Exotic travelling in Norway

During last year's trip in Norway we first went to Uvdal in the county Buskerud located in Southern Norway. Our goal was to visit Langedrag Wilderness Park, which has been featured in a popular television series. Langedrag is totally different from other zoos, because the animals can move around in large fields and the park is surrounded by beautiful nature.

The lynx is the most exotic animal at Langedrag, which we saw up close last year. The ten, eleven, and fourteen year old children were more interested in petting the domestic animals. The animals at Langedrag must be the most spoiled animals in the world!

We stayed at Uvdal Hostel, which is an old county sheriff house where room number 1 was used as a prison cell during the 19th century. Our oldest child thought it was fun to sleep in the criminal's bed.

Night beaver safari

From Uvdal we drove west towards Kristiansand, the capital of Southern Norway, and from there to Setesdal. At Setesedal we stopped at Evje Hostel, which is part of the Troll Mountain activity centre.

Originally, we had planned to stay for the night only, but then we got tempted by the activities. The next day we got soaked rafting on the river. We didn't leave the next day either. That day, the oldest tried mountain climbing and the two youngest enjoyed water skiing. However, because Evje Hostel organizes beaver safaris at night, seeing animals was also the greatest experience at this stop. It was impossible to say no to the children. Experiencing these hard-working animals up close is something the children won't forget any time soon. And what teeth!

Runde-the bird paradise

From Setesdal, we drove over the mountain and spent some great days between fjords and mountains before we reached Runde, our final destination in Western Norway. This world renowned bird island is an experience not to be missed. The large colony of Atlantic puffins is the tourists' favourite, but the fifty-thousand brooding Black-legged Kittiwake also put their mark on Runde.

We stayed at Runde Hostel, which is beautifully situated on the island. The host took us fishing and on a seal safari. This experience was highlighted with the youngest girl, aged ten, catching a cod the same weight as her age. What chaos!

Welcome to Jotunheimen

During our trips to Norway in the past we always tried to make sure that the children were having a great time, which meant that the adults had a pleasant time as well. Therefore, we have not been pushing to go on very long hiking trips. But now, the cute and small ones would have the chance to get soar legs.

From the bird island Runde we drove in the direction of Gudbrandsdalen and Lom. In Lom we turned and drove towards Jotunheimen, the most famous mountain area in Norway. Our goal was Galdhøpiggen, which is Northern Europe's highest mountain stretching 2.469 meters above sea level.

After staying over at Bøverdalen Hostel for a night, we drove up Northern Europe's highest road to Juvasshytta the next day, which is the starting point for the climb. From there you have to climb 600 meters, partly over a glacier, to get to the top. As most of the other tourists, we had a guide when walking over the glacier. The children thought it was exciting to belay. They thought it was particularly exciting when they suddenly saw a deep crevasse. At the top there was even a small cabin where we could buy something good to eat. And the view? You just have to see it to believe it!

The treetop cabin at Brumund

As a finale to our family's activity filled vacation, the children wanted to live in a real treetop cabin. Therefore, our trip continued down Gudbrandsdalen to Brumund Hostel.

The cabin hangs high up in a 200 year old pine tree. We saw a myriad of birds and the view from the tree top cabin lived up to mom's expectations!

With this, I would like to take a chance to praise the hostels in Norway. Many of them are the perfect starting point for some of the best experiences Norway has to offer. My husband and I went to Norway the first time as students, and we continued to go after we had children. The reason is that Norway offers the real deal - not Disneyland. And the children would rather experience the lynx in the forest than a lion in a cage, and beaver safari and mountain climbing rather than Playa del Ingles (but preferably both).