Norway Road Trip 2024
The story of this road trip goes back to 2020 when my girlfriend and I were planning to go to Puerto Rico and Panama for a three-week adventure, but spoiler alert: the pandemic kind of put a stop to that and we got a gift certificate for the travel agency which was about to expire and since we now live in Gothenburg, Sweden, we decided to take a road trip to Norway and use the gift card for accommodation. So in May we took off towards our first stop, Kristiansand.
Kristiansand Domkirke
Flowers in Kristiansand Domkirke square
We stayed in Kristiansand for one night, so we didn’t get a deep dive, but it seemed like a quaint seaside town. I even got a feeling that it might be a nice place to live, based on nothing in particular. A very pleasant vibe overall. But, Kristiansand was mostly a rest stop to take a brake from the driving. So next stop: Byrkjedal
Aerial photo of Byrkjedal
The drive to Byrkjedal was very pleasant, I was really surprised positively by the epic sceneries. I was unpleasantly surprised by the lack of scenic spots where you could easily park and enjoy the views and take pictures. In New Zealand, they had a TON of fantastic rest spots with epic views and parking space. And there were great signs so it was easy to spot them. Not the case in Norway, it was easy to miss the few scenic spots that were there.
One of the scenic rest spots we were able to find.
Nice reflections on a hidden beach
Aerial shot of the Byrkjedal region
Our first physical activity was a small hike to Månafossen. Månafossen is a nice waterfall a very short hike away from the parking area. You can hike even further to Mån which is also nice, but at least the waterfall is definitely worth it. The hike itself is not super challenging, but you do need to use some chain railings to pull yourself up and keep you from falling. These railings are along most of the trail.
Månafossen waterfall
Månafossen waterfall
Månafossen waterfall
Hike to Mån
The following day after the mini hike to Månafossen and Mån, it was time for the main event: Preikestolen. We arrived to the area slightly later in the afternoon, and we were unsure if it was “worth it” going that late in the day, but it was actually a good decision. There were a lot of people walking down when we were going up, so at the end there were very few people there. So I recommend going in May to be ahead of the crowds.
Hike to Preikestolen
The hike itself is intermediate in difficulty I’d say. There are some high steps you need to take, but you don’t need to rely on chains etc. for support like at Månafossen. The length is 8km, it took us 2hrs going up and maybe 1.5hrs going down. And we are not pro hikers or anything, I was actually slightly ill in retrospect. But the views from the pulpit rock are quite something.
View from Preikestolen
View from Preikestolen
View from Preikestolen
Local fauna at Preikestolen
For the Preikestolen portion of the trip we were staying in Jørpeland and the following morning there was very nice and moody mist in the area, and I simply had to go out and shoot a bit, including with the drone. Some shots here.
Aerial shot of the Jørpeland area
Moody morning in Jørpeland
Aerial shot of Jørpeland
Rapids in the Jørpeland region
Moody morning in Liarvatnet
Local flora in Liarvatnet
Local flora in Liarvatnet