Crossing glaciers and fjords: Norwegian reindeer migrate for winter

TROMSO: A herd of reindeer with white, brown or grey coats climb mountains and swim between glaciers on their great migration to their winter pasture in Norway's far north.

A large herd of reindeer circle as they are temporarily placed inside an enclosure to be marked and identified by their Sami herders, on route to their winter pastures, near Reinfjord in Northern Norway, on September 14, 2023.

The reindeer - bred by the indigenous Sami reindeer herders that span northern Europe - are semi-nomadic and travel across vast expanses as they move between their winter and summer grazing grounds.

To make their journey home, the reindeer bypass two glaciers before arriving at the foot of the Jokelfjord glacier - the only one in Europe which drains into the ocean.

The Sami follow their animals on quad bikes, on foot, or by boat.

Ante Niillas Gaup, a 37-year-old Sami herder, whistles towards the herd to show them the path to take. But the herder, accompanied by his barking dogs, says mostly they are driven by their instinct to follow the right route. "If they don't want to walk, they don't walk - they do it little by little as they want, when they decide," said Gaup.

When they reach obstacles such as a steep wall or crossing a fjord, the reindeer stop and wait for a signal from the herders. A Sami herder in a small motorboat in the middle of the fjord rings a bell to show them the way to the opposite bank.

When they are ready to swim, the reindeer form themselves into a single file, preparing to dive in. Hundreds of the animals then launch into the water, grunting as they head for the other shore in a synchronised swim. Once they reach land again, they are on the final leg of their journey to Kautokeino, where they will spend the winter.

A Sami woman feeds her son while watching their herd of reindeer, in Reinfjord, in Northern Norway.

Sami herder Ante Niillas Gaup, 37, lassoes a young reindeer to put a identification mark on his ear, in Reinfjord, in Northern Norway.

Sami herder Ante Niillas Gaup, 37, and his mother Merete, put an identification marking on a reindeer's ear, in Reinfjord, in Northern Norway.

Sami herders struggle as they lasso a reindeer for identification marking, in Reinfjord, in Northern Norway.

A reindeer is marked on its ear, in Reinfjord, in Northern Norway.

The young son of a Sami herder is photographed by his grand-mother, next to his mother, as they travel alongside several hundred reindeer to herd them to their winter pastures on, in Reinfjord, in Northern Norway.

A large herd of reindeer circle as they are temporarily placed inside an enclosure to be marked and identified by their Sami herders, on route to their winter pastures, near Reinfjord in Northern Norway.