The Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord is perhaps the world´s most famous fjord; whether or not it is the most beautiful is something you must decide for yourself.
Geiranger and it´s fjord are examples of Mother Earth at her most beautiful and impressive. Today the Geirangerfjord is the second most important cruise destination in Norway, with well over a hundred ships calling in the summer as well as the Coastal Steamer (Hurtigruten).
The Flydalsjuvet gorge, the Eagle road (Ørneveien) has 11 hairpin bends are an important ingredient on this easy tour, the Dalsnibba mountain (1.500 m.a.s), view of the Pulpit Rock, the Geirangerfjord with it´s Seven Sisters (De Syv Søstre) waterfalls.
Excellent spot for watching cruise ships enter the fjord and the Friar waterfall (Suiter) and the fjord farms are all growing attractions.
Standing on the deck of the boat and feeling the spray of the water from these waterfalls is a unique experience. The tallest of these has a free fall of 250 metres. Behind Storfossen waterfall there is a great view, walk for about 60 minutes on a good path from Vesterås farm. Suitable for all ages, but good foot wear is necessary.
Geiranger and the Geirangerfjord is visited by about 700.000 tourists in the summer. The arduous life lived by this close-knit community is in great contrast to our modern lifestyle. On behalf of Geiranger´s 300 permanent residents, we would like to wish you a memorable stay.
Tourists have been overwhelmed by the beauty of this region since the arrival of the first cruise ship in 1869. In Geiranger, you will quite literally become part of nature. You will feel the spray from the waterfalls, you can visit the farms along the fjord and reach the 1,500 metres high Dalsnibba in 45 minutes.
HELLESYLT
In the older days Hellesylt was called Lake Møre. The village Hellesylt is the parish that features in the famous play Brand by Henrik Ibsen.
The play ends when the main character, the priest Brand, falls and favour with the village people and is driven from the parish. Inexperienced as he is with the natural conditions in this area, he ends his days in the great snowdrift that covers the Steimsnibba mountains every year.
Hellesylt Waterfall
Hellesylt is a small village and lies at the head of the Sunnylvsfjord, which is a branch of the Storfjord, and which the more famous Geirangefjord in turn branches off nearby. In the summertime, thousands of tourists travel through or stay in Hellesylt each day. Most of them take the ferry to Geiranger, which in high season runs every one and a half hours. The village is surrounded by mountains and valleys. The standard of living is said to be one of the best in Norway. The Sunnylven church is located in Hellesylt.
Hellesylt Waterfall is one of the most photographed waterfall in this area. The falls divide Hellesylt in two, providing the little settlement with a special atmosphere. Hellesylt is under constant threat from the mountain Åkerneset, which is about to erode into the Sunnylvsfjord. A collapse could cause a tsunami destroying most of downtown Hellesylt.
The Seven Sisters (De Syv Søstre) Waterfalls
The Seven Sisters (Knivsflåfossen) is the 39th tallest waterfall in Norway. The waterfall consists of seven separate streams, and it is located along the Geirangefjord. The tallest of these has a free fall of 250 metres. Standing on the deck of the boat and feeling the spray of the water from these waterfalls is a unique experience. The waterfall is located just south of the historic Knivsflå farm, across the fjord from the old Skageflå farm. The falls are about 6.5 kilometres west of the village of Geiranger.
The tallest of the seven has a free fall that measures 250 metres. The legend of the seven sisters is that they dance playfully down the mountain, while a single waterfall opposite the seven sisters (known as the Friaren, a male onlooker) flirts playfully from across the fjord.
Friaren Waterfall
According to the legend, Friaren Waterfall wooed De Syv Søstre Waterfalls on the other side of the fjord. Friarfossen Waterfall, Goatfossen Waterfall or Skageflåfossen Waterfall, is the 58th highest waterfall in Norway on the basis of total losses. The waterfall is sometimes referred to by an elevation of 440 meters, but the falls are no higher than about 275 meters. The fjord sightseeing cruise passes close to Friaren.
FARMS ALONG THE FJORD
These farms are a testament both to man´s ability to survive and to how a common destiny creates a sense of unity through thick and thin. History tells us of children and animals being tethered so they didn´t fall over precipices. Of walking several miles to fetch the midwife or doctor. And of men blocking the paths when the tax man came. The last farm was vacated as recently as 1961.
Blomberg mountain farm is reached via a steep path from the fjord. For those prepared for a little exertion, this walk is highly recommended. Up in the mountains, across the gorge behind the Friarfossen waterfall on the Geirangerfjord, lies the mountain farm of Skageflå. Skageflå lies approx. 250 metres above the fjord.
On dark nights the Jotuns tramp their way along the mountainside and stop at this gorge. The Jotuns are some of the biggest trolls in Norway, taller than houses and just as wide! At this point the gorge is narrow enough to allow them to jump across with much shouting and bawling and helping each other. It was a horrible sight that frightened people and animals in the mountain pastures and at the Skageflå farm.
But for the thousands of years the river worked on the rock a bridge arrived! The bridge is a great blessing for the farm. Now the Jotuns plod peacefully across the bridge without disturbing anyone. Moderately fit people can reach it on a good mountain path from Homlong.