordNorge KunstMuseum the regions premier art museum often featuring native Sami artists, Perspektiv Museum- interesting revolving shows in a historic building, and the Bibliotek the city library and an awesome place to work or get out of the weather. There is also a very solid art supply store at Tromsø Farvehandel, and a wealth of nordic ski trails.

For hotels, our personal fave is the Quality Hotel Saga, right across the street from the ferry terminal, its not always the cheapest but has an incredible breakfast spread. The smart hotel is a more budget option that still has a manned front desk and luggage storage, but breakfast is not as inspiring.   

Beyond Tromsø there is much to do! Island hop by ferry using the local system or the big cruise-ship size HURTIGRUTEN (scroll to the very bottom for “port to port” options, try out amazing trails on the island of Senja or explore the legendary Lofoten islands a bit further south. Further northeast at Alta you will find amazing rock carvings by 7,000 years gone reindeer herders, and onward to the NordKapp. The national trekking association has great info on trails and backcountry huts.