79 Cruise guests calling at Egersund can explore Magma Geopark, one of more than 160 Unesco Global Geoparks in the world At 34 metres high, it was once the largest in the world and the automated lantern is seemingly now also a beacon for attracting thousands of birds that loiter in the surrounding wetlands to the delight of visiting twitchers. Of the more than 500 bird species that have been recorded in Norway, almost 400 visit Lista. Outside the town, both the Nordberg Fortress and the Hangar Museum are sombre reminders of Norway’s more macabre past, meanwhile the Stone Age settlement of Farsund, and onetime pirate town, gives easy access to miles of beaches and countless outdoor adventures both on land and water. More sedentary folk will enjoy a gentle stroll around the town, though a walk up the hillside offers spectacular views of the town and out to the southernmost tip of Norway. Cruise tourism practicalities have led to Farsund introducing a daily limit of one ship call and 2,500 passengers, although there appears to be some flexibility as Holland America Line’s Rotterdam visited carrying 2,600 passengers. Tender calls are preferred, with an 800-metre route to the enclosed city centre pier. Lyngdal In the event of inclement weather, the tender pier at Lyngdal is a reasonable alternative to Farsund, though shuttle buses will be necessary for passengers. The big bonus of rerouting a cruise ship here is the proximity to the €13.5 million ($14.3 million) Kvåsfossen National Wild Salmon Center. The building itself cost €1 million ($1.06 million), with the bulk of the remaining funds being used to construct a water ladder to enable salmon to bypass the waterfall and reach fertile breeding grounds further upstream. With Norwegian salmon numbers plummeting from close to 10 million in the 1970s to just half a million in 2023, this investment in a keystone species population seems entirely justified and has produced a deeply engaging educational and tourism facility. Mandal A midway break in the journey from Lyngdal to Kristiansand presented our tour group with an opportunity to inspect the tender pier in Mandal. Surrounded by woods and boasting town
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=