Trekking & Climbing
the Norwegian
Fjords & Trolltunga
Ten days trekking and climbing through the Norwegian Fjords, from the harbour city of Bergen to a glacier climb and the unforgettable Trolltunga rock formation.
My Route
A 10-day loop from Bergen into the heart of the Fjords around Odda, a G Adventures trek-and-climb topped and tailed by my own days in Bergen.
This was another trip I unfortunately had to postpone for a year due to my ruptured Achilles back in April 2023. I was extremely apprehensive about going on the trip this time too as it was classed as a 4/5 difficulty and the last trip I went on that was this hard was the 4 day hike Inca Trail in Peru, and that was tough!
I decided to go ahead with it and I’m so glad I did!! This amazing trip was to start in Bergen, a stunning City on the Southwest Coast of Norway and a gateway to some of the most scenic hikes amongst the Fjords.
The trip would move from Bergen to the heart of the Fjords and a hot spot for hikers aiming to get to a number of stunning viewpoints around the town of Odda. This was going to be an amazing chance to experience the Norwegian countryside, mountainous regions and Glaciers. It was truly going to be a photographers dream destination!
Arriving in Bergen
Had I realised that Norway was only a 1.5hr Flight from London, I would have made the trip much sooner! This was only 30 mins further than it would have taken me to get an internal Flight from London Gatwick to Scotland!
The Flight was a little bumpy as we headed over some of the mountainous regions of Norway and along the Southwest coast to our destination Bergen. As we got close to our destination the stunning Fjords started to open up and were visible from the air, it was truly a sight to behold.
After a fantastic Flight on Norwegian Airlines, I landed in Bergen on Thu 06th June 2024. It was very easy to get a taxi from the Terminal, so I took a 30 min taxi to my first Hotel which was the Heimen Hotel in Bergen. Norway gave the impression of a clean and modern country and the drive from the Airport to my Hotel, even though busy, was a pleasure to view the scenery.
DAYS 1–3
Staying in Bergen
The Hotel was extremely comfortable and amazingly well positioned alongside Bergen Harbour, so my first full day was very easy to just roll out of the Hotel and land straight into the heart of Bergen Harbour’s hustle and bustle. The city of Bergen itself, is a city on the Southwestern coast of Norway, surrounded by mountains and fjords, including Sognefjord, the country’s longest and deepest.
The first stop was Bergen Tourist Information Centre just to suss out what the City had to offer and I was in for a real surprise! Bergen is absolutely littered with scenic view points, historical artefacts and museums, demanding but rewarding Hikes, Ice Bars, Fjord Boat Cruises, the list just goes on and on.. I had 3 days before my Hiking & Climbing trip was due to start and also a day when I returned, so I really wanted to make the most of my time in Bergen.
On my first full day I decided to take the Fløibanen funicular up to the top of Mount Fløyen for the View Point and I was certainly not disappointed! I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone that visit Bergen as it only costs 180kr / £13 and takes 5 mins to reach the top for some breathtaking views of Bergen City and Harbour.
During my first 3 days in Bergen I also visited a multitude of Museums and tourist landmarks, such as the Historical Bryggen Wharf which are the iconic row of coloured wooden houses that hold a rich tapestry of history. One of my Favourite Museums was the Bergen University Natural History Museum. This place was absolutely huge and crammed with amazing facts an interactive areas that were for all ages. You really need a good 2-3 hours minimum to walk around this place. While I was there, there was also a university passing out ceremony for all local Norwegian students and it was so great to see them all in their traditional clothes, they looked amazing!
DAYS 4–5
Travelling Bergen to Odda
After meeting the small group I was due to be travelling around the Fjords with, on day 4 we packed our bags and headed to the ferry port to begin the 5–6 hour journey from Bergen to Odda. The ferry out of Bergen Harbour and into the heart of the Fjords was such an experience. The weather was extremely overcast, however this didn’t dampen our spirits! The ferry took us to a mid-way port to catch a bus for the remainder of the journey.
After meeting the small Group I was due to be travelling around the Fjords with and on day 4, we packed our backs and headed to the Ferry port to begin the 5-6 hour journey from Bergen to Odda. The Ferry journey out of Bergen Harbour and into the heart of the Fjords was such an experience. The weather was extremely overcast, however this didn’t dampen our spirits! The Ferry took us to a mid-way port for us to catch a Bus for the remainder of the journey. After an extremely winding road we arrived at our stunning hotel at the foot of the mountains and beside a stunning fjord inlet. The Hotel was called The Trolltunga Hotel, and I would thoroughly recommend this as a base to explore the Norwegian Fjords. We wasted no time and threw our bags in our rooms and went on our first 7km Hike around the City of Odda ( all up hill :-/ ). This was the warm up for things to come ! We ate well in Odda and this was great news as we had already burned off a lot of calories the initial Hike. But after a good meal we were ready to rest for what was to be a monster Hike the next day.
Day 5 turned out to be an absolutely ‘BRUTAL’ Hike (more like a climb) through Reinanuten National Park. This was a 10km Hike and the weather was overcast with spots or light rain which made the terrain under-foot extremely slippery. As I was being extra cautious with my foot placement for the entire time, this became exhausting over 12 hours. I have to say however, that the scenery and viewpoints were just unreal! It felt like we were truly amongst the Fjords and mountainous regions that Norway had to offer. After completing this grueling but rewarding Hike we refueled with another great meal and hit the sack, ready for our Glacier Hike on Day 6.
DAY 6
Climbing the Glacier
I have to say I was extremely worried about this part of the trip due to the fact it would be a full day Ice Climbing (with crampons & Ice axe), across the Folgefonna Glacier. After getting kitted out in our Helmets, Ice Axes, Crampons and ropes we headed for the Glacier. We were split up into several groups depending on the speed of our initial trek due to the fact we were to be tied together for the remainder of the day :-l
Tied to the rope, ice axe in hand, hauling myself up a vertical wall of blue glacier ice, this was the most exhilarating day of the entire trip and one of the best things I have ever done.
DAYS 7–8
2-Day Hike & Via Ferrata
The trip had been building to this Finale of a Climb and Hike up to the infamous Trolltunga viewpoint! This was to be a 2-day Hike, the first day being part-Hike as well as a 3hr Climb ‘Via Ferrata’ which translates to ‘Iron Path’. Something that I had never done before, but something I had always wanted to do!
The Via Ferrata climb was such a great experience and I would suggest easily produced the best views of the entire journey! We were very lucky on the day we climbed, as half of our group chose to Hike instead of Climb the following day and it was very overcast. After the Climb, we then Hiked a further hour to the amazing ‘Trolltunga’ rock formation. This was absolutely mind-blowing!!
The day before a Musician called ‘Kygo’ filmed his latest album on the edge of the Trolltunga! So lucky we timed our trip when we did! After having spent a few hours getting ‘The Shot’ we Hiked back to and slept overnight in the ‘Sunrise-Sunset Dome’. The Dome and the Trek up and down Trolltunga Active, they were just brilliant!
Stepping onto the very tip of Trolltunga, a slab of rock jutting 700 metres above the lake, heart in my mouth and camera in hand. Worth every one of the brutal kilometres it took to get there.
DAYS 9–10
Travelling Odda to Bergen
After the highlight of the trip which was the Climb, Hike to Trolltunga and overnight stay in the Sunrise-Sunset Dome, it was a slight come down to be back at the Hotel in Odda, however the free day was welcome and well earned! Day 9 was our final day as a group and it was to be the long journey from Odda back to Bergen. We were to take a slightly different route back which involved a Bus-Ferry-Bus-Ferry-Bus !! Although the Bus Sections of the journey could also be driven on to the Ferry. Once we had arrived back in Bergen, we all said our fair wells or fairwells, what an amazing group this was too, from all corners of the globe and all well-seasoned travellers.
My Final day was spent in Bergen not only souvenir shopping, which I may well have gone overboard with ;-) but also perusing around the City again. There was one more high-point in Bergen that I was eager to see and that was to take the Cable Car up to the Highest of seven Mountains surrounding Bergen and it stands at 643m above sea level and is called Mount Ulriken. The Cable Car company called Ulriken643 was well organised and even provided a bus transfer to and from Bergen city Centre. This was an awesome way to end my trip and spending a few hours up on top of Mount Ulriken watching the world go by was well worth it.
Norway, Glacier & Trolltunga
Even though I had to postpone this trip for a year, the wait was so worth it!! I do not want to over use the 10/10 marks on all of my trips, but this Fjords & Trolltunga experience and the views were easily a 10/10! Norway is as beautiful and clean as you imagine it to be!
The Trip was so well organised and it felt like Norway and its wonders were gradually being unveiled as we continued through our travels. My highlights were Trolltunga and the Via Ferrata climb that was both something I had never tried before as well as providing the most stunning views of the entire trip!
My Tour was with the same company I used for my Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand trip, called G Adventures. Yet again, they have absolutely smashed it out of the park in terms of delivering an unforgettable trip.
Take the trip home in print
A collectable chapter from this trip, every favourite frame from Norway gathered into a photography book you can flip through, page by page.
The Bookshelf
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