Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords - Norway - page 414

( 53 65 40 05; www.visitodda.com ; 9am-7pm mid-Jun-mid-Aug, shorter hours May & Sep)

Getting There & Away
Between Odda and Jondal, Skyss buses operate one to three times daily (Nkr69, 45
minutes). Buses also run to/from Bergen, Geilo and Oslo.

Around Odda

Røldal

The pretty town of Røldal, 22km southeast of Odda, has the popular Røldal Skisenter
( www.roldal.no ; Dec-Apr) , a winter ski station that offers ultra-deep snow and a long sea-
son for downhill, cross-country and backcountry skiers. There's also a 13th-century stave
church , where, according to local legend, the wooden cross sweats every midsummer's
eve; the sweat is said to have healing powers, and was an important place of pilgrimage in
the Middle Ages.

Folgefonna National Park

Established in 2005, this 545-sq-km national park encompasses mainland Norway's third-
largest icefield. The Folgefonn icecap covers 168 sq km and the ice is up to 400m thick in
places. It's a dramatic, beautiful place, with glaciers snaking down the heights of nearby
valleys.

Activities

The most popular way to explore Folgefonna is on a glacier hike, either from Odda or Jon-
dal.
For an excellent online guide to hiking on the fringes of Folgefonna, visit www.visit
sunnhordland.no and look for the 'Fancy a Walk?' page, where there are links to route de-
scriptions and downloadable maps.

Folgefonni Breførarlag HIKING