Folgefonna glacier & hike

Spend a day soaking up the striking natural beauty of Norway’s Hardangerfjord and Folgefonna Glacier with a private guide and driver. You’ll not only take a scenic drive and boat trip — passing two of the area’s best waterfalls, as well as mountains and the dark-blue waters of the fjord — but also have the chance to hike on the glacier with a professional glacier guide.

As you adapt to walking on the ice, you’ll learn about the glacier’s formation and the wider geology of the region, as well as the flora and fauna that thrives here. You’ll also be provided with a packed lunch to enjoy on the ice while taking in panoramic views of the fjord and surrounding mountains.

You’ll be picked up early in the morning from your hotel in Bergen for the drive out to Hardangerfjord. En route, you’ll pause to see two of the area’s waterfalls — Bridal Veil, which flows delicately over a clifftop, and the more powerful Steinsdalsfossen, the best-known in the region.

Arriving at the fjord, you’ll drive along its shorelines for a while until you reach the small village of Tørvikbygd. From here, you’ll cross the fjord’s dark, glassy waters by ferry, docking on the east side. It’s then just a short but spectacularly scenic drive up into the mountains to reach Folgefonna Glacier. From up here, you have views right across the fjord, distant lakes and mountains.

At the glacier, you’ll meet a guide experienced in glacier activities, who’ll provide you with all the equipment you’ll need to walk on the ice (though you’ll need to wear your own warm layers, hat, gloves and sunglasses). Over the next four hours, walk across the ice while enjoying the views. Your guide will tell you more about glacier formation, the wider geology and geography of the area and the local wildlife as you explore. They’ll also provide you with a packed lunch to eat on the ice.

Once back with your driver-guide, you’ll make the three-hour return journey across the fjord and back to Bergen, arriving at your hotel at around 7pm.