Vøringsfossen Waterfall is Norway’s most famous waterfall and is visible from the road between Eidfjord by the Hardangerfjord and the Hardangervidda Mountain Plateou. Map to use: Eidfjord 1:50000.

You can drive to the view points and see the waterfall from above, or you can do a short hike and experience it from below. Usually the hike takes one hour each way.

Hiking - Safety, Responsibility and Season

The nature in Norway is beautiful but also dangerous. It is important to read about your own responsibility and how to explore the Norwegian nature in a safe way.

BEFORE YOU GO HIKING – THE NORWEGIAN MOUNTAIN CODE
This hike is not suitable for children! The weather can change dramatically in the Norwegian mountains. This is why you should follow the Norwegian Mountain Code when hiking in Norway. It can change from summer and sunny weather to winter and frost in minutes! Always bring good clothes and hiking shoes. And have enough food and water in your rucksack. Due to the challenging and long hike in rapidly changing weather, we recommend you to join a Guided Tour.

NOTE! Most of the hikes described on this website are intended for experienced hikers that know the area. This is one of those hikes. We recommend to use a map and compass on this hike, it also often happens that this mountain area is shrouded in fog.

SEASON & WEATHER: Season is depending on temperature and snow. Seasons mentioned on this website are approximately dates. Hikes mentioned in this website have different seasons. See links to the various hikes to read more about the hikes and season. It is recommended to avoid hiking if there are ice and snow in the terrain and on the trails. Always make your own evaluation about the danger of landslides before and during the hike. Always check the weather before you go hiking. For safety reasons it is recommended to avoid hiking in Thunderstorms and in fog and bad weather!

Use the information you find on fjords.com at your own risk and your own responsibility. Errors and omissions may occur. Always make your own evaluation. Adapt your own risk to your own skills and by choosing where, when and how you travel. Fjords.com is not a guide or a travel planner, and the information on the pages should not be used accordingly. Marked and mentioned routes are not accurate and will also often change for various reasons, always look for updated information.

Visit Hardangerfjord – Visit Sunnhordland

Visit Hardangerfjord and Visit Sunnhordland are the official destination companies for the Hardangerfjord area.

About season and other important information

GRADING HIKE – Challenging. ALTITUDE DIFFERENCE – This hike starts at approximately 500 masl (Parking at Storegjel). Highest point at approximately 500 masl, lowest point at approximately 400 masl.

GUIDE – We recommend you to join a Guided Tour.

SEASON – July to August, depending on temperature and snow. This is a landslide-prone area, always make your own evaluation about this danger before and during this hike.

NOTE – This hike is not suitable for children! The trail is rocky and can be slippery and difficult to walk on, and there are several steep, narrow and exposed sections on this hike.

The hike to Vøringsfossen – See the waterfall from below

FJORDS NORWAY - Vøringsfossen, Måbødalen and the river Bjoreia seen from the viewpoint by Fossli Hotel. — Vøringsfossen, Måbødalen and the river Bjoreia seen from the viewpoint by Fossli Hotel.

To see the Vøringsfossen Waterfall from below you must hike along the bottom of the Måbødalen Valley. The distance is approximately one kilometer and the normal time to use is one hour each way.

The hike to Vøringsfossen Waterfall can start from the parking lot by the road (if there is available parking space), at Storegjel on the eastern side of the Måbøtunnelen Tunnel. The parking lot is only open during summer and autumn, it is closed in the winter due to snow and ice on the road.

Follow an old and abandoned (closed) road for around 300 meters where you leave the abandoned road (see sign where the trail starts) and continue along the trail in the forest and then eastwards along the Måbødalen Valley, on the south side of the river Bjoreio.

The trail is rocky and the terrain is rugged and hilly, and it can be slippery and difficult to walk in rainy weather or after it has been raining. After about one kilometer, you arrive at the suspension bridge. Here the trail and the rocks are slippery due to the moisture coming from the waterfall. Be careful. This is where the hike ends.

NOTE – The suspension bridge is now closed due to safety, it is unsafe and forbidden to cross the bridge!

From the south side of the bridge, there is a great view further into the valley and to Vøringsfossen and the other waterfalls cascading down from the vertical cliffs. It is a wonderful experience to be down in the valley and experience, feel and hear the raw nature up close. Here it is not only the waterfalls that are rushing, you can also feel the blood rushing when you are in these elements.

The Vøringsfossen Waterfall has a vertical drop of 145 meters and a total drop of 182 meters.

The hike back from the suspension bridge is on the same scenic trail as you came.

Vøringsfossen Viewpoint – See the waterfall from above

FJORDS NORWAY - Vøringsfossen Panorama seen from the viewpoint at Fossli Hotel — Vøringsfossen Panorama seen from the viewpoint at Fossli Hotel.

The Måbødalen Valley and Vøringsfossen Waterfall are two tourist attractions visible from the road. You can drive to the view points and see the Vøringsfossen Waterfall from above. Park the car at the parking lot on the south side of Fossli Hotel. A new viewing platform and a viewing bridge above the Vøringsfossen Waterfall has been constructed in conjunction with the Hardangervidda National Tourist Route. There is a short walk to both of those viewpoints from the parking lot.

SEASON – June – September, depending on temperature and snow. NOTE – You should never walk on the viewing platforms and the bridge if there are snow and ice, this is not safe!

The Hardangerfjord Area – What to See and Do

The Hardangerfjord area, the orchard of Norway, is known for Summer Skiing at Folgefonna Glacier and a spectacular fruit tree blossoming in spring. Drive in the Hardanger area and see the Vøringsfossen Waterfall and all the other great waterfalls. Hike the famous Trolltunga Hike or Dronningstien (the Queens Panoramic Trail) in the area around Sørfjorden. Lake Bondhusvatnet and Bondhusbreen Glacier was one of the first places the English tourists visited when they discovered Norway in the mid 1800´s. Join a Fjord Cruise on the Hardangerfjord which is located in the county of Vestland, near Bergen, in the middle of Western Norway.