Ekkerøy is a small peninsula sticking out into the Varangerfjord, joined to the mainland by a narrow causeway, and it is one of the best places in the Arctic to watch seabirds from the road. Thousands of kittiwakes nest on the cliffs in summer, packed on every ledge, and the noise and smell are overwhelming in the best way. The birds wheel and shriek and drop off the cliff in clouds, and on a calm day you can sit with a sandwich and watch for as long as you like. Eider ducks, shags and gulls share the shore, and out on the water you may see more.
The village itself is a handful of old wooden houses, a white wooden church and a tiny harbour, set in a landscape of bare rock, grass and driftwood. People fished here for generations, and the houses once held far more families than they do now. The rock formations along the shore are unusual, with strange, weathered shapes of grey stone and pale sand, and in the low light of evening they seem to glow. There are paths to walk, but nothing difficult, and the whole peninsula can be seen in an hour or two.
The road is a short, quiet side road off the main route, about fourteen kilometres from Vadsø, with a good surface and gentle bends. In summer it is easy riding, with only the odd campervan and a few walkers. The wind can be fierce, and you will want a windproof layer, because the temperature on the point is often several degrees lower than in town. Midnight sun brings long evenings when the light on the cliffs turns gold, and it is a magical time to be here. In winter the place is dark, cold and nearly empty.
Kirkenes, further east, is the other town in the region, but it is a long way. A flask and a packed lunch are all you need, since the peninsula has few services, although a small café or museum may be open in summer. Take binoculars if you have them, and leave nesting birds well alone, for the colony is easily disturbed.