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Øksnes is Nordland’s hook-forged island basin - a municipality where bone hooks gleam in the coat of arms, puffins skim the waves off Nyksund, and a golden cod once fed a continent. With around 4,600 residents and a landscape shaped by Langøya Island, Myre, Nyksund, Stø, and Alsvåg, Øksnes is the kind of place where you can hike past ghost villages, explore whale safaris, and still sip spruce cordial beside a trading post that’s stood for 450 years. It’s got fjords, fish, and a name that means “ox headland.”
Top Attractions
Nyksund
revived fishing village with cafés, galleries & Dronningruta trail
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Stø Village
coastal harbor with whale safaris & sea eagle sightings
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Arctic Whale Tours
boat trips from Stø to spot sperm whales & puffins
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Øksnes Museum
450-year-old Alsvåggården manor with trading post history
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Dronningruta
15 km coastal hike between Nyksund & Stø with sea views
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Unique Experiences
Express Boat to Vestbygda
roundtrip to island villages like Skipnes & Barkestad
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Skipnes Fishing Village
restored cabins, café & moorland hikes
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Alsvågvatnet Lake
birdwatching & marshland near Myre
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Anda Lighthouse
puffin nesting site on tiny Anden Island
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Enjoy Øksnes
RIB safaris, watersports & guided top trips
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Where to Stay in Øksnes
Getting There
Øksnes lies in Vesterålen, with Myre as its administrative center and Nyksund as its artistic heart. Reach it via Fv820 from Sortland, or by Hurtigruten ferry to Stokmarknes. The area is best explored by boots, boat, or bold curiosity - especially if you’re chasing hook echoes, fjord lore, or the hush of pine needles beside a village that once vanished into the sea mist and came back swinging.