The Nærøyfjord
We met at Gudvangen, in the innermost part of Nærøyfjorden. It was the last day of july, and the weather had been nice for a long time. Six friends were looking forward to spend the next three days in Nærøyfjorden, and soon we were floating on the fjord in our kayaks. We had been looking forward to this day for a long time, and it was a happy gang who was kayaking out the Nærøyfjord. We took our time, and enjoyed the fantastic surrounding nature. The goal for the day was Salthella, a beautiful beach between Dyrdal and Styvi. This is in the middle of the Nærøyfjord which is 20 kilometres long. Salthella is the worlds most beautiful camp site!

The camp site at Salthella
We arrived Salthella late afternoon, and put up the tents behind the beach. Some of us collected drift-wood, and soon we had the dinner ready. It was a fantastic evening beside the open fireplace. Some of us had a small trip with the kayaks, it was exciting to paddle below the vertical rocks in complete darkness. It was past midnight when we creeped into the sleepingbags, it was a warm night in the Sognefjord.

The fjord - smooth as a millpond
We woke up early. Before six o'clock, all of us were up. The reason was a fantastic sight from the camp. In front of us, we could see the Nærøyfjord , as smooth as a millpond. The sky was clear blue, and a cruiceship came towards us in the horizon. It could not be more beautiful, this was Sognefjord at it's best. We packed shoes, ruck-sacks and food in the kayaks, and before seven o'clock, we were afloat on the fjord. The goal was Aurlandsfjord, and it was still early day when we went ashore at the outlet of Nærøyfjord. Here we had breakfast before we continued towards Beitelen and into the Aurlandsfjord.

Stigen Farm and Beitelen
We went ashore at the quay below Stigen Farm. This is the starting point towards Beitelen, almost 700 metres above the fjord. We walked up to Stigen, the path is steep and airy, but is easy to walk. After a short break at Stigen, we continued walking upwards. Many steep metres later, we were at the top. From Beitelen it is a fantastic view towards the Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord. If you stumble here, you can end "straight" into the fjord, almost 700 metres below us!

Fjordswim in the Aurlandsfjord
The return down back to Stigen and Aurlandsfjord was quick, and we were sweaty and tired back at the quay by the Aurlandsfjord. We jumped out in the fjord for a refreshing swim before paddling back towards Nærøyfjord and the camp at Salthella. I paddled towards Dyrdal to visit my old friend Signe. I met Signe many years ago, at my first trip in Nærøyfjord with kayak. Since then we had stayed in touch, and I always visit Signe when I am in the area. The evening was spent at Salthella. We enjoyed the dinner by the fireplace after a long and tough day at the fjord and in the mountains.

The journey home and Styvi Farm
Next day was time for journey home. We cleared the camp and crossed the fjord to Styvi. Here we went ashore to meet Kjellaug og Botolv. After a nice stay at Styvi, we continued paddling the Nærøyfjord towards Gudvangen. In Gudvangen we dived into the fjord for the last time. Then we thanked each other for a fantastic adventure in the fjord. It was time for farewell, and then we went in opposite directions towards our starting points :-)