A Norwegian fjords cruise is a learning experience – with Norway full of surprises.
The fjords are best seen in a small boat
The lower to the water you are, the more spectacular the fjords appear to be. Head out on a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat), and you’ll bounce off the water, craning your neck upwards at the mountains that rise deep out of the fjords. RIB tours are available along the Geraingerfjord, and many other popular fjord ports. And, if you can do it in a kayak, even better.
The mountains are as stunning as the fjords
It may be the fjords that you’ve come to Western Norway for, but it’s not all about the views from the water. Head inland from the popular cruise port of Alesund, and you’ll soon find yourself climbing past thundering waterfalls up to a remarkable barren plateau, where rocks cover the ground and mountain peaks soar up in any direction you care to look. Then it’s a case of looking over the edge, and finding the Trollstigen – one of the most absurdly wonderful roads on earth. With 17 hairpins, it zigzags downwards, back and forth over a cascading waterfall. The drive is not for the faint-hearted, although tour bus drivers seem to manage it with insouciant ease.
Trollstigen tours are available from Alesund.
So is the coast
Not all of the Norwegian coast is broken by photogenic fjords. But that doesn’t make the non-fjordy bits boring. Norway’s coastline is hardly ever meek, timid or flat – it’s almost always fearsome, jagged mountains all the way – like giant Narnian toblerone. Just watching it go on relentlessly as you sail past is unexpectedly gripping.
It’s not always cold
We came with jackets, jumpers and umbrellas. Yet Stavanger – in the south of Norway – felt like it may as well have been the Costa Del Sol. Bright August sunshine meant not packing any sun cream was a bit of a silly mistake. It got cooler going north, but even at the North Cape it would have been easy enough to go out just in a T-shirt. Obviously, Norway’s not always going to be toasty, but the Gulf Stream does make things less chilly than you might think.
For Stavanger tour options, hunt here.
The wildlife isn’t quite as you imagine
I instantly associate the Arctic with polar bears. But while they do live in Norway, they’re on the Svalbard archipelago a long way to the north. They don’t hang out on the mainland. However, there are plenty of reindeer, strutting on the hillsides near the North Cape.
The Lofoten Islands, meanwhile, are teeming with birdlife. Whales and orcas occasionally dip into the fjords and from Honningsvag it’s possible to head out on a small boat and check the traps set for king crabs. The latter have made their way along the coast after being introduced to Russia by scientists. They’re humungous and, if you want to keep your fingers, keep them away from the big claws.
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More Norway travel
- Whitewater rafting on the Strandaelva from Voss.
