Hike, Kayak and Wild Camp the Norwegian Fjords

To maximise convenience we include as much of your travel and logistics in this package, so you just need to turn up and play. In this trip:

• One night in local accommodation in Voss or Bergen. (4 per en-suite room)
• Camp under the stars on Day 2 and Day 3
• Breakfast and lunch on Day 2, 3 and 4
• Fjord side campfire and BBQ on Day 2 and Day 3 - all beer and drinks are included.
• Kayak equipment and guide
• Camping equipment and sleeping bag/mat
• Return airport transfers from Bergen

You’ll need to book flights to Bergen and insurance. Only other costs will be dinner in a local restaurant on the first night, and any other spending money.

You really do not need any kayaking experience. Your guide will give you full instructions and a safety briefing at the start. You’ll just need reasonable levels of fitness to handle approx 25km of relaxed paddling over two days, a day of hiking and be up for camping out overnight.

The hike is not for beginners and is very challenging, particularly if it is or has been wet. We would only recommend this hike if you are an active person with hiking experience. It just takes a bit of time getting up the steep section but don’t worry, it’s no race to the top.

The route is about 12km each way, making a total hike of 24 km. The elevation is sea level to 3,500 feet and quite steep in places. The hike is about 8 to 11 hours return, with an awesome view from the ridge at the top to the fjord below.

One of the most beautiful places in the world. A fjord is a deep, narrow and elongated part of the sea, that stretches inland for miles, winding around mountains, valleys, and steep cliffs. The fjords were formed by the giant glacier tongues and shaped over several ice ages.

This weekend adventure can start on either Thursday or Friday. Please note the different airport transfer options on the two days.

Sure can! This is a great trip for meeting new people. The trips run in groups of approx 8 people each. We do need 8 people to guarantee the trip will run though, so we’ll confirm this during booking.

Our Epic Weekends are very social in nature and we’ve seen lots of new friendships born out of them. Expect a mix of like-minded solo travellers and very small groups of 2 or 3, all with a shared appreciation of escaping the city for the great outdoors to try something new and meet new people.

Yup! The following equipment is supplied on the tour:

• Sea Kayak
• Paddle
• Bilge pump
• Mesh bag for personal gear transport/storage
• Neoprene booties
• Long John wetsuit
• Spray deck
• Paddle jacket with a hood and reflective striping - or you are welcome to use your own jacket if you prefer
• Life jacket
• Dry bag, one per person plus plastic bags for packing up extra gear
• Waterproof Peli-case for your camera – many sizes available
• Tents
• Sleeping bag + roll matt (bring your own if you prefer).
• All cooking gear, plates, cups etc.

To help you pack, here are a few suggested items:

• Rain jacket with hood
• Warm clothes for evenings camping - warm jacket, long pants, fleece, extra socks, a set of base layers (trousers and top).
• Small travel towel
• Cap and a beanie
• Sunglasses (with retainer strap)
• Sun lotion
• Refillable water bottle
• Personal snacks
• Thin gloves (protect from blisters)
• Toiletry items, personal medication
• Camera. Waterproof boxes provided!
• Antihistamines/bite relief if you are allergic to insect bites
• Liner for your sleeping bag
• Flip Flops (for camp site if your hiking boots get wet)
• Torch or headtorch.

For the day hiking:

• Small (15-20l) day rucksack
• Good quality (and ideally worn in) hiking shoes or low ankle support boots. Goretex or waterproof shoes are recommended as you’ll be traipsing through streams and muddy patches
• Rainproof and weatherproof outdoor clothing
• Gators if you have them
• Any personal items (small toilet bag, favourite snacks etc)

When you arrive you’ll put your stuff into a combination of dry bags (22l) and plastic bags for the trip, leaving your suitcases/bags with anything you don’t need in a secure locker at the base. Your guides are experts in packing kayaks and will help you pack your kayak efficiently to use up as much space available as possible.

There are a plenty of kayaks available for you to use with a mix of single and doubles available depending on your preference.

The weather in summer is very comfortable for kayaking and camping, with temperatures at 15-20 degrees Celsius, sometimes more. It can get chilly at night so a warm jumper and some thermals are vital. This time of year daylight in Norway is constant with only 2–3 hours of darkness in the evenings.

We recommend joining this trip in July and August for the warmest temperatures, but it’s great all summer.

The portions are more than generous, all the food is fresh and any dietary requirements can be met - just tell us your preferences when you book. Dinner and breakfast is prepared by your guide over a campfire, the menu will vary but you can expect things like rice and pasta with fresh vegetables, egg, bacon and sausages. There is also bread and sandwich filler for lunch breaks. Water, tea and coffee are also readily available as well as beer for the evenings.

Absolutely. Just let us know about your catering preferences when you confirm your booking to ensure any dietary requirements are met.

Yes - when you arrive at the base you’ll be asked to transfer anything you need for the trip into drybags to take with you. You can leave anything you don’t need behind to be safely secured in a locker which you’ll collect again at the end of the trip.

You will be sleeping in 2-man tents on this experience. These will be stored in dry bags on your kayak while you’re out on the Fjord. If you’re a solo traveller (great!) and wish to have your own tent, then please request in advance so your guides know how many tents to pack. If you are a solo traveller who has not requested your own tent, you may have to share a tent with another member of the same sex in the group.

If you’re looking to make the most of your weekend away, why not arrive early and explore Bergen? Buses to/from the airport run every 15 minutes, and cost roughly £9 each way, while a taxi can be booked for between £35-£55, depending on traffic.

Known as the gateway to the Fjords, Bergen is a UNESCO World Heritage City as well as a European City of Culture, so there is plenty to see and do. Spend Friday afternoon exploring its many sites then head down to the train station to make your own way to Voss. Trains run regularly throughout the day and don’t need to be booked in advance, with a single ticket to Voss costing roughly £20. It’s also 45 minutes faster than the included transfer and is one of the most spectacular journeys you can take by rail. For the return, make your life easy by jumping on the already included transfers to Bergen Airport.

Your local host will confirm your accommodation allocation 10 days before departure.

Unfortunately it is not possible to arrange pick ups or drop offs from Bergen or Voss centres due to the tight transfer schedule.

Start point?
You will be met at Bergen Airport and transferred to your hostel accommodation for the evening.

Here’s your transfer options:
Thursday - Sunday trip:

• 14:00-14:30 (to Voss).

Friday - Monday trip:

Your local hosts run two transfers for this trip:

• 14.00 - 14:30 (to Voss).
• 00:00 - 00:30 (to Bergen).

Finish point?
Your trip will end at Bergen Airport in time to catch the 19:10 Norwegian Air Shuttle flight to Gatwick. For other options, you are free to book any flight that departs after 19:00. Your host will be in touch before the trip to finalise details.

Getting there and away?
Bergen Airport, Flesland (BGO) is served by British Airways, Loganair, Norwegian Air Shuttle, and Scandinavian Airlines. Your pickup and drop-off times are scheduled to coincide with specific flights from Gatwick, but you may arrive on a different flight as long as you’re able to meet your host at the designated transfer time.

Travel FAQs

• The flight arriving at 23:40 from London Gatwick is often delayed, but your transfer will still be waiting for you.

• If you’re thinking of arriving/departing via Oslo, Voss can also be reached via a direct train from the capital.

• On some peak season weekends your local hosts may be unable to have accommodation options in both Bergen and Voss and you’ll therefore stay at one or the other - this will be confirmed with you before departure.

We’ve teamed up with the guys at World Nomads to offer insurance designed for adventurous travellers across 140 countries that includes overseas medical, evacuation, baggage and a range of adventure sports and activities. To get yours sorted, click here.

There should be no problem with staying back at camp during the hiking day for someone not wanting to hike. It may also be possible to just come along for the first part of the hike and then return to the camp, this does depend on where the group is actually camped as this may affect options. Alternatively, you could consider booking the Kayak and Wildcamp Norwegian Fjords trip instead.

All dates with ‘Guaranteed’ by the Book button under Dates and Prices are set to run, meaning you can book your flights as soon as you’ve paid your deposit and had a booking confirmation email. All places for this trip have sold out over the last two seasons, so we recommend you book early to secure your spots and avoid disappointment.

Weekend flights will always be more expensive than mid-week options. If you’ve got holiday to use and want to get the most for your money, arriving a day or two before, or departing a day or two later, can save you some money.

For example, Tuesday morning flights back to London are cheaper than Sunday evening and Monday morning flights. You can use the cash you save on the flight ticket on a night’s accommodation in Bergen and spend some time exploring this European city of culture.

*Note: The return airport transfer can only stop at Bergen Airport, however there are buses that run every 10 minutes, a tram line and taxi’s all available from the airport - all of which accept card payments.

Due to large annual events in Voss it is not possible to arrange accommodation on certain dates. Anyone booked onto these dates will stay in Bergen and be transferred to Voss on the morning of day 2.

From Bergen Flesland airport leave through the arrival doors and you will have 2 options:

A) The Flybussen - airport shuttle bus to Bergen. Ask for tickets to the bus station and for the driver to announce when you get there - they do anyway, but just to be sure:)

Their web site is the following (select the English tab on the top right of the screen):

https://www.flybussen.no/?dir=to B) The Bybanen (city light railway). Buy a ticket from the ticket machine, cash or credit card, and the stop you will want is Bystasjonen (city bus station), same as the Flybussen. This is about half the price of the Flybussen, about NOK 40,-, but takes 20 minutes longer. Their web site is the following https://www.skyss.no/en/timetable-and-maps/bergen-light-rail/ From the Flybussen drop off at the bus station you will be by a car park - walk through the car park and keep walking (about 300 yards), past a shopping mall on your left (Storsenter) until you get to a road with a tram line. Cross the road and enter the building on the other side - the train station.

From the Bybabnen stop walk towards the Storsenter and then, with the Storsenter on your left until you get to a road with a tram line. Cross the road and enter the building on the other side - the train station.

Take the train to Voss - the Oslo train will also be OK but you will have to remember to get off at Voss. You can buy tickets at the ticket office up until 5.30 pm, or from ticket machines, selecting the English language option. Easier than the machines in England as fewer stations. If you want to check the timetable please click on the following and select the English language option - you can also book online from this link:

www.nsb.no.

Voss Hostel is a 12 minute walk from the station. Head out of the main station and turn right on the road. Follow the road until just before the roundabout (about 750m) then take the left turning, following the road for 200m more - straight to the hostel.

We can recommend the following from budget to high price. There are many other hotels however these are selected for their convenience and / or from experience:

Accommodation in Voss

Voss Hostel - great prices for individuals, couples or large groups. www.vosshostel.com Voss Camping Cabins - ideal for small groups of 3 to 4 - http://vosscamping.no/en/ Store Ringheim Hotel - Perfect for cozy traditional rooms and great food - https://storeringheim.no/en/ Accommodation in Bergen

Montana Hostel, Bergen - great prices for individuals, couples or large groups - http://www.montana.no/en/ Grand Terminus Hotel - Older style but right next to train station - https://www.grandterminus.no/en/ Thon Bristol Hotel, Bergen - great central city location for sight seeing and night life - https://www.thonhotels.no/hotels/norge/bergen/thon-hotel-bristol-bergen/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=infoboks&utm_campaign=GMB

First Marin Hotel, central city - great central city location for sight seeing and night life https://www.firsthotels.com/hotels/norway/bergen/first-hotel-marin/

The best way to meet us is to take the train from Oslo centre to Voss (not Bergen), and then head to Voss Hostel. See the FAQ how to get to Voss hostel from the airport and just follow the directions from Voss station to the hostel. The train journey takes about 6.5 hours and goes through some amazing scenery.