Aurlandsdalen is also known as the Grand Canyon of Norway. Thousands of years ago, the valley in Aurland was carved out by a glacier. The valley runs from Geiteryggen to Vassbygdi and stretches over 40 kilometers. Today it’s one of the better-known tourist hiking routes in Norway. Especially the section from Geiteryggen to Aurlandsvangen, near the Aurlandsfjord, is popular. Aurlandsdalen combines the natural beauty of rolling mountainsides with a great variety of plant species and minerals.
Biodiversity in Aurland
A river runs through the valley, finding its way down through various lakes, waterfalls and streams. The upper part of the river is called Stemberdøla, and on the lowest part the water is called Aurlandselvi. The route from Aurland to Hol was the fastest route from western to eastern Norway, and for hundreds of years it served as an important cattle and trade route for many Norwegians. Nowadays you can go on beautiful hikes through this diverse valley. You can even spend the night in the mountain huts you come across along the way! Would you rather do a day hike? Then you can cross the valley and take the bus back from your final destination. Each section of Aurlandsdalen has its own hiking route, ranging from 3 to 6 hours.
How do you get to Aurlandsdalen?
You can navigate to Østerbø turisthytte AS (NOTE: there’s also a village with that name that’s somewhere else completely. So it really has to be that location in Aurland). From Hagefoss (our starting point), turn left and follow the signs for Aurland along the Holsfjordwegen until the turnoff. At the turnoff (after 65 km) you’ll see a turn to the right with Østerbø on the sign. That’s the one you need! At the end of the road you’ll find the Østerbø turisthytte AS where you can park and, if you like, also spend the night!
From Østerbø to Vassbygdi
We chose the best-known route, Østerbø – Vassbygdi. This hike was supposed to be 20 kilometers long and take about 6 hours. The route would take us through the famous Nesbøgalden, past Nesbø and its neighboring lake, over streams, past rapids and through meadows until, at ‘the’ fork, we would take the lower route. After all, the upper route had been destroyed by landslides. That way we would eventually end up at the beautiful Vetlahelvete cave, a special pothole with iron-rich water. After that you can cross the Veiverdalselvi river and walk past the Sinjarheim farm and the Belle river to Vassbygdi. This hike is also described as the most ideal route for walking through the beautiful Aurlandsdalen!
The famous Nesbøgalden
Because we set off on the late side, (after all, we still had quite a bit of road-tripping to do that morning) we decided to hike to about halfway and turn back. Even though that meant we would miss the beautiful cave and the exciting bridge. This way we could avoid reaching the end point at a time when the buses had stopped running. Because then 20 kilometers back to the car suddenly becomes a very long walk!
Below you can see the famous Nesbøgalden, one of the first wow moments of the hike. Before 1930, wooden ladders hung here along the mountainside so you could climb down this part toward the valley. When it was decided to move cattle along this route, this path was literally blasted into the mountainside with explosives.
The many surprises of Aurlandsdalen
Around every bend a new surprise was waiting for us. From hills and vast lakes to fields of flowers and abandoned cottages, and from cute little streams to patches of forest that felt almost like jungle.
A maze of hiking trails
Aurlandsdalen never stops amazing you. Usually in a very special way, but sometimes in a frightening one too. It’s easy to get lost in this area, so you’d be wise not to stray from the path and to pay close attention to the signs. It’s also very treacherous hiking, because there are several routes that can end up being longer than planned! So make sure you’re well prepared when you set out and know exactly which route you want to hike.
A trail of nature’s violence
After a surprising hike of about 2.5 hours, we came to this stretch of trail. The original path had clearly been wiped out by the forces of nature. When we looked down, we immediately saw what had caused it. A gigantic piece of mountain had come crashing down, bringing a whole lot of rock and destruction with it. To give you an idea of the size of the piece of mountain that broke off, see Bart-Jan below next to part of the culprit (the other part had broken off and was lying deeper down in the gorge, half in the water).
When we looked up, we could see exactly where the piece of rock had come from. It looked like it hadn’t happened all that long ago. What I found really fascinating were the almost silver fragments lying everywhere. It looked like stone, but when you picked it up and squeezed it, it sort of burst apart. You could pick it apart layer by layer, as if it were rotted wood that had been pressed together over the centuries. So special!
I tried really hard to make sure the photo below didn’t look photoshopped, but it’s impossible. Because of the texture of the mountainside this photo looks fake, but believe me.. It isn’t! Here you can also clearly see the silver shards I described earlier.
A wise decision
It was super hot that day and it was hard to tell how far we had already walked. After a long break at this super interesting ‘crime scene’, we decided to turn back. We absolutely didn’t mind walking the route past refreshing lakes, streams and waterfalls one more time, so we still don’t regret our choice. Just look at the contrast between the photo below and the one above!
On the way back we passed Nesbø(vatnet) once more, maybe the most photogenic part of all of Aurlandsdalen. Just before the parking lot, we decided to sit down in the grass for a while and take in our surroundings. Because this valley is so beautiful! You hear the water of the Aurlandsvatnet gently lapping, the waterfalls crashing down in the distance, a bird whistling here and there and apart from that absolutely nothing. The silence almost radiates off the photos. Wonderful!
This hike is one of the most beautiful we’ve ever done and it’s definitely in our top 10 most beautiful hikes in Norway. We would definitely love to do it again! What’s your most beautiful hike?
Personal travel advice
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