The river begins in the mountains and lakes in Kautokeino Municipality, near the border with Finnmark county and Finland, just south of Reisa National Park.

The river has carved out Sautso, one of the largest canyons in Europe on its way from the high Finnmarksvidda plateau down to the sea.

The villages of Kautokeino and Masi are located along the river, in addition to the town of Alta.

[4] During the 1970s and 1980s, the river was the site of the Alta controversy regarding the construction of a dam and hydroelectric power plant.

The Alta power station was eventually built in 1987, creating the lake Virdnejávri on the river.