Camping rules

Whether you travel with a tent, motorhome, campervan or caravan, we want your stay to be safe and good, both for you and for the people who live here.

In Norway, the right to roam provides great freedom to travel and stay in nature. With freedom also comes the duty of public access: Show consideration for nature, wildlife, landowners and others who use the areas.

Here are our camping rules for the Narvik region:

Follow the public duties

The right to roam gives you the opportunity to travel and stay in uncultivated land, regardless of who owns the land. Inland, such as farmyards, house plots and cultivated land, on the other hand, are not covered in the same way. Show consideration, avoid damage and wear and tear, and leave the place as you want to find it.

Use campsites and adapted motorhome pitches where you can

An adapted space provides access to facilities that can make your stay easier, while reducing the burden on popular natural areas. By using local campsites, RV sites, shops and other offers, you also contribute to the communities you visit.

Take care when free camping

If you are going to spend the night in a tent or camp outside adapted pitches, you must generally keep at least 150 meters from the inhabited house or cabin. Stays in the same place are normally limited to two days without the landowner's consent. Far from buildings and in the high mountains, exceptions to the two-day rule apply.

Remember that the right to roam does not give the right to drive a motorhome, campervan or other car out into the terrain. Motor traffic in uncultivated areas is generally prohibited. Camping with a vehicle must take place from places where it is legal to drive and park.

Follow signage and local regulations. In protected areas, separate rules may also apply for camping and traffic.

Keep a good distance and think about fire safety

The Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning recommends a distance of at least four meters between caravans, motorhomes and tents at campsites. In the event of strong winds or vegetation that increases the risk of fire spreading, the distance should be greater.

If you have a motorhome or caravan, a smoke detector and extinguishing equipment should be in place. Barbecues, cooking appliances and other open flames must be used at a good distance from tents and vehicles.

From 15 April to 15 September, the general bonfire ban applies in or near forests and other uncultivated areas. It also includes barbecuing, unless it is obvious that a fire cannot occur. Local stricter rules may be introduced when the fire risk is high.

Respect signs, parking and rest areas

Respect signs prohibiting parking, accommodation or traffic. It is not allowed to stop or park at meeting places along the road.

Rest areas are designed for travelers to stop, rest, and take a break from driving, not for camping over time. Use adapted camping or motorhome pitches when you want to stay overnight or camp.

Drive safely and considerately

The roads in the Narvik region run through fjords, valleys and high mountains, and some stretches can be narrow. Adapt your speed to the vehicle, the road and the conditions, the speed limit is not necessarily the right speed in all situations. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration also recommends extra caution in strong winds, on bridges and in tunnels when driving a motorhome or caravan.

Use meeting places to let oncoming traffic pass, but not as a parking lot. If traffic has gathered behind you, find a safe place where you can let others pass.

If you are going to travel in winter, both the vehicle and the driver must be prepared for snow and ice. See also our guide to driving in winter conditions.

Shop local, experience more

Feel free to use local shops, bakeries, restaurants, campsites, activity providers and other offers along the way. It gives you a closer encounter with the places you visit and helps to ensure that the value creation from the trip remains in the local communities.

Leave domestic and wild animals alone

Do not feed wild animals, keep your distance and avoid disturbing animals and birds, especially during the breeding and breeding season. If you meet livestock in the pasture, leave them alone and close gates behind you.

If you are travelling with a dog, a general leash requirement applies in Norway from 1 April to 20 August. Local rules may extend the period or apply in specific areas, so follow signage and local regulations. Narvik municipality has, among other things, expanded leash enforcement in some areas.

Take your waste with you and use approved emptying stations

What you take out, you also take back. Use waste bins where they exist, and recycle when possible.

Toilet waste and wastewater from motorhomes and caravans must be handled at suitable emptying stations. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration recommends that toilets and waste are only emptied in approved places. Ordinary toilets at rest areas must not be used for motorhome emptying.

Also be careful with grey water. The Norwegian Environment Agency points out that emissions from several motorhomes in the same place can cause local pollution, especially at drinking water or bathing areas.

Give nature and local communities some space

A nice place is not necessarily a good place to establish a new campsite. Avoid setting up camp in places where the stay creates wear and tear, obstructs traffic or comes close to homes and local everyday life.

Also think about what you share on social media. Small places that are not adapted for camping can quickly get a lot of strain if many people are drawn to exactly the same point.

Keep an eye on weather and natural hazards

The weather in the Narvik region can change quickly, and the landscape in many places consists of steep mountainsides, rivers and valleys.

If you are going to free camp, you should therefore consider more than just whether you can find a flat spot. Avoid setting up camp in places that may be prone to landslides, rockfalls, flooding, or rising water. In the event of heavy rainfall, snow melting or demanding winter conditions, you should check updated hazard warnings on Varsom and the weather forecast before choosing accommodation. Varsom emphasizes that flood and landslide conditions can change quickly.

Tents and motorhomes do not follow quite the same rules

This is worth paying special attention to.

The right of public access provides great freedom of movement and residence on foot in uncultivated areas, but it does not give a corresponding right to motorised traffic. You can therefore not drive your car out onto a beach, meadow, forest road that is considered uncultivated or other terrain just because it would be legal to go there and set up a tent.

If you are in doubt about whether you can drive or park somewhere, choose an adapted space instead.

Enjoy the Narvik region with care

Camping gives you the freedom to stop a little longer when the view opens up, wake up close to the fjord, and explore places off the main routes.

With that freedom comes a simple responsibility: Show consideration, leave as little trace as possible and use nature in a way that also allows those who come after you to have the same experience.

Then together we take care of the fjords, mountains and local communities that make the Narvik region a good place to visit and to live in.