Travelling with 3000 reindeers

While people in the lowlands and in the cities now are enjoying the first signs of Norwegian spring, I did the opposite. I went to mountains still completely covered in snow. There, I experienced something very spectacular – 3000 reindeer on their way to the summer pastures. It is a long journey, it take days or weeks, and very few people see this spring migration.

These reindeers are owned by 10 families of the sami people, the indigenous people in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. They use the same pastures as their ancestors. They used to be nomads, but don’t live in the mountains full time any more. And since the end of the 1960ties, beginning of -70ties, the snowmobile have been important for doing their work during winter.

When the reindeers reach the summer pastures some time this weekend, it will only be days before the calving begins. That is a period these animals should not be disturbed. There are more photos here.