Oslo Info Getting there Money Accommodation Food Maps/Signs Gear/Condition Season/Midgets Trolls Links The trail other routes worth seeing

Besseggen

German  Map click to enlarge

1 Euro is about 8 Norwegian Krones
 

Getting there
cheap flights with Norwegian to Oslo-Gardermoen and Ryanair to Oslo-Torpe. In Oslo Gardermoen the train station is integrated in the airport building. Our luggage was very quickly dispatched. Fifteen minutes after landing we could have gone further on by train. There are ATM and a moneychanger for changing money. A map for Jotunheimen 1:100.000 was also available in a bookshop there.

Links: norwegian.no (budget airlines), ryanair.com, sasbraathens.no, sterling.no,

from the airport to Oslo
there are four possibilities: taxi (very expensive), the airport train (20 min.) departs at platform 2-3 and costs 160 Krones, the Bus (departs at the exit) costs at about 120 Kr and the local train (40 min platform 4 ) was the best offer for only 77 Kr (10 Euro). Tickets are available at a ticket office before the platforms and in the train, after the ticket office has closed at night.

Accommodation in Oslo
we stayed in the Ankerhostel, which is app.10 minutes walk from the train station. In September the reception is closed after midnight, the keys are deposited at the Best Western Hotel nearby. But you have to ask, the information policy of the staff is not excellent. The hostel has hardly any competitors in this price category. You have to have a linen sleeping bag (not ordinary are permitted) but you can rent them at the hostel for an extra fee. The bed in a six bed dorm was 155 KR (without breakfast around 100 KR), cheap for Oslo prices. A double room in Oslo starts about 500 KR.

Links: ankerhostel.no, bugeurope.com, hostelworld.com,ung.info.olso.no/useit/index.php

Bus to Gjendesheim
The bus station is directly behind the train station. All busses for destinations out of Oslo start here. You pay in the bus. The companies give individual travellers a guarantee for a seat (not groups from 12 persons). The bus to Gjendesheim -line 160/161- started at 9.15 a.m. The bus runs only until the second week in September. The fare was 320 Kr and is reduced to 280 Kr per person by a group of two or more travellers. The bus arrived at 2.20 p.m.  in Gjendesheim. On the way you have to change the bus in Fagerness. Busses to Beitøstolen and Tyin are running all the year.

Links: nor-way.no Bus,  http://nri.websrv2.reiseinfo.no/nriiis/Default.aspx,

Alternatives
Alternatively there is at night 0.55 a train from the airport to Otta. At 7 a.m and in the morning at 2 p.m is a bus to Gjendesheim, which runs only until the third week in August (2005). Discount "Minipris" tickets of the Norwegian rail can be booked three months before on the Internet. You save only some money and tickets are hard to get.

Links: nsb.no (Bahn) ,

 

Money
8 Krones was app. 1 Euro/ 5 Pounds (2005). At the airport was a moneychanger open till midnight to fair conditions and ATM. Changing money out of Oslo could be more difficult. Credit cards are often (bus, huts) as elsewhere accepted but not everywhere.

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Accommodation/Huts

Leirvassbu Hut click to enlarge

In Norway exist a network of huts in hiking areas, which covered our tour. Often you found selfcatering huts, but the huts in the Jotunheim NP were with restaurant and hostel service. A bed in a dorm room was 165 KR (app.20 Euro). A linen backpack is required, but could be rent for a fee. Breakfast buffet with coffee, tea, orange juice, salmon, fish, cheese, sausage, eggs and jam costs 100 Euro (12 Euro), diner costs 240 KR (30 Euro). The diner was served as a three course menu, the meat and vegetables was served in plates and bowls you share with other persons. On demand it is filled up, so you can eat as much as you like. This kind of dinner is only common in huts, not in other Norwegian restaurants. Coffee and tea was included after meal. Members of the DNT association get some discount (prices were so 130 KR/ 85KR/190KR), but the membership requires a fee of 450 Kr. There are drying rooms for wet clothes with heaters; sometimes there was a Sauna (small fee) in the shower room, but not mixed sessions.
The best of the huts is, that a sleeping place is for sure. If it is full, you are offered at least a sleeping place anywhere on the floor.

Link: turistforeningen.no(DNT Huts)

Free Camping is allowed everywhere in a certain distance of buildings. Sometimes it is difficult to put up the tent because of the rocky soil.
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Food / Water
see huts above. Water is everywhere available. Look that water isn't polluted by faeces of animals and humans, if not you can drink it. Normally you aren't very hungry while and after walking, but only very tired.

 

Signposting / Maps

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at the airport (open till midnight) and elsewhere a map of the Jotunheimen area on a scale of 1:100.000 is sold for 99 Kr (12,50 Euro). This card is sufficient for hiking. There are others on a scale of 1:50.000, that is better for navigation with compass, but these have no more details. Normally you don't need any map, the few trails are very well signposted with small wooden signs and with a red "T" on stones or piled stones. The statements of estimated time for hiking on the map - 5t- or -6t-  fit only for very quick hikers without heavy backpacks and without breathers. We needed for example 9 hrs for a 5 t  walk with backpacks and a lady had tears in her eyes, when her son and husband was returning after 11 hrs from climbing the Galhoppingen, which was given 6 hrs on the map.
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Walking Gear/Condition

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Mountaineering or even hiking experience is not necessary. But the paths always lead through rocks and boulders and are also often muddy after rainfall. Hiking in the Jotunheimen NP is therefore not as comfortable as in the Alps. There is no danger of falling down hundreds of meters, but some passages especially at the Bessegen, Hukkelægret and at the Tjørnaboltjørna are steep and there is some care required. Crossing the glacier at the peak of the Glittertind and climbing the Galdhøppigen is possible for everyone without special equipment at good weather. But ask at the huts before!
There was a fatal accidents the last years, because of very slippery ice on the Glittertind glacier!

 

Hiking Season / Weather
Is the July and August. Before there is too much snow and after the second September week most huts close and there is no bus service more to Gjendesheim available. Sometimes the weather is fine in harvest and there are still busses to Beitostølen and Tyin all the year.

 

Midges and mosquitoes
are not such a problem because of the high mountain area. In the first September week I didn't see anyhow any of these any of it.
 

Trolls
be careful! Don't pollute their environment, these small quick creatures will revenge with many obstacles on your trip.You won't see them, otherwise they turned to stones. The many stone piles are examples of such unfortunately encounters. If you respect all creatures of the nature, they won't harm you.  The Jotunheimen area is named after the Jotunen, who have their home there and who have long tousled beards full of icicles. Their children often are playing with big rocks, some playing pits you will surely find on your way.

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The Trail

1st day  Gjendesheim - Memurubu (Besseggengrat)  8-9 hrs with backpack

Gjende lake and Bjørnhaltjørna lake  Gjende lake at the start click to enlarge

Famous and heavy frequented day hike over the Besseggen ridge.It is literally described by Hendrik Ibsen in " Peer Gynt" and set to music from Edvard Grieg in the "Peer Gynt Suite". The rider in the epos is the only one who has precipitated from the ridge 700 m meters downwards the cliffs into the lake. The highlight of the trip is the narrow between the two lakes, called the Besseggen, which is only 50 meters wide. There is a good place for camping, but only for a few tents. The Besseggen trip starts from the bus stop, it is well signposted. You climb up the mountains and must realize, that after you have reached the next apparent sattle more ridges are coming. But anyhow after some time a plateau leads to the highest point of 1.743 m, visible from a big pile of stones. After some half an hour walk, you have a marvellous view down to the Bessegen. From there the trails descends very steeply downwards; it is a lot of rockclimbing down and be careful not to trip. A bit dangerous and not very easy especially with heavy backpacks. Behind the Bessegen ridge it was going upwards, but only some meters and not as steep as before. You pass the very beautiful lake Bjørnhaltjørna where is another but wider ridge. Then the path ascend in a big bend to the hut Memurubu. If you want to branch off for the lake Russvatnet in direction Glitterheim look for the signposts, which you could easily miss.
There is also a boat from Gjendesheim to Memurubu (ca.100 KR)

2nd day  Memurubu- Gjendebu 8 hrs

.Memurudalen Valley click to enlarge

First it was a steep ascending with great views to lake Gjende and into the Memurudalen Valley. Here were many blackberries (don't know the name) that were not as tasteful as the blueberries, you also find everywhere. After a while there is a high plateau with many lakes and snow covered mountains in the far distance around. Shortly before the branch off  to the Hukkelægret is a beautiful rectangular shaped lake which was a nice camping place for us. Because of the weather we didn't dare the steep descent of the Hukkelægret with full backpacks and we moved further on to the valley Storådalen we reached in three hours the next day. to top 3rd day  Gjendebu - Leirvassbu  9 hrs

ford click to enlarge

this day we walked through the valley Storådalen. After some walk we reached the waterfall, which precipitates in steps down from the lake Langvatnet. The path follows flatly some km the shore of the lake. It was a muddy thing and much unpleasant walk across boulders. Often brooks have to be crossed carefully to avoid wet feet and trousers. After two lakes and some climbing over boulders the trail now ascends for some km. Due to clouds and fog I nearly lost the way. At the end the path descent to the hut Leirvassbu, which appeared suddenly through the fog.

4th day  Leirvassbu - Spiterstulen 7 hrs

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After it has rained the day before all the time, it was sunny the next day. It was a pleasant hike, no ascents and the climbing over rocks was not so exhausting. First the trail passed three lakes and the mountain Tverrbøtntindane with it's impressive peak Kyrkja (2.032m), which reminds to the Matterhorn or a church tower. After that appeared a marvellous viewpoint above the valley Visdalen, which we followed afterwards while aside were seen mountains and glaciers. Before reaching the hut there were some bridges over brooks. Spiterstulen hut can also be reached by car.
 

Climbing the Galdhøppigen ( 2.469 m ) and the question which is the highest mountain of Norway Until 1984 the Glittertind with 2.472 m was considered as the highest mountain of Norway and also of Scandinavia. An expertise sized it down to 2.464 m. The reason was the melting ice cap, because of the increasing global climate. Without ice cap the Gittertind is only 2.452 m high. Because of the changing thickness of the ice cap, the Galdhøppigen might remain the highest mountain of Scandinavia anyway, but the highest point could be at the Glittertind.  The peak of the Galdhøppigen can be reached by a day tour from Spiterspulen. Special mountaineering gear or abilities are not necessary at good weather. Don't go at bad weather, you wouldn't see anything because of the clouds at the peak.  The calculated time of 4 hours up and 2 hours down on the Jotunheimen map is hardly managed to do. More realistic are 10 hours.

5th day  Spiterstulen - Glitterheim  9 hrs

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First we went some hundred meters along the paved road until the trail ascent steeply to a saddle, where the high plateau of the Glittertind base begins. Later the trail branches off.
 

Crossing the Glittertind peak on the glacier The trail to the left climbs up for a long time for crossing Glittertind peak on the glacier. It could be done without mountaineer gear or special climbing experience at normal weather conditions, but needs some physical endurance. In late summer the ice could be very slippery, there was a fatal accident the last years. Ask for the conditions at the hut. With fog or clouds you could miss the way and you won't see anything. It is less exhausting climbing the Glittertind from Glitterheim  the next day, which is often recommended.

We walked the lower trail, because the Glittertind was wrapped in clouds. It was a hike mostly across boulders, which is not a pleasure (see picture above). After the high plateau the trail turns to the left passing some lakes before it descends steeply into the valley of Veodalen. At the lakes some snowfields had to get over, be careful not to slip and slide into the icy lake water! When we  descent to the Veodalen valley we had marvellous views to the valley, the mountains with its glacier tongues around. We followed the Veodalen valley for some time until we reached the river mouth at the Glitterheim hut.

6th day  Glitterheim -Gjendesheim  9 hrs

Russvanet click to enlarge

The longest hiking part, but less ascent and boulders, therefore feasible at one day. There are two ways, the more beautiful way leads over the Tjørnholet. At the lake Tjønholttjørna is a steep descent from 128 m, which requires care, especially at rain. After the Lake the path goes down to the big lake Russvatnet, where the two ways join together at a suspension bridge. Now it goes along the lake shore, with good places for camping and small beaches for relaxing (but the lake is ice-cold!). At the end of the Russvanet is another bridge and some old abandoned wooden huts, which were closed. The path leads up to a plateau to the dark blue lake Bessvatnet, its colour is a contrast to the else blue green shimmering glacier lakes in this area. When ascending look back to the grandiose scenery of lake, valley and mountains. From the Bessnatvet-Plateau we descent back to lake Gjende, where we met the first stage of our journey.
 

to top Other Trekks

Jotunheimen NP
alternative tour 109,5 km

Gjendesheim - Svarthammarbua through the valley Leirungsdalen - Torfinnsdalen 24,5 km
boat on the Lake Bygdin-See to Fondsbu/Eidaburgarden
Fondsbu- Olavsbu 12,5 km
Olavsbu- Leivassbu 10,5 km
Leivasbu -Spiterstulen 16 km
Spiterstulen- Glitterheim 16 km
Glitterheim-Memurubu passing the lake Russvanet 18 km
Memurubu-Gjendesheim 13 km

 

West-East crossing  86 km

Turtagro -Fannaraken 8 km
Fannaraken-Skogadalsboen 11 km
Skogadalsboen-Eidsbugarden 24 km
Eidsbugarden-Gjendebu 15,5 km
Gjendebu-Torfinnsbu 14 km
Torfinnsbu- Bygdin 13 km

other Norwegian Trekks
 

Hardangervidda	8 days, 120 km	Rodal-Finsje
Peer Gynt Weg	4 days, 70 km	Skei-Dalseter
Rodane NP
Jotunheimenstien	3 weeks, 320 km	Oslo-Jotunheimen NP	jotunheimstien.no,

 

worth a visit in the surroundings :
Wooden stave churches of Lom, Borgund and Hedal; the fjords Geirangerfjord, Nareroyfjord, Sognefjord and the road Sognefell No.55,
the glacier Jostedalsbreen and the valley Gudbrandsdal

other Highlights of Norway (only some of them)
Nordkap a long trip and there is nothing special to see. Entrance fee is about 25 Euros. You must decide.
Lofotes pretty isles
Tromsoe nice town with sea museum. The Arctic Cathedral is a modern ugly church, you can skip
Bodo,  the Saltstrauemen is pretty
Trondheim: an old fotogenic city, the Nidora Cathedral is worth a visit.
Geirangerfjord imperssive fjord, spectacular views from the viewing platform, boatstours optional
Bergen the old quarter Bryggen, the "Rosenkrantztower" and the harbour area
Stavanger interesting oil museum and a small pretty old town center
Preikestolen, Kjerag and Kjeragbolten nice sceneries

 

Links
visitnorway.com , ntr.no , norwegen.no , hardangerviddanet.no, lofoten-info.no , lofoten-tourist.com , oslopro.no , nsb.no (train), nor-way.no (bus), jvb.no,  colorline.com , fjordline.com, (ferries), norwegian.no (budget airline)
norwaythepoorway.com, ottadalen.no, lofoten-online.de,

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Questions, feedback, criticism, news, your links, your experiences, hints to mistakes and better English etc. are welcome!
mail me!!

   kambodschajoe@hotmail.com

Excuse my English, that is not my native language, thanks!
It would be kind to mail me 1-3 mistakes you found, if you think this side is helpful for your trip. Thanks!

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