Day 1.
You will catch up with your guide and the rest of the group in Oslo and spend the first night at Oslo Youth Hostel Haraldsheim. In the afternoon there will be a group meeting where your guide will brief you regarding the upcoming tour which will take you out on a real viking experience while you will be exploring the Norwegian nature and culture. You will get more information about practical issues during the tour, and in the evening the guide will take you out for dinner together with the group.
Day 2.
The famous Opera House, the Royal Palace, Akershus Castle, the Vigeland Sculpture Park and Aker Brygge harbor. All those things are among the attractions that you will get to know on the second day as we start our adventure by exploring the capitals most famous attractions. You will also get some time off to explore the city on your own; some want to go exploring some of the numerous museums in the city while others jump on a guided city bus tour. In the afternoon we will go for a hike in the beautiful surroundings close to the city before we have dinner together on a local and charming outdoor restaurant.
Optional activities (paid locally):
– Oslo city sightseeing (NOK 225)
Day 3.
After spending some time in the busy capital we are now ready to head out into the wild for some real adventure! And already on this first day you will be introduced to a combination of adrenaline activities and a calm mountain hike. In the Olympic city of Lillehammer we give you the opportunity to join on a g-force breaking rush as you go down the original bobsleigh track from the Olympics. You will burst down the track in 100 km/h and experience forces up to 4G as the track crawls down the sharp curves. In the afternoon this day we will go for a 2-3 hour hike up to a mountain top which gives you extraordinary views of both Rondane National Park and Jotunheimen National Park. The night will be spent in the Gudbrandsdalen valley.
Optional activities (paid locally):
– Bobsleigh (NOK 220)
Day 4.
To complete your experience of the magnificent nature in the Rondane National Park we will head out for a 3-4 hour long hike which brings us all the way up on the mountain plateau with stunning views of the highest peaks in the mountain area. Rondane National Park is Norway’s oldest National Park getting this status back in 1962, and is well known for a rich wildlife and several peaks over 2000 meters. You will be hiking along a rough river which is famous for high quality river kayaking, as parts of the park is perfect for extreme sport individuals searching for some really heavy challenges. You will experience how the landscape varies from calm streams and easy parts to wild canyons and powerful waterfalls. For those who want to participate on river rafting this is the day to go for it! The river Sjoa is among Northern Europe’s most popular rafting rivers, and the rafting has a grade of 3-4 depending on the season and rainfall/melting water. For those who do not want to go for the rafting experience the guide will take you around and let you experience the small villages and the laid back lifestyle of the local people. In the afternoon we will continue up to a beautiful lake where we will spend the night, leaving the Rondane National Park behind for this time.
Optional activities (paid locally):
– Rafting (NOK 850)
Day 5.
After breakfast this morning we will head out to an old mill and get a close up view of how the locals were making timber back in the old days. Our next stop will be the famous Troll Wall. The Troll Wall is the highest vertical rock face in Europe with 1100 meters from the valley to the tallest point. The wall itself is a part of massif Trolltindene (the Troll peaks) and the peaks in the area have been a popular target for base-jumpers. To jump from the Troll Wall has been illegal since 1986, but there are plenty of other peaks in the area which tempt the jumpers. After a short break here we will start our journey towards the famous Trollstigen, a steep road with an incline of up to 9% with eleven hairpin bends up the steep mountain side. The road crawls up with several famous mountains on the side of the valley which have royal names like the Bishop, the King and the Queen. We will go for a hike up in the mountains around here, and if the weather conditions are on our side we might be able to get all the way out to the Troll Wall, letting you enjoy some of the most spectacular views in the world! In the afternoon we will head down to the Valldal valley and board a tourist cruise of 2.5 hours on the world famous Geiranger fjord. The Geiranger fjord is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and is by many said to be the most beautiful fjord in the world. This afternoon will bring you in the fjord from sea which let you see some spectacular farms up in the mountain sides and several majestic waterfalls like "The Seven Sisters" and "Friaren". The night will be spent in the small and charming village of Geiranger.
Day 6.
This day is set to explore some of the magnificent landscapes around Geiranger. There are a lot of tracks in the area, and we will take you for a daytrip exploring the fantastic scenery of the fjord from another perspective. One of the targets we will try to reach is an abandoned farm named Skageflå which you will notice when arriving on the cruise the day before. The farm is located far up in the mountain side and there is a pretty strenuous hike to get there. The views are though stunning and having your lunch up in the mountains there is for many an unforgettable experience. In the afternoon we will be relaxing in the village of Geiranger, giving you the opportunity to explore the area on your own or just relax in the cabins. Your guide will give you an optional hiking tour up to a rough waterfall named Storseterfossen, and for those of you who want to join him you will be able to get all the way down under the waterfall, feeling the extreme powers from the water passing by you less than a meter away.
Day 7.
We get up early in the morning and leave the UNESCO listed village of Geiranger behind and head for our next target; the beautiful valley of Olden. On our way we will make a stop at a mountain lake, and give you the change to go for a dip in water which is close to 0 degrees Celsius. Arriving in Olden you will be going for an easy hike up to the Briksdalsbreen glacier. This glacier is an arm of the Jostedalsbreen glacier which is the largest glacier on the European mainland. The glacier covers an amazing area of 480 square kilometers, which is about 10 times larger than Manhatten in New York or 2/3rds of Singapore! Briksdalsbreen is a picturesque glacier arm and quite different from the glacier experience you will get later on Folgefonna. Later this day you will get yourself challenged with a canoe experience on the Olden lake. If you never have tried canoeing before this is a nice way of getting to know this funny activity. The rest of the day will be spent in the valley of Olden and we will settle down for the night in cozy cabins right down by the Olden lake.
Day 8.
This day will start with quite a long drive, taking you from the fjords in Møre og Romsdal down to the western fjords in the area around Bergen. You will travel along the Jostedalsbreen glacier for about 1.5 hours and cross the world’s second longest fjord, the Sogne fjord, on the way. The fjord is stretching 204 kilometers inland and on the deepest parts it is as deep as 1300 meters. Further you will also drive through the world’s longest car tunnel which is 24.5 kilometers stretching from Lærdal to Aurdal. The main target this day is visiting the village of Flåm where we will go for a ride on the famous Flåmsbana Railway. This is an extraordinary railroad, mostly built by manual labour, crawling and climbing 865m up from the sea level up into the mountains. The length and height of the railway makes Flåmsbana Railway the third steepest adhesion railway in the world. When arriving at the top you will go for a hike down the Flåm valley. This hike will bring you back to the village of Flåm, and on your way you will pass several massive waterfalls, small charming farms and massive mountains on the sides. As an optional activity we have a mountain biking option down from Myrdal to Flåm, a ride which take between 2-3 hours. The night will be spent in Gudvangen, a local village close to the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Nærøyfjord.
Optional activities (paid locally):
– Mountain biking from Flåm to Myrdal (NOK 270)
Day 9:
The Nærøy fjord is a branch of the world's second longest fjord, the Sogne fjord, which stretches a total of 204 kilometers inland. This day will be spent in the area around the fjord, exploring some of the magnificent tracks around in the area. The Nærøy fjord is a nature miracle and in some parts the fjord is only 200 meters wide as the mountains around stretches 1500 meters on the sides! We will go for an extraordinary hike in the area, walking from sea level up to 900 meters above the fjord. This hike give you amazing views of the fjord beneath, and the hike might be tough and steep, but the views on the top makes the struggle of the hikes well worth it! In the afternoon we will continue to the area of Hardanger. On our way there we will make a stop at Tvindefossen waterfall, giving you the opportunity to walk up and into(!) the waterfall for a refreshing moment of joy. We will also give you a snap shot of the dramatic history of Stalheim Hotel and bring you down the stunning Stalheimskleiva, the steepest hairpin road in Norway with a decent of 18-23%.
Day 10:
This day will be spent out in the wild, giving you the opportunity to go for an 8 hour return hike to the stunning nature formation of Trolltunga if the weather allows us to go. Translated into English Trolltunga means "The tongue of the Troll" and is a spectacular stone formation hanging out of a cliff with exceptional views of the mountains around and a lake below. The hike is quite hard, but the views and pictures you get from Trolltunga pays back really good after the strenuous hike. If the weather is to rough we will spend the day hiking in the beautiful valley of Buerdalen. After finishing hiking this day we will take you deep into the district of Hardanger, which is famous for its fruit and natural beauty. We will drive pass several fruit farms and arrive at our campsite in the afternoon where we will spend the night. Here you will be able to see, smell and feel the magic atmosphere as you will be having dinner all the way down by the fjord with the mountains and fruit farms surrounding you.
Day 11:
After having the Folgefonna glacier tour as an optional activity the last seasons, we now include a full day on the glacier on all our tours. This is because of feedback and great reviews from our travelers. You will wake up down by the idyllic Hardanger fjord this morning and then set off on a fantastic journey, so be sure to bring your camera! We enter the small village of Jondal and then head up in the mountains to find the mighty glacier of Folgefonna. With a total of over 203 square kilometers this is Norway's third largest glacier, and when we arrive up to the glacier we put on our gear and prepare to spend a full day up in this stunning environment. We give you the opportunity to try ice climbing (conditions might vary), take you down into traverses and let you know the glacier personally. We provide all necessary safety equipment and a local glacier guide to ensure the safety of the group. If the weather is on our side it is possible to see all the way out to the Atlantic Ocean, a stunning view! Afterwards we will travel back to the same camping spot as last night, spending the evening relaxing with some great food and games after a day packed with adventure. You will also get an opportunity for a night bath in the mystical Hardanger fjord before you go to bed after this adventure filled day. A night bath in Norway is definitely an amazing experience, so make this fantastic day perfect by jumping in!
Day 12.
This day we will continue our adventure by traveling to Bergen. We will arrive in the city around noon, and spend the rest of the day exploring the world famous city. Landmarks such as the Bryggen dwarf and the nearby exotic fish market is mandatory for everyone who visit the city. Bryggen is well known for its wooden houses and architecture, and is a magnificent treasure listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. You will be joining on a guided city walk with a local guide which give you a lot of information about the city and its cultural and historical attractions. In the afternoon we will go for a last hike up to mount Fløien, one of total seven mountains that surrounds the city, giving you an exceptional view of the city and the nearby areas. In the evening we head out to a local restaurant for the last dinner of the trip, marking the end of this fantastic journey.
Day 13.
This final day is departure day, and after breakfast you will spend the rest of the day at your own leisure. 13 days after arriving in Norway with different expectations you now find yourself in Bergen after a trip through beautiful valleys, over rough mountains and into spectacular waterfalls. After crossing several fjords, getting an amazing encounter with a massive glacier and after you have experienced the very best of the Norwegian nature you will be heading back home with a lot of enjoyable memories and probably also some new friends as we say goodbye for this time.
