Trolltunga

Trolltunga Hike in Norway

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Trolltunga hike is both the most demanding and the most beautiful of all of the hikes I have experienced. It is exhausting, long, and jaw-droppingly beautiful. The Troll’s tongue – a piece of stone in Norway’s mountains that overlooks a steep fall to a lake – is one of the most famous views of the country. And it is located not far from one of the most beautiful cities in Norway – Odda.

The hike to Trolltunga is around 23 kilometers long if you count going to the famous cliff and back. The steepest and hardest part is the beginning. Now there is a new wide road created that makes the climb easier, but it is still demanding for less fit people.

Hiking is one of many reasons to visit Norway, and the Trolltunga hike just might be one of the most impressive hikes in the country.

Trolltunga hike – climbing up

Going to Trolltunga offers quite different landscapes along the way. At the starting point in July, there is summer. It’s hot, green, and lively. As you climb up, the green plants get smaller and smaller, until there is only moss around. And there are a lot of different stones – big, small, round, squared. At one point there are even fields of snow.

Trolltunga looks amazing. The feeling here is that you are closer to the sky. Mountains, water, and clouds make different layers and the view gives a zoomed-out feeling, that humans are irrelevant tiny parts of this magnificent place.

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I thought that it would be scary to take a photo by standing on a cliff with a fall of a few hundred meters until the water flowing below. But in reality, the stone is quite big and not really slippery. If you don’t intentionally look below, it is not that scary.

Trolltunga camping guide

It is possible to extend the Trolltunga hile to be longer than one day by bringing tents with you. People are building tents near the Trolltunga of a few kilometers before it. As the surroundings of Trlootunga were quite stony, my group chose to build our camp at the 8th kilometer from the beginning of the hike.

There is a soft moss and an amazing view to wake up to. Another bonus is the water springs. This means that it is not necessary to carry all of the water needed for the whole hike with you, as you can take the water from the springs. If you want to make sure that the water is really clear, you can use filters.

Another reason for choosing the place further away from the Trolltunga is that the weather was better there. It was about +3 degrees Celsius at night still, but there was a lot less wind. It is important to have a proper sleeping mattress, sleeping bag, and tent for not to freeze during the cold nights in the mountains.

There is one more bonus for those who choose to stay for the night in the mountains. As you will be making just half of the hike on the first day, you can start climbing up the mountains later in the day. So when you will reach Trolltunga, there will be lesser people there, and the queue to take pictures will be shorter. The crowds of other hikers take a bit of magic away from the places that they visit.

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Trolltunga hike – going down

Hiking back to the starting point is a breeze compared to going up to Trolltunga. What surprised me on my way was that the landscapes were looking different than when I went up. It was the same path that I had walked the day before, but I still tried to soak in all of the surrounding views.

It was fun to play in the snow on a sunny day. It felt warm outside and was July, so the snow was an unusual occurrence.

On my way down I was happy that I had brought my hiking poles with me, as my knees were surprised about the pressure that I had put on them. In my everyday life, my legs don’t experience carrying my body and an additional backpack for hours down a mountain.

Here is much more detailed guide about the hike to Trolltunga if you wish to know more about it.

Trolltunga hike packing checklist

A good backpack is one of the best investments in your travel inventory. My backpack is Osprey Sirrus 36 liters Women, and I’m quite happy with it. The main features that I enjoy:

  • It is the right size for my needs. I can use it for a 2 week trip to Bali or a two-day hike in Norwegian mountains.
  • It has different straps for a better fit, and the hip belt is the best. I can carry most of the bag’s weight on my hips and not feel it on my shoulders.
  • The bag is water-resistant and has a waterproof cover, so my things in the bag have never been damaged by water.
  • It has two ways of accessing the main compartment, so the stuff in it is easily accessible during trips – it opens similarly to a suitcase.
  • It is the size of carry-on luggage in planes, so no additional baggage fees.
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When you have a backpack, you need to pack it accordingly to your planned hike. If you are going for two days and staying in a tent for a night, a tent, sleeping mattress, and sleeping bag will take at least half of the space in your bag.

Other things you should consider packing:

  • An outfit in layers – so that you could peel off wind- and waterproof jacket when it gets hotter;
  • Good hiking boots;
  • Walking sticks to relieve the pressure from your knees;
  • Food and water for the time you will spend on the mountain;
  • Check out other useful hiking items that people tend to forget to take on a hike!

Trolltunga guided tour

There are many offers to do this hike together with an experienced guide. If you are not an experienced hiker, you should consider a guided hike. Guides could help if something happens during a hike, and give more detailed information about the surroundings. With a guided tour you can experience Trolltunga at the lesser crowded periods of the day – sunset or sunrise – as the tour includes staying for the night in the mountains.

Guided tours

Check out these tours, if you don’t want to organize the hike just by yourself:

Your turn

Have you ever tried to go on a longer hike? Would you accept the challenge of not only going up to Trolltunga but sleeping a night near it in a tent?

4 thoughts on “Trolltunga Hike in Norway”

  1. THESE VIEWS! I’m just obsessed! I wish I was in shape and I could do this (I also wish I was in Norway lol!) I’m totally adding this to my bucket list! You’re just so brave that you did that…

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