Fjords Vertigo - Preikestolen Trolltunga Kjeragbolten
Our trip in southern Norway starts in the Stavanger Region where are two of the most popular hiking track of Europe.
The most popular one, a two hours hike to the windy top of the “Pulpit Rock” Preikestolen where you can live the amazing experience of vertigo peering down of its flat top 600m directly over the blue water of Lysefjord. Hiking further to the mountains above the pulpit rock is worth a wonderful view over a fascinating landscape now covered by clouds and now shining under the warm sun rays.
On the way back take the ferry to Lysefjord and drive the 27 hairpin turns up to a park place placed in front of a wooden building overlooking the fjords. This is the Øygardsstølen Cafe, where a hard 5km track starts to the Kjeragboltcen boulder, the chockstone, ad the end of a way going up and down several times through rocks, small rives, and muddy permafrost. The path starts with 300m of a very steep and slippery rock, where you have to help your selves holding you to the chains fixed to the rocks for the purpose of helping the less athletic hikers. It is so hard that the 300m can seem as they were more than 1000m. After that, the path becomes easier of a plateau that goes up and down reaching after 4 hours hiking the second wonder of the Lysefjord, the chockstone, lodged between two rocks about 2m apart. The favorite place for free jumpers because of its 1000m of empty space underneath.
Heading north-warts from Stavanger, stop wherever you like the landscape and where you want to dive in the wonderful atmosphere of Norway, you will drive close to the area of Telemark, a sparsely populated region with steep mountains, pinned by lakes and towns with the typical stave churches and the famous telemark canal, and old way of goods transport in the 19th century. On your way stop in Odda, and industrial town with wonderful location between steep mountains and a glacier scenery close to Tyssedal, you will be shocked by the majesty of the Låtefoss waterfall between Røldal and Tyssedal. While driving to Tyssedal they are recognizable on the right side of the road by the steam caused by water jumping from 165m height and flowing under the local road.
Once passed Tyssedal it takes about 20min to reach the path heading to Trolltunga, another breath taking hiking path, starting at the bottom of a 400m high plateau interpreted with lakes and glaciers and short vegetation. A 10km path will lead you to the Trolltunga, the Troll’s Tongue, a rock jutting horizontally with a 700m empty space above the breath taking scenery of the Ringedalsvatnet lake.
After about 4 days and 40km hiking it time to go back south-wards on the mountain region in the inland. Stop in Solvgarden along one of the several breath taking lakes Norway. In summer the best place to camp go fishing and relax. Only you and the astonishing nature around you.
where to sleep
Preikestolenfjellstue
Placed at the start of the 2km Preikestolen path. Driven by very friendly and nice personal, the hostel rooms are quite small but clean and there is only one shared bathroom per floor. The scenery at dawn or sunrise in front of the Røvsvatnet lake is amazing and worth a stay in the hostel. There is also another building offering higher level accommodation and a very good restaurant, where we suggest to take the opportunity and eat the dishes of the day suggested by the chef. Modern taste accompanied by a very good selection of wine.
Solvgarden Cottages
On a beautiful lake scenery with a steep mountain in the background. Wooden houses as accommodation and plenty of place for family camping. The restaurant serves high quality local meat and fish dishes and tasty typical desserts.
Røldal booking
Modern mountain cottages with typical mountain style and in front of a fairy tale scenery of mountains striped by tiny waterfalls during the summer months.
what to eat
Once in Norway you will understand that fish can be one of the best thing you can ever eat: fiskesuppe (fish soup), smoked lacks (salmon), torsk (cod), hval (wale) and other sea food.
Cheese will be also one of the highlights of your energetic breakfast, you will try for sure the brown goat’s cheese called geitost.
As a dessert is the moltebœr syltetøy the best choise, berry jam to be eated warm and apple cake with fresh made cream.
Alcohol in Norway is very expensive, most of the beer is watery and not as good as the German one, but leave it for the national drink the acquavit to end up your hiking day.