Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Norway.” Book lovers from all over the world come here to peruse its shops,
especially its legendary secondhand-book shops.
The landscape, shaped by glaciers through various ice ages over the past 3 mil-
lion years and by towering mountains, glacier rivers, and U-shaped valleys, has
attracted landscape painters from all over the world.
Mountaineers find the terrain here some of the most challenging in Norway,
as both the Supphelle Glacier and the Bøya Glacier come down to the floor of
the valley in Fjaerland. Both of these glaciers are “pups,” the term for chunks of
ice that fall from a massive glacier, in this case, Jostedalsbreen, the largest on the
European continent. The lower Supphelle, at an elevation of 60m (196 ft.) is the
lowest-lying glacier in southern Norway.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
From the resort of Balestrand (p. 309) ferries depart
from Fjaerland at 8:15am daily. Several buses run daily between Fjaerland and
the transportation hub at Sogndal, taking 45 minutes and costing 80NOK
($11) one-way. Daily buses also run to and from Stryn (see below), taking 2
hours and costing 175NOK ($25) one-way. Motorists from Olden can take
E39, following the signposts to Skei, a village at the base of Lake Jølster. There
the road goes under the glacier for more than 6km (4 miles) for the final lap into
Fjaerland. The tunnel on the Skei road is free; however, if you're driving from
Sogndal, expect to pay a toll of 150NOK ($21).
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Fjaerland Tourist Information Center
(
&
57-69-32-33
) lies on the main road in Mundal and is open daily from 9am
to 5pm June to August. It also doubles as a bookshop. Also visit www.fjordinfo.
no/fjaerland for information.
SEEING THE SIGHTS
This is great hiking country in summer, as parts of Fjaerland lie within the
Jostedalsbreen Nasjonalpark (Jostedalsbreen National Park)
, a land-
scape that ranges from mountains to glaciers, from fjords to low-lying valleys.
Our favorite of the scenic routes is at the southern tier of the park, lying between
Lunde and Fjaerland, and crossing Marabreen.
At the head of the fjord lies the
Bøyaøyri Estuary
, a protected nature reserve,
lying 2km (1
1
⁄
4
miles) north of the village. In the spring and fall migrations, some
90 species of birds can be spotted passing through the area. Some 50 species make
their nests at Fjaerland so birders from all over Scandinavia flock here.
The best trail for the average visitor in good physical condition is from the
Supphelle Valley up to the mountain hut Flatbrehytta. The more adventurous
go on from this mountain hut to explore the glaciers. The local sports associa-
tion in Fjaerland has mapped out 10 other trails, ranging from a relatively easy
1-hour walk to more difficult treks of 5 to 6 hours. At visitor information you
can pick up a map,
Turkart Fjaerland,
for 60NOK ($8.50), outlining all these
walks in great detail.
It's possible to drive within 500m (1,640 ft.) of the Supphelle Glacier. You can
stroll over and actually touch the ice. During a period in summer from the first
of July to August 10, you can take guided glacier trips on Supphelle, starting
from the car park at the northeast of the Norsk Bremuseum (see below), 4km
(2
1
⁄
2
miles) off Route 5. Trips leave Monday to Saturday at 9am. The jaunt
includes a hike up the Kvanneholtnipa Mountain at 1,640m (5,380 ft.).
In town you can visit the
Norsk Bremuseum
(
Norwegian Glacier Museum;
&
57-69-32-88
), which is open June to August daily from 9am to 7pm. In
