Eight months ago while flicking through my Instagram, I stumbled upon a photo. An amazing portrait of a guy sitting on the tip of a huge rock, a staggering drop that was at least 100 metres below his feet. I’ve always wanted to go on one of those amazing adventures, backpacking, camping, sleeping in cars, meeting new people, hiking for days, that’s what a real adventure is!
A lot of people who visit Europe never reach Norway because of how expensive it is. That’s entirely true, Norway is by no means a budget destination, the country has an income tax at a whopping 45%! However, after seeing pictures like these on the internet, Norway was just too beautiful to miss.
Amazingly, I planned this trip while I was studying for my exams, a flight booked here, hotel reserved there, all in between doing those pesky past papers. Within weeks, I had a (very) rough plan of what I was going to do and where to go. Here’s a outline of my trip:
DAY 1 – HK, fly to Oslo via Amsterdam. Overnight domestic flight to Lofoten (Arctic Circle)
DAY 2 – 7 – Exploring the Arctic circle (Svolvaer, Reine, Tromso)
DAY 8 – Return to Oslo, head north towards Gerainger
DAY 8 – 17 – Exploring the Nordfjords (Gerainger, Ulsteinvik, Runde, Kjornes, Odda, Bergan, Rauland, Roldal Skysstasjonen, Sandnes)
DAY 18 – Oslo, fly back to HK via Paris.
I found that flights were much cheaper if I transferred via Amsterdam and Paris. The trip was essentially split into two distinct parts. The first was exploring Lofoten (in the Arctic Circle) which was way up in the north, Glaciers, Mountains, Lakes, Fjords. The second was the mainland and Fjords, this was where all the main rock attractions were. I arrived in Norway mid-June so there weren’t too many other tourists, not that a country with a area of 385,178 square kilometres would worry about. For the next three weeks I backpacked around Norway. I’m not going to go into detail about where I went but essentially there are three personal highlights, remarkably, all three are rocks. Norway is a tale of three rocks.
THE TROLL’S TONGUE (TROLLTUNGA)
The first rock was the rock I saw on Instagram, otherwise known as TROLLTUNGA (Troll’s Tongue). This is one of Norway’s most spectacular hikes, located in Hardanger (even the name spells danger!). This was by far the hardest rock to get to, it included a mammoth 8 hour hike, rising 1800 metres into the Glaciers and across Fjords. Right from the start, a flight of tram tracks (abandoned) takes you up 850 vertical metres! It took an hour just to get up every one of those 3806 steps (yeh, I counted). At the top of the tracks I only finished 1.7 kilometres of a 22 kilometre hike! For the next 7 hours you walk through Ice, Canyons, Rocks, truly exhausting. It is possible to walk out onto the Troll’s Tongue, making for some truly amazing Instagrams.
MOUNT KJERAG
Although I set out to conquer Trolltunga before arriving in Norway, in hindsight this was actually my favourite rock. Mount Kjerag soars majestically over the Lysefjord in Ryflyke. With a perpendicular fall of 1,000 metres, the wild Kjerag plateau towers innermost in the Lysefjord. Most people are content to enjoy the view across the Lysefjord from the plateau, but the highlight of the entire trip for me was capturing the moment I stood on the Kjerag Bolt – a round block of stone wedged in a crack in the mountain. There are also many base-jumpers who literally jump straight off the rock! This hike is about ten kilometres and takes five to six hours.
PULPIT ROCK (PREIKESTOLEN)
The Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen), on the Lysefjord in Ryflyke not far from Stavanger, is one of Norway’s biggest tourist attractions. This hike was much easier and only lasted 4 hours. There are many people on this hike, essentially an endless stream of people strolling up the mountain. The scores of people made for quite a unique photography opportunity at the top, offering a refreshing difference from the classic one person shot.
EXPLORING NORWAY ON A BUDGET
GET IN THE KITCHEN! – Food is ridiculously expensive in Norway so the best way to save money is to cook your own meals. Visit the supermarket but skip the imported products (Heavily taxed) and go for the all-abundant SALMON! Each meal I made consisted of Mushrooms ($10HKD for 400 grams), Salmon fillet ($25HKD), Yoghurt ($6HKD) and a bowl of rice (which I brought from Hong Kong). This all cashed out under $50HKD per meal (cheaper than quite a lot of restaurants in HK) as opposed to the outrageously expensive restaurants charging $100 for just a regular Hamburger.
CAMPING/HOSTELS – Accommodation is always one of the largest portions of your travel budget, so cutting down here will have a large effect. I split my accommodation between staying in hostels and camping, with the occasional night spent sleeping in the rental car. Of course you’re not living in comfort but this is where you meet new exciting people! I met a French guy who had been backpacking around the globe for 10 months, truly amazing person. Who knows, you’ll bump into many friendly Norwegians willing to let you use their portable tethering wifi! 😉
EAT SIMPLE – You’re in Norway for the scenery, not the food, there’s plenty of time for that back home. Breakfast of toast and jam, Lunch consisting of two slices of salami sandwiched with wholewheat bread can save you a huge chunk from your wallet!
SOCIALISE – The Norwegians are a friendly bunch, they’re willing to share just about everything. From a free-ride to a pint of beer, be nice and tag along for some freebies!
There are few places in the world that have such varied scenery in one region. You can climb wonderful mountains by the coast, experience fantastic mountains that rise straight up from the narrow fjords or join a safe walk on the blue ice of one of the glacier arms. There are vast, untouched mountain areas all over Norway that are perfect for hikers. Norway is not just a scenic backdrop, but a community. A living landscape where humans and nature live in mutual dependence, making Norway truly the ultimate location for adventure travel seekers.
Below is a little selection of the photos from the trip. Mostly taken from Canon S120. Edited with VSCO film.
Clement Ma 