Odda Norway Hardangerfjord
Norway
9
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Frequently Asked Questions
Through the Hardangerfjord, then into its narrowest arm, the Sorfjorden, lined with terraced orchards and walls climbing toward the snows. Some forty kilometres of that corridor pass before the town appears, wedged between water and mountain.
No, and that is what makes it interesting. In the early 20th century the power of the surrounding waterfalls drew industry: foundries and chimneys turned a farming village into a workers' town. That industrial memory is still legible in the architecture of the centre.
No. The full hike takes a demanding full day of walking, often around ten hours, and does not fit a ship's schedule. You are more likely to pass walkers coming back, packs on and smiling with exhaustion.
The troll's tongue, a rock shelf jutting above Lake Ringedalsvatnet, now one of the most widely circulated images of Norway. Simply knowing it is hidden up there gives the call its flavour of adventure.
Yes, the Buarbreen, at the end of a narrow road running up into the Buer valley. A trail then leads toward the glacier front; the first stretch, along the milky river, stays within reach of decent walkers.
The best known of the waterfalls on the road south of Odda: it throws its twin arms down beneath an old stone bridge. Excursions stop for the photograph, spray guaranteed on meltwater days.
Apple, cherry and plum trees, thriving in the fjord's microclimate. The region produces juices and ciders that can be tasted at farms and shops. The meeting of fruit and glacier sums this valley up.
The centre is easily walked from the berth: the shoreline promenade, the old foundry buildings converted into cultural venues, a cafe on the main street among the hikers, and a Hardanger apple juice or cider made a few kilometres away.
Few Norwegian calls offer one as dramatic. The fjord closes slowly behind the ship and the town reveals itself only at the last moment. On departure the top deck fills up: everyone wants one more look at the orchards, the falls and the Folgefonna ridges in evening light.
Anyone who prefers rough to polished. Travellers who love the picture-perfect Norway will find something rawer and truer here — a workers' town guarded by ice — and it is often that memory which lasts. The currency is the Norwegian krone (NOK).
