Hiking Trolltunga Norway
When we started planning our travel to Norway it was a no-brainer that it was going to include trekking of some kind and hiking trolltunga was top of the list. The scenery is AMAZING!! The
drives through the mountains, their tunnels, the wildlife to the amazing blues of the fjords, it is simply beautiful.
Sometimes when you have wanted to go somewhere for so long, when you get there it does not live up to your expectations. This. is. NOT. Norway!
Finding wild camps in Norway is not difficult we use two Apps/Sites Searchforsites and Camper Contact (Motorhome Parkings). Both we have found to be fantastic.
We did all 3 famous hikes of Norway in 5 days, WITH a 10 year old daughter. It is important to note that we are on a roadtrip for 5 months in a campervan, details of where we stayed and a week by week wrap are on our blog if you are planning a similar adventure.
When did we visit
Summer, July 2018.
Trolltunga Norway Hike – the Big One!
We had a two days rest (mainly because of Leanne’s knee) in between Preikestolen and Trolltunga. The night before the hike we got as close as we could (GPS co-ordinates on blog) and then headed up for what we hoped would be a 5am start. We were pumped!
Car Parking – what a nightmare
Arriving at the first car park, there was a sign that said no motorhomes past this point, Tyssedal and in Europe, we are often regarded as a motorhome/campingcar. So, we parked Betsy (the van) paid the fee 300kr
for one day and began walking. A couple of other campervans went past and Brett checked Maps.Me and was like something is not right, it is 3.5km to Skjeggedal which is where we knew the climb would begin. He walked back down grabbed Betsy, picked us up and drove the yes, very skinny road but fine for a campervan road up to Skjeggedal.
On arriving some other travellers who had done the same as us, pointed out that the
parking was 500kr per day here! Well we were not going to pay 800kr a day between the ticket we already had and the one for that area and there was nowhere to upgrade it. This really spoilt the start of the day. What do we do, run the risk of poor Betsy (the car) being towed God only knows what that would cost in Norway!! The other option put the parking ticket on the windscreen and hope to god they are not attentative. Having already paid AUS$54.00 for parking (which is crazy in itself for 12 hours!) we took the risk.
Not a good start
This was a real dampner to something we had been looking forward to for months. Because of this, we also made the decision that Brett would finish as quickly as he could. Get back to Betsy and ensure she was still there. We did not get a family shot on Trolltunga or the best possible shots we normally would of. We were getting better at them by now!! Also the amount of lost time fluffing about, sorting this out was annoying.
Then we headed up the hill. If you want to pay 600kr and take your vehicle up an approx. 17% incline you can try and park at the top which THEN means it is 11km each way. This is a skinny road that opens at 6am with a lot of others.
Zig Zag all the way up for 3km
Zig Zag, Zig Zag up we went all bitumen now so other than the gradient not 
terribly difficult. During this walk you pass a sign that says 13km to Troll Tunga! So, in total (taking out the earlier mistake of parking too far down) you will be doing 28km return from Skjeggedal.
We came to do Troll Tunga and irrespective of how far it was we would do it. When you have a 10 year old with you and you did spend time training it is handy to know the length of the hike, there were multiple different lengths on various websites, blogs and youtube clips we watched. So here it is in basic
Tyssedal to Trolltunga – 17.5km each way TOTAL 35km and 300kr parking 12hrs
Skjeggedal to Troll Tunga – 14km each Way TOTAL 28km and 500kr parking 12hrs
Either of above have the option for shuttle bus from Skjeggedal to top car park (for a fee) which will save you 3km
Upper Carpark (road opens 6:00am) to Troll Tunga 22km and 600kr parking 12hrs
How long should you allow
They say to allow 10-12hrs. We left at 5:40am and arrived back in Car Park in Skjeggedal at 2:20pm.
Start Early! There is a sign at the 7km mark that says ‘If you reach this point going to Trolltunga and it is 1:00pm or later you will not make it back before dark’
What did we think
The first part of the hike (after your zig zags) is a 400m ascent of a total 1200m. Miss B and Mum were very glad to have their hiking sticks for this trek along with their Keens Hiking Boots. Mum also wears fingerless cycling gloves which have been invaluable on all three treks.
We all really enjoyed the trek, it is LONG, make no mistake. The scenery is remarkable and something we will remember forever. Lik, simply breath taking.
Take enough food and water, sweets for sugars help on the way down in particular. There
may or may not have been bribing in the currency of a snake lolly per kilometre to inspire Miss B with 8km to go!
We took Ham and salad rolls along with fruit and nut mix, snake lollies and of course water. Our lifestraw drink bottle made finding water on the trek fairly easy. Particularly further along . We drank it with no problems lets face it, it’s as fresh as your going to get it! If in doubt make sure you get it from running water not still ponds or better still use a lifestraw drink bottle.
Follow the path
Really well marked out using rockpiles and the red letter T (similar to other
treks) easy to follow and challenging enough to keep you on your toes.
Take a camera, no brainer there! Not only for the shots on the Trolls Tongue but there are many different other worthy shots along the way you will not want to miss.
Arriving at the rock hopefully early, you avoid the line up to get your photos on THE rock. A point of interest, of course you are going to get THE picture but there is another one just lower in the shade that has an AMAZING view that you wont have to wait for – well worth considering.
Allow enough time for photos
It is very cool to watch others take their photos and the crazy antics they will get up to, some are laughable and you have to wonder what they were thinking. When we were there a guy did a handstand walk down the tongue (twice, his wife missed the first time LOL).
There is always someone to take a photo for you and you for them. Being early saves A LOT of time waiting in line.
The way back always feels longer on a trek of this length but no less enjoyable. Lots of
people to say hello too, sensational views and every step is closer to finishing!
We were so proud of Miss B, there was no tears, no whingeing and she even sat on the edge of the rock! What a great accomplishment and what a wonderful adventure for our family.
Don’t forget to check out our hike of Kjeragbolten and Preikestolen.
We are an Australian fulltime travelling family. You can follow our adventures on Facebook, Instagram, youtube and lots of helpful advice and educational resources on our blog at www.cakeandeatit3.com
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