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Go West!
- A roundtrip in western Norway |
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 If you want to see Norway, you should spend some days on a roundtrip in the western part of the country. This is a travelouge where you will meet the most of and the best of the fjords, mountains, rivers and glaciers. Rafting, summer-skiing, sea-kayaking, walking on glaciers and mountaineering are some keywords for this adventure. Here you have the possibility to get a active holiday. And you have the continuously beautiful Norwegian landscape as a bonus. It is recommended to go by car if you do the whole trip. You can also go by boat, train, bus etc. Bold text are links to referring websites.
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| Go West - The best of Norway! |
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If you start at Bergen - "The gateway to the fjords" - you drive to Voss and continue to Gudvangen at the innermost part of Nærøyfjord. Or you can drive across Vikafjellet to Vik and Vangsnes down by the Sognefjord. You are now at the middle of the Fjord Adventure, and you will find description of the area further below.
This travelouge has starting point Oslo. Drive via Lillehammer towards Otta. Here you can go rafting and kayaking in the river Sjoa. This is a "must"! Sjoa Rafting is recommended. At Sjoa, a few kilometres south of Otta, take to the left up Heidalen. After a few kilometres, you'll find Sjoa Rafting at the left side of the road.
 Then continue via Dombås, down Romsdalen valley to the Romsdal Alps and the Åndalsnes area (Norway's Tirol). There you have the well known mountains Trollveggen, Romsdalshorn and Vengetind, and also Rauma river and the "tourist road" Trollstigen. Mountaineering and  fishing in spectacular surroundings in this area, with the walk up the backside of Trollveggen as one of the best. Start at Trollstigen, it will take approx 4-5 hours to reach the edge at Bruraskaret. This is the place where B.A.S.E. jumpers use to exit (>1000m vertical wall).
 Another nice and much easier walk can be done in Isfjorden. Drive to Vengedalen valley (tollroad). Drive almost to the end of the valley, at the right side of the road you have a small ridge called Litlefjellet, a 20 minute walk. From there you have a fantastic view down to the Romsdalen valley and to Trollveggen on the other side of the valley. This is at the foot of the mountain "Romsdalshorn". You can also climb Romsdalshorn and Vengetind. Guide can, if wanted, be hired at Peaks and Bandits or at Aak Fjellsportsenter in  Åndalsnes. There you can also rent mountaineering equipment, canoe's etc. You can stay in hotels, youth hostels, camping or private huts etc. The tourist inf. in Åndalsnes can give you more information, www.visitandalsnes.com.
 From Åndalsnes, you again pass Trollstigen on the way to Valldal. Beautiful scenery with mountains, wild rivers and waterfalls. Taste the strawberries from the local farms! Then take the ferry across the fjord to Eidsdal, and continue to Geiranger, a tourist's "Mecca" with narrow dark green fjord and steep mountains. The route between Åndalsnes and Geiranger is called "The Golden Route", the tourist info in Åndalsnes will give you information. Via Grotli , you arrive at Stryn Summerski Center. Slalom, Telemark, Crosscountry and Snowboard equipment for rental. Excellent ski conditions, specially early summer. One chair-lift and one T-bar lift. The summer ski season usually begins late in may, depending on the amount of snow on the winterclosed road.
If you have a tent and want to feel the fresh mountain air, you can stay in  the valley close to the ski area. Or you can stay at Folven Camping down in Hjelledalen, close to Strynsvatnet. This is THE ski camp, with "Einetappen" Pub etc. Order a hut a few days (weeks) before arrival, just to be sure to get one. (Folven Camping is now called Stryn Touristcenter).
 Continue, via Stryn, to Olden and up the Olden Valley. Pass the Oldevatn to Brigsdal (Camping), from where you can walk or ride horse up to Briksdalsbreen Glacier . Beautiful scenery! From Olden, the trip continues to Utvik, over the mountain to Byrkjelo and Skei. From here you should drive for approx 15 minutes to Astruptunet , where the famous painter Nicolai Astrup lived and worked. This is now a museum where they also have a gallery with paintings of Astrup. Really worth a visit! Then continue to Fjærland , where you  have Norwegian Glacier Museum. Have a look at the 3-dimensional movie. Subjects are the Jostedal Glacier and Glacier Climbing. Fjærland is also a starting point for walks up to the Jostedal Glacier , more info at the Glacier museum.
 Then drive through the tunnel to Sogndal, explore the Sogndal Valley and Anestølen farm where you can buy homemade goatcheese. (In summer it is possible to go by ferry from Fjærland to Dragsvik and Hella, highly recommended! Then you will see the fantastic Fjærlandsfjord, and you should explore the beautiful village Balestrand and the historical Kvikne's Hotel where Germany's emperor Wilhelm spent his holiday at the start of World War I). From Sogndal, drive to Kaupanger and Mannheller. Take the ferry on Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen. Due to the new tunnel from Lærdal to Aurland this ferry only goes during the tourist season, from the 15th of may to the 15th of september. In this area you have lots of possibilities in the nearby surroundings.
 Cycling Rallarvegen from Finse to Flåm: This is a must. You take the first train in the morning from Flåm to Finse. (You should order tickets a few days before, this to be sure they have bikes for rental at Finse.  You ask for a ticket included both train and bike, this is very cheap). At Finse, you get the bikes at Finse 1222 Hotel. This is the highest point of the railway, 1222 m above sea level. You now start the ride along the old "Rallarvegen". This is a road built while building the railway early 1900. Then you cycle mostly downwords along lakes and nice waterfalls down to the green valley Flåm, this takes 6-8 hoursor more.....take yourtime and enjoy it. You can also bring tent etc. and stay the night over somewhere along the road. When arriving Flåm, you can leave the bike at the railway station before you can enjoy a "cold one" at the harbour.
 Aurlandsfjord: You can go by catamaran boat or ferry from Flåm out the Aurlandsfjord into the Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen. In addition, the Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord are a fantastic place for kayaking.
 Aurlandsdalen: If you want to have a day or two walking in this area, you should check out Aurlandsdalen (The Aurlands valley). Wild scenery, wild rivers, narrow valleys , much history from old Norway and how they were living at that time. Many people mean this is the most beautiful and wildest area in Norway. More inf. at Flåm, Aurland or Bergen/Oslo Touristinfo's...
 From Flåm, if you have time, you drive through a long tunnel towards Gudvangen. When you are through the first tunnel, there are a few meters before you get to another long tunnel. Here you take to the right to a small place called Undredal . This place have Norways smallest church. It is actually a stavechurch, it do not seem like this from the outside, but inside you can see it. It had 850 years celebration summer -97. At Undredal, you can rent a boat, then you should go by boat to a place further out the fjord called "Stigen". This is a spectacular place with a spectacular view over the Aurlandsfjord. A place several hundred meters up the mountainside , in the old days they needed a ladder to manage going up there (stige = ladder). When they came to claim tax from the natives, the natives pulled the ladder so the taxmen had to return with empty pockets. If you call in advance (+47 94481758), you can stay overnight etc. (Open approximately 1st of may - 31st of oct).
 The trip continue back towards Sogndal, I recommend driving over Aurlandsfjellet (mountainroad) to Lærdal. This road will probably not open before june, depending on the amount of snow. In Lærdal you have Norwegian Salmoncenter, here you can see the salmon in the river, exhibitions etc. From Lærdal, continue through the tunnel towards Fodnes, take the ferry over to Mannheller. Back at Sogndal you continue towards Hafslo, where you take to the left to Veitastrond. From  there, drive the private toll-road to Tungestølen (4-5 km), from where you have a nice and easy 1½ hour walk to Austerdalsbreen, where you can see 3 different glaciers (Loke, Odin and Tor) falling down from the plateau glacier Jostedalsbreen, together creating the beautiful glacier down at the valley named Austerdalen.  Crampons to be rented at Tungestølen, where you also should get information about glacier conditions and the direction to walk. The glacier have only minor crevasses, and if it's not covered with snow, it should be fairly safe to walk on it without rope, but this is of course not recommended. You need guide service from Jostedalen Glacierguide.
 Now, the adventure continues back to Hafslo and along the Sognefjord to Gaupne. Take to the left towards Jostedalen and Nigardsbreen. There you have Jostedalen Glacier Center with exhibition, multimedia glacier slideshow, inf. about the glacier, guiding and equipment-rental (See link). You can also drive to the end of Jostedalen, to the lake Styggevatnet, a "semi"artificial dam from where you have a view to the top of the glacier and the edge of the glacier calving into the lake. From here a easy walk to the glacier. If you are  close to the glacier, pay attention to the danger that the glacier can be calving into the lake...can cause big waves, and it can be dangerous to stay close to the shoreline. Back at Gaupne (tourist inf. 57681588) you continue through Luster to Skjolden and Fortun. Here you can go rafting in the river Mørkridselva with Skjolden Rafting. From Skjolden and Fortun you can have nice walks, into Mørkrisdalen from Skjolden and Fortunsdalen from Fortun. If you continue into Fortunsdalen, it is more spectacular the deeper into the valley. Drive carefully!! At the end of the road lies Nørstedalsseter, a good starting point for  mountaineering. You can stay at Nørstedalsseter where you also can by food etc. If you want to go kayaking at Lustrafjorden , you can drive from Skjolden to Kroken. You pass Feigum Waterfall on the way to Vetle-Kroken, where you can rent kayaks and equipment, guiding and beginner introduction are also possible.
 Safe back at Skjolden, you continue in the direction Sognefjellet and Lom. First stop is Turtagrø Tourist Hotel, a new and modern mountain-hotel where you can get information and guiding in Norway's wildest and highest mountains. The hotel was finished 2002. Easy walks and difficult climbing on mountains with view over most of Jotunheimen. Highly recommended! A little further you have Sognefjellshytta, on the top of Sognefjellet. Fantastic view!  Cheap to stay the night, and guided walks over the Fannaraak Glacier to Fannaraaken (2069m) can be done from here. Just a few km's from Sognefjellshytta, you arrive at Krossbu. From here, guiding over Smørstabbreen glacier to Leirvassbu can be done. This is also a mountain hotel, wild nature around, look at the map over Jotunheimen.
 Then the trip continues to Lom, but just before Lom you arrive at a small place named Galdesand. Close to the small gas-station, follow the private toll-road to the "bitter end", to Galdhøpiggen Summerski Center (1850m), half hour drive from Galdesand. Skirental (Slalom, Telemark and Snowboard), and skilifts at the glacier Juvbreen. From Juvasshytta, close to the summerskicenter, there are guided tours across the glacier up to Galdhøpiggen (2469m), Norway's highest mountain. Be careful, do not walk on the glacier alone or without rope! You can stay at  Juvasshytta or at Raubergstulen, between the skicenter and Galdesand. There is also a youth hostel/camping at Galdesand, and camping/hotels in Lom. In the centre of Lom, you can visit Lom Steinsenter (Geological centre) or Norsk Fjellmuseum (Mountain Museum)
Your trip is almost over, drive in direction Vågåmo and you have two choices if you go back to Oslo. You can drive back to Otta and down Gudbrandsdalen from where you came. Or you can take to the right a few kilometres before Vågåmo, and drive over Valdresflya. I recommend the last obtion,  because then you drive through the east end of Jotunheimen. You can stop at Gjendesheim and Bygdin, from where you can go by boat across the lakes Gjende and Bygdin into the heart of Jotunheimen. Here you can walk in the mountains for weeks! It's your choice! Have a nice journey!
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The weather is very important during such a round-trip in western Norway, best time is probably june, but also may is a beautiful month - where spring meets summer, with green valleys and snowy mountains. You can easily do sunbathing on the snow, more than 2000m above sea level. (Remember suncream with high skin protection!) Skicenters and guiding usually starts in June! If you want to walk in the mountains in Jotunheimen, the best time is between july and september due to lots of snow early summer. You can get inf. about Glacier guiding at "Den Norske Turistforening" or "Jostedalen Breførarlag". Den Norske Turistforening have 342 huts spread over the whole country. If you are a member you can have a standard key which fits nearly all huts. On most of the huts, there are food, gas and wood you can by (selfservice).
Maps you should have:
Cappelens kart 2, Sør-Norge nord (1:325000 Road-map)
Jotunheimen (1:100 000)
Jostedalsbreen (1:100 000)
Romsdals-alpene (1:80000)
Also other local maps are nice to have,
you can buy them at bookstores, tourist inf.'s etc. |
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