A 10-Day Guide To Norway For The Adventurous Traveller

A 10-Day Guide To Norway For The Adventurous Traveller

Norway, literally meaning the “Path to the North” is the closest we can get to a dreamscape on this planet of ours. It is the land from which fairies descend, and you’d be a fool if this wasn’t on your bucket list. For most, this is a land that beckons those keen to explore and discover, and so it was with Ishita Singh. Having grown up dreaming of going to Norway some day, she seized her opportunity while she was staying in London. It was the summertime, and a friend invited her to a cabin in Risør, a fishing town along the North Sea, and off she went! A keen adventurer at heart—always one for hiking, climbing, rafting and kayaking especially with her Dad, this trip had a little bit of everything she has always loved. Having gone on the trip of a lifetime, Ishita has come back with memories aplenty, and a ton of information that is nothing if not inspirational. For all those ready to go on the journey of the lifetime, this is the guide for you.

Where To Go And For How Long

Ishita’s trip lasted 5 nights and 6 days - 2 nights in Risør, 2 in Jostedal and 1 in Bergen. According to her, 5 nights should be the minimum number of days to explore one region of Norway properly. For instance, she chose to focus on the Western fjörds.

“For the Summers, exploring Central Norway and its numerous hiking options is a good idea. And for the Winters, one can head to north - Land straight in Tromsø and explore the Lofoten islands or Svalbard region for the winter activities (Ice caves, Skiing, Polar bear sightings and the famous Northern Lights).”

Stay

Ishita recommends staying at “a guesthouse in Jostedal overlooking the glacier called Nigardsbreen Gjesesteheim. This spot is run by a wonderful bunch of girls. It was a nice cosy lodge with good food, but the best part was that it was the only accommodation right next to the Glacier centre. There are also 2 camp sights a little further from the glacier - Jostedal Camping and Nigardsbreen Camping, where one could park their RVs’ or setup their tents.” If one wants to camp there, she suggests you come prepared with the equipment from Oslo or Bergen or one of the bigger cities before landing in the smaller towns.

The Jostedal Glacier

“There are different levels of hikes available at the Centre (you can go here for more information). They range from family hikes, kids hikes, short ice hike to the longer routes. The pricing was reasonable and differed according to the difficulty level and whether they were groups or private hikes. I opted for the longer route, which was very tiring and taxing (specifically on the knees and thighs). There were some scary points in the climb where one had to jump across deep, endless and massive crevasses. I, myself, am an extremely unfit person and ended up relying on my love for mountaineering and sudden willpower in these situations. You don’t require any technical experience, and I would say, if you are up for exploring a magical new terrain (specially, for us Indians since a lot of our glaciers are unreachable for general public, high up in the Himalayas), and if you have the drive and determination to complete the task - the knee pains will be a non-issue for you!” The minute she tied those crampons, she knew it was going to be a life-changing experience.

Kayaking in Norway

“I had read about a semi-frozen lake a little beyond the Nigardsbreen glacier (ie. the climable end of Jostedal glacier), and we were hoping to kayak through ice-bergs. We followed a straight un-mapped route up - no cars, not a soul in sight, blindly kept on driving till we reached a massive dam that was blocking the lake. Climbed up and the view opened up to this unreal completely frozen white lake - that had just started breaking into small icebergs. No living being, nothing, just white heaven - almost like reaching the end of the world. Spent some time there, came back to Nigardsbreen lake and ended up kayaking there for a 2 hours.”

Driving Around in Jostedal

“As far as driving in the Jostedal region goes - it was extremely easy and one got used to it very quickly. There were almost NO cars on the road and the experience might have been different in a bigger city! The general speed limit is 80 and despite having very light traffic, the drivers are very disciplined. A lot of mountain roads are not wide enough for two cars, but there are always “passing points” on the roads where one can give way. As we went in the Summers, near the snowline the routes had been cleared properly and there wasn’t any ice on the road.”

Cruise Time

We exited Norway from Bergen - Took a fjord cruise till Myrdal and the 2 trains to Bergen to the west (One of the trains was the famous Flåm Rail). Spent a night at Bergen and ended up climbing another small peak called Mt. Ulriken - known for giving one the prettiest views of the city.

Staples To Pack For When You’re Headed THis Way

Ishita says, “Summers or winters - Thermals are a must!” For all those on the more adventurous side, warm socks, gloves, caps, hiking boots are some other basics for such a trip.

Cuisine

If you’re a fish eater, you know you’re in for a treat. “Most of the fish is freshly caught, especially by the coast. For the most part, the cuisine is generally staple European fare. Make sure to look out for an ice cream brand called Henning Olsen. Best. Ice-creams. Ever. Couldn’t stop ourselves from picking one up at every gas station while driving!”

The People

It is almost rare for someone to come away with a bad impression of Norwegian people at large. Ishita describes, “They are a happy and welcoming bunch. Most of them knew bits of English and were incredibly helpful and kind. One thing that struck me was their love for classical music. In Risør, we came across a full orchestra playing on the road and about 100-150 people just sitting there and listening to them intently!” We’re sold - if not for anything else, then simply for the love of music.

Research Tips For WHen You Start Planning Your Trip

About 6 months before her trip, Ishita started doing research on Norway in a Nut Shell’s website. She says, “They have some great itineraries, unfortunately we couldn’t find any that fit our route and we wanted a bit of flexibility. So we took bits and pieces from their itineraries and created a customised version of it. It took a lot of time, as there were different modes of transportation involved and all of them had to be done via separate websites. But since we had a rough base to start with, we mapped out every detail from start to finish and booked the flights, cars, cruise - leaving some adjustment time of 1-2 hours in between them.”

The best way to get around would be to rent a car rather than depending on the local buses, as they dont function on the weekends and they limit your movement significantly. For flights, use Wideroe, Hertz for car rentals, and if you want to use the trains or go on a cruise go to this website. The special Flåm Rail was booked through https://www.visitflam.com.

General Advice For Anyone Travelling To Norway

“Although there is connectivity in the Mountain regions as well, the only advice I have is to be well aware of the routes and paths beforehand if you are hiking. Nature is something you cannot control or fully predict, so following instructions properly and being well-prepared during such activities is a must.”

Click here to see the entire series of photographs taken by Ishita Singh.

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