Hardangervidda Plateau

Hardangervidda is the largest mountain plateau in Europe, which is located at an altitude of 1,200 to 1,600 meters. Its alpine climate ensures the presence of many species of arctic animals and plants further south than anywhere else in Europe. Its wild reindeer herds are among the largest in the world. Although we didn't see them from the road.

The most famous place on the plateau is the Vøringsfossen Waterfall. The Hardangervidda Nature Center in Eidfjord provides all necessary information about the plateau and several floors of exhibits. Hardangervidda is a popular tourist and leisure destination, and it's ideal for many outdoor activities, such as hiking and cycling.

The plateau is huge and incredibly lonely, only one road #7 crosses its little part, and we drove on it. I should say that the place is quite unusual and suitable for traveling by car. But plan your trip in summer.

On the banks of picturesque lakes you can see numerous stone "trolls", which were made by the tourists.


We also made one.


The height of sticks shows the amount of snow in winter.


A huge wooden troll stands on the hill.








Getting there: The major cities are Eidfjord, Hol, and Geilo, they are located to the north of the plateau, so better get to them. In the south you can arrive by the Haukeliekspressen bus to Haukeli (schedule) or to Rjukan. In the north the easiest destination by bus is Geilo, there's even a bus from the airport Oslo Gardermoen (schedule). There's also a train connection (http://nsb.no) to several stations located near Hardangervidda - Myrdal, Finse, Haugastøl, Ustaoset, and Geilo.