The outer islands of Røst — Storfjellet, Vedøya, and Trenyken — are home to one of the most spectacular seabird colonies in Northern Europe. During summer (June and July), the rock faces are alive with puffins, razorbills, guillemots, gannets, and kittiwakes in numbers that are genuinely difficult to comprehend. The puffins alone number in the hundreds of thousands.
Boat trips run from Røstlandet harbour to the colonies during the breeding season. The journey takes about an hour each way and guides typically circle the cliffs slowly enough for passengers to photograph and observe without disturbing the birds. Even hardened birdwatchers find the sheer density of life here overwhelming. If you have any interest in wildlife, this is one of the best things you can do in Northern Norway.
Species you may see: Atlantic puffin, common guillemot, razorbill, northern gannet, European shag, black-legged kittiwake, arctic tern, and — if you're lucky — the white-tailed eagle, which hunts the colonies. The islands are also a breeding ground for the storm petrel, a tiny seabird that spends almost its entire life at sea.