During my very short trip to Norway in May 2017, I hiked twice with my friends – once at Mt Ulriken in Bergen, while the other (Preikestolen aka Pulpit Rock in Stavanger) was planned ahead. Very glad we hiked! Norway is beyond beautiful. Honestly, I’ve never seen so much gorgeousness in the wild lands of a country before.
Here’s some photos to inspire you to hike in beautiful Norway!
Mt Fløyen, Bergen
We took the tram (called Fløibanen funicular) up and down due to time constraints, after waiting for a very late sunset. You can take the tram up to the peak, then hike down if you’ll like.
Mt Ulriken, Bergen
Bergen is surrounded by 7 mountains, and Mt Ulriken is the highest. We took a cable-car up and hiked down. It was a tough hike for us girls – plenty of rocks and I wasn’t wearing the right shoes. You can see that I definitely underestimated how much it’ll take to hike down Mt Ulriken! Partly because we didn’t do any research at all, and I’d hiked easier places like Mt Takao in Tokyo. It took us almost 3 hours to get from the top to bottom, including time taken losing our way trying to find the signposts, and finally deciding on following a trail where there were people hiking. It turned out to be a more difficult trail than our originally planned one, but at least we made it safely to the base.
| Read my post on hiking Pulpit Rock! |
Hiking down Mt Ulriken made me realize that hiking downwards is not always easier than hiking upwards – I could barely feel my knees at the end of the hike. All I could think of was to not lose my footing walking down those rocks, and also calling out for the Singapore food I wished I could eat at that time, whahaha. So much for practising #mindfulness.
This hike is VERY photogenic. I didn’t take a lot of photos mainly because I kept away my camera for its safety, and my awesome friend had my bag with him so as to lighten my load. Thanks so much, Beng!
Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), Stavanger
We actually made a special trip to Stavanger from Bergen, just for this hike. Preikestolen is often categorized as an “easy hike”, but it’s not exactly the easiest hike if you’re doing it solo, and/or happen to have short legs like me. Thankfully, my friends did it with me and gave me a helping hand whenever I needed an extra shove/push/hold lolll. You’ll survive. Preikestolen is very popular a hike, mainly because of how amazing Pulpit Rock looks in photos on social media. In clear weather, you get a SPLENDID view over Lysefjord. Was very thankful the weather held up for us! It started raining after we left the hiking trail.
A few quick tips about hiking in Norway!
A few quick tips about hiking in Norway!- There are seasons for hiking in Norway due to the weather. In winter, there’ll be snow, so it can get dangerous if you’re not careful or properly equipped. Generally, the months from May to September are good for hiking in Norway. Read more tips from this blogger (Sebastian Canaves) here!
- Weather can change very fast – check the weather forecast often, right up the night before your hike and adjust your plans accordingly.
- Wear good shoes – at least track shoes or hiking shoes. (Read my horror story of hiking Mt Batur in Bali with old sneakers!)
- For short hikes that can be completed within the day, always have snacks and water with you. For longer hikes, of course you’ll need to be even more prepared.
- Drink water in moderation because it’s nature – toilets are limited or inexistent! There are NO toilets up at Preikestolen, only at the base of the mountain.
| Read my post on hiking Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen), also in Norway! |
Are you inspired to hike in Norway? Or where have you hiked in Norway?
