Experiencing the Hardanger-autumn is a must! With beautiful colours and hiking opportunities, stunning landscape, and most tourists returned to civilization, this is where to travel.
If you want a break from everyday life, a romantic weekend or just a getaway, Hardanger has got you covered. How about immersing yourself in a warm hotel pool in the middle of Norway's largest orchard, surrounded by a majestic fjord landscape, or taking the accommodation to new heights in a treetop cabin? Whether you travel alone, with friends, with your partner or with the family, a high-hanging cabin or a fjord side stay always works like a charm.
From lazy days by the fjord to fast days on the fjord, nothing gives you quite the same rush as a RIB tour with one of the several RIB operators in the Hardangerfjord region. With an array of tours ranging from a waterfall safari in Botnen to just cruising on the fjord, you have the option to tailor the experience to your own appetite. And speaking about appetite: The RIB tour can also be combined with a cider safari at one of the many farms where cider tasting, local food, and farm shops is on the menu. This is a lovely way to try "Cider from Hardanger", which, just like "Champagne", is a geographically protected brand name. If you're more of a landlubber, you always have the option to drive or walk from farm to farm on the fruit and cider route in Ulvik.
Best in the west is also the hikes, and Hardanger has them in large numbers. Amid beautiful nature, impressive mountains, and lush orchards, HM Queen Sonja's panoramic hiking trail is particularly beautiful these days. With a beautiful view of the fjord along the entire route, you really get an up-close experience of the contrasts that the Hardanger nature has to offer.
Just a short drive away, you also find the starting point for Trolltunga, otherwise known as the most spectacular rock formation in Norway. From October 1st, the trail is only accessible with a guide, and get excited: These guides always take the scenic route. Trolltunga Adventures and Trolltunga Active guide you safe and (most times dry) up the newly-baked National Tourist Trail, gives you the inside scoop on hidden gems and best photo spots and is by far the best way to experience the impressive tongue-shaped stone plateau hovering 700 meters above Ringedalsvatnet.
Suppose you prefer something a little more straightforward and easily accessible. In that case, Husedalen valley is a good alternative. With several short and long hiking options, the nature and the four waterfalls is what makes you short of breath - not the hike itself. The same applies to Norway's most famous waterfall, Vøringsfossen. Standing at the newly built vantage point at Fossli Hotel that's accessible with both wheelchairs and strollers, you can truly feel the forces of nature as the waterfall plunges 183 meters down from the Hardangervidda plateau in Eidfjord.
Also accessible with a wheelchair, though with a powerful engine, is Bondhusvatnet glacier lake near Sundal in Kvinnherad. This is a beautiful destination and one of the most popular hikes in the Hardanger region. Pictures of the photo-friendly glacier water appear more and more frequently on social media, and it is not without reason. Try it out and see for yourself.
Hardanger and autumn. Some things just fit like a glove. Here, you will find autumn activities for everyone: families with children, active and hikers, adults, and the cultural minded. With its beautiful colours and hikes, several activities and accommodations options, well as the tranquilly that the nature and fjord provides, Hardanger is definitely the place to visit during the autumn. Welcome!