Today, we are doing one of the most beautiful hikes in Norway - the Romsdalseggen ridge hike. This is a one way hike, so we parked in Åndalsnes, and then took a bus from there to the trail head. This is the website you can book the bus ticket online, but for some reason, it did not let me do it when I was there, so we just went to the bus stop and hope that we could get on, and we did! Do remember to bring cash with you for the bus if you decided to not pre-book your ticket, because they only take cash on the bus! Also, remember to check the schedule, the day we went was a Sunday, and there was only one scheduled time for the bus on that day.
This hike is about 11km (7 miles) long, with 970 meters elevation gain. It was pretty cold when we first started, but it got warmer as we climbed up the mountain. After we passed by some waterfalls, some muddy roads, and climbed over the boulders, we finally reached the top of the ridge. It was super foggy at the time, so we cannot see much unfortunately, but that probably made it less scary! As you can see from the photos below, there are parts with chains, so it could be quite treacherous.
We couldn’t see much at the first viewpoint (the highest point of the hike), and we waited for a good 30 mins to see if the fog would clear up. Then we gave up and kept walking, we passed by another viewpoint, and again couldn’t see much, BUT by the time we were at the 3rd one, the sky was much clearer, and the view of the valley was absolutely breathtaking (pictures below)! We were so happy that this hike did not turn out to be a total waste of time.
As you keep walking, you will reach the Eggen restaurant and the gondola down to Åndalsnes if you want the easy way down. But if you choose to walk, you will pass by another viewpoint called Rampestreken, which is a steel ramp that overlook the city (picture below). The last stretch of the hike down was quite steep and unpleasant because the roots of the trees on the ground made it so uneven and hard to walk. We were kinda regretting not taking the gondola LOL
Our Airbnb for the night was around Nærøyfjord, which is quite a bit south of Åndalsnes (5-6 hours). It sounds like a long drive, but as usual, the sceneries on the way (also the ferries) made it go so much faster!
As you drive south, you will pass by the Trollstigen. As you can see from the pictures below, it was quite an experience to drive up that road with all those hairpin bends! What’s crazier is that you can see a huge waterfall literally on the side of the road as you drive up (video on the left), which is very cool! Besides the stunning sceneries, this area is called Trollstigen because it was believed that trolls actually live here! Trolls are mythical creatures that are often portrayed as being short with wild hair or larger creatures that dwell in mountains, forests and caves. In Norse mythology, they were seen as evil giants associated with magic. and are portrayed as mischievous creatures who like to cause trouble to humans. You can find a lot of troll sculptures around this area, and there are many viewing and stopping points along the way for people to stop and take pictures!
After Trollstigen, we just kept driving to our destination, but for those who have more time or even an extra day, you should definitely spend some time around the Geirangerfjord area. We were told by the locals (and the pictures online) that it is a gorgeous area to visit!
When we arrived at our Airbnb, we were so taken away by the view (pictures below)! We were on a budget, so when we looked for Airbnb, we were not particularly looking for Airbnb with a view, but so far, ALL the Airbnb we stayed at have a gorgeous view! That really just tells us how beautiful this country is <3
