Kevin Samuelson
Sample Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive Oslo
Arrive Oslo airport. Collect your luggage, and pass customs before your driver meets you in the arrival hall with a sign with your name. Private transfer to Sommerro Hotel.
Afternoon at leisure and relax after your flight.
Overnight: Sommerro Hotel
Day 2
Private guided city sightseeing by foot and tram
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before your private guide picks you up for a city tour by foot. You’ll get to see Oslo highlights like the Royal Palace (from outside, guided tour inside from June-August for extra fee), Vigeland sculpture park, Akershus fortress, and modern architecture like the Opera House, Munch Museum, Barcode district, and Aker Brygge. The sightseeing ends with a short tour on the tram up to Holmenkollen ski jump, where you will have a fantastic view over the city and the Oslofjord.
Overnight: Sommerro Hotel
Day 3
Train from Oslo to Bergen
Walk from your hotel to Oslo Central Station for a scenic journey over the mountains to Bergen. The Bergen Railway is a seven-hour trip between Oslo and Bergen that’s been voted one of the world’s most beautiful train journeys.
Traveling from Oslo, the journey takes you through highlights of Norwegian nature: forested valleys, stunning fjords, and northern Europe’s largest mountain plateau, Hardangervidda. With almost 500 kilometers of railway, you’ll have a unique opportunity to experience many of the dramatic contrasts one finds in Norwegian nature.
Upon arrival in Bergen, walk 400 meters to the beautiful boutique hotel Opus XVI, owned by the Grieg family, relatives of the famous composer Edvard Grieg. Afternoon at leisure.
Overnight: Opus XVI
Day 4
City Tour, Hike Ulriken Mountain, and Meterological Dinner
Enjoy your breakfast before your private guide picks you up for a guided city tour of Bergen’s highlights: UNESCO-listed Bryggen, Rosenkrantz tower, Bergenhus fortress, Haakons hall, the Fish market, Old Town and St. Mary's church.
After this, you’ll be picked up for a guided hike to Ulriken mountain and ride a cable car back to the base station. Ulriken is the highest of Bergen's seven mountains and a popular trip for both locals and visitors. The walk to Ulriken is suitable for all ages and takes about 1.5 hours, with great views all the way. Have lunch at the restaurant there before you return to the base station and transfer back to your hotel.
In the evening at 6:00 PM, a boat transfer will take you to a very special seafood restaurant located on an island in the archipelago outside Bergen for a five-course metereological menu. Transfer back to the city by boat.
Overnight: Opus XVI
Day 5
Transfer to Flam, Zipline, and Bike
Start your day with breakfast before you walk down to the ferry dock for an express ferry ride along the coast and Sognefjord to Flam. This is a comfortable fjord cruise where you will see a lot of the coastal and fjord landscape, scattered villages and hamlets along the fjord, and maybe wildlife such as porpoises, seals, eagles, and seabirds. Upon arrival in Flam, you’ll have some time for exploring this little bustling village before you enter the scenic Flam Railway heading for a zipline ride.
This afternoon may rise your pulse considerably! You will be transported by the Flam Railway to Vatnahalsen, where you will take a zipline down the valley to Kardalen. On the Flam Railway, the world's steepest and most beautiful train journey, you rise from zero to 867 meters above sea level in one hour, through spectacular Flam Valley. The journey, which starts in Flam and ends in Myrdal, takes you through mighty mountains, lush nature, and rushing waterfalls with steep falls. The zipline is the longest zipline in the north at 1381 meters.
This afternoon, transfer to your hotel — 292 Aurland. This farm boutique hotel has a proud history of being a preferred and high-end fishing lodge for the British lordship.
Overnight: 292 Aurland
Day 6
Fjord Safari and Leim Goat Farm
Start the day with a 1.5-hour Fjord Safari on the UNESCO-listed Aurlandsfjord and to the great Sagfossen waterfall in the Nærøyfjord. On the way back, go ashore at the Skjerdal pier to start the hike towards Leim Mountain goat farm. The hike takes about 1.5 hours uphill, and we will be ascending the valley going up to 400 meters in altitude. During the hike you will be surrounded by breathtaking scenery, fjord views, and waterfalls.
Upon arrival, the hostess will give you a tour of the farm and show you some secrets behind making the traditional goat cheese. Relax on the farmhouse terrace, and enjoy a goat cheese tasting and delicious lunch made with local produce. Then hike back down to Skjerdal (about 30 minutes) and return to Flåm by minibus.
Please note:
- Please inform us in advance if you have any allergies or are pregnant. The cheese served at the farm is not pasteurized.
- Physical fitness is required for the uphill hike. Not recommended if you have back/knee issues, this trip is suited for those wanting an active experience.
Overnight: 292 Aurland
Day 7
Transfer to Hafslo, Bike, and Boat
Enjoy your delicious breakfast with a lot of homemade products made with ingredients from the ecological garden at 292 Aurland.
Drive 1.5 hours from Aurland to Hafslo and drop your luggage at Bestebakken Resort. You will be picked up for an e-bike ride from Hafslo to Veitastrond and further to Tungestolen cabin (32 km flat road, some shorter dark tunnels, headlights are provided). The view along the lake is fantastic, and the opportunity to see deer and eagles are relatively high during the ride. The lake itself is clear blue in springtime and changes to emerald-green during the summer, as the glacier melts into the lake. This road is very well known for the botanical diversity at the roadsides, with certain species of orchids not found anywhere else.
When you arrive Tungestolen, we recommend you buy lunch here, before you start on your way back to Veitastrond (8 km) where you will meet our guide in the RiB boat that will take you along the glacier lake back to Hafslo. During this 1.5 hour ride, your guide will tell you about the nature, fauna and everyday life now and back in the days during the trip.
Check in at Bestebakken farm resort and have a nice afternoon at this beautiful and tranquil place. Feed the alpacas who graze just beside the hotel, and relax and enjoy the view and the relaxed and cozy atmosphere. We call it “the Bestebakken feeling”. (Spa, yoga, massage is available at additional cost.)
Every room is different and with a history, yet comfortable and luxurious. You can also choose to stay in the glass cabins, where the whole front is glass (not see-through from the outside), and you can enjoy the fantastic view and the alpacas from your couch or bed. These are also equipped with kitchen and a bathroom with rain shower.
Enjoy a nice three-course dinner at the resort in the evening.
Overnight Bestebakken Resort
Day 8
Kayak and Glacier Walk on Styggevatnet Lake
This morning, your driver will pick you up at the hotel and drive to Jostedal, about 1 hour drive through a very scenic mountain valley along a mighty glacier river. Today you will explore how to kayak at a glacier lake (which is frozen 8 months a year). Styggevatnet (1,200m above sea level) is covered by snow from winter until early to mid-July.
The adventure begins as we kayak over the lake and hike atop the Austdalsbreen glacier! Starting at Styggevatnet, Jostedal, it is about one and a half hours paddling over to Austdalsbreen (glacier) with its 30m-high icefront that calves towers of ice into the lake. On the way, we’ll look for icebergs that have calved off the glacier in the days before. We'll stop for a packed lunch once we get to the glacier, enjoying the view across the front of the calving glacier.
Start the glacier hike on the blue ice at the glacier front, walking around huge crevasses toward the center of the glacier for a commanding view over the lake and the Jostedalsbreen National Park. We’ll spend about one and a half to two hours on the glacier, exploring and explaining various features of this natural marvel. After the glacier tour, we'll walk back to the kayaks for our return to "civilization." Transfer to your hotel.
Enjoy a three-course dinner at Bestebakken in the evening.
Overnight Bestebakken Resort
Day 9
Transfer over Sognefjell Alpine Plateau and Geiranger Cruise to Aalesund
After a delicious breakfast with local produce from Bestebakkens perma culture gardens and ecological farms nearby, your driver will pick you up for a very scenic drive through the Jotunheimen mountain plateau to Geiranger. This plateau contains the highest summits in Norway and is a magnificent sight. The fascinating drive takes about 4.5 hours, passing great viewpoints on the way to Geiranger.
Arriving to Geiranger, you will have time to grab some lunch and explore this bustling village before embarking on your cruise along Geirangerfjord to Aalesund. Explore three fjords included Geiranger Fjord, with great views like the Seven Sisters Waterfall and a lot of other beautiful sights before you arrive to Aalesund at 5.00 PM. Your transfer will wait for you at the harbor and take you to the Storfjord Hotel, 20 minutes from Aalesund city. It is the only five-star hotel between Bergen and Trondheim.
Storfjord Hotel is a secluded, luxury boutique hotel situated in Glomset, on a hillside overlooking the Storfjord and the Sunnmore Alps.
Behind the handcrafted log walls awaits an experience you will not find anywhere else. Take in the scent of timber, and enjoy looking at works of art and carefully selected antiques. Sit comfortably in designer furniture while drinking coffee and enjoy the magnificent view. The hotel stands on a wooded hillside that enjoys a splendid panorama of the Storfjord. While the view itself is well worth a visit, you will enjoy this beautiful haven from hectic life. Enjoy a four-course meal included in your stay!
Overnight Storfjord Hotel
Day 10
Private Wildlife Safari by Boat
This morning, your driver will pick you up and drive you to the Aalesund city center where you will join your private wildlife safari on a RIB boat. With puffins, seals, whales, and more wonderfully strange ocean wildlife than your imagination can muster, the outer islands of Sunnmore provide some of the most uniquely wild ocean experiences of the Nordic Seas.
Near Aalesund, amongst the string of islands that spreads outwards towards the ocean, there is a wealth of outstanding ocean wildlife and natural landscapes to discover and explore. Embark on an unforgettable journey of discovery of the remote Norwegian outer islands with all the varied and unique ocean species that call it home. The two-hour tour is done by RIB, departing from Aalesund city centre.
Afterwards, you may want to explore the beautiful Art Noveau city center of Aalesund with its picturesque buildings and narrow channels. Enjoy the short hike and beautiful views of Aksla Mountain, located in the midst of the city.
Transfer back to Storfjord for a four-course dinner this evening.
Overnight Storfjord Hotel
Day 11
Private transfer to Aalesund airport, Flight home
Enjoy your breakfast, and relax in the beautiful surroundings of Storfjord Hotel before your private driver picks you up for the transfer to Aalesund airport for your flight home.
