Trolltunga

amazing hike with incredible scenery! we paid the extra and started the hike from P3. it still ended up being right around 14 miles (including a couple detours we took). it's a strenuous hike for sure, but you don't have to be in top physical shape to do it..just get an early start and take breaks as needed. we started around 7am and we're done around 3pm. we took lots of breaks to rest and take in the sights. the troll's tongue outcropping. we got here right around 1130 and the line was about 20 minutes long. not really a big deal as it was fun to talk to other hikers and learn about where they'd traveled in Norway. weather was perfect for us with a high around 70. we also cut back on how much water we had to carry by filling up at a fast moving stream after the second emergency shelter. this hike is definitely worth the time and effort. you'll be rewarded with some amazing views and a sense of accomplishment

One of the first major hikes while studying abroad in Norway and boy oh boy was it an adventure! We took the shuttle bus from Odda to the main trailhead, Skjeggedal, which cost about 150 NOK one way and from there decided to hike up the road to the P3 trailhead, Mågelitopp. They do however also offer another shuttle (which you would pay for) and you can save yourself from walking uphill 3.5 km. From here it's 10 km to Trolltunga and this hike could be broken up into multiple stages: Part 1: The Swamp This part of the hike was fairly flat which leads you to believe that this is going to be an easy hike. You follow poles and rocks marked with a red T to guide you in the right direction. Part 2: The Ascent Now here all you see is rock and a long climb up. As you make your way up you think you can see the top of the mountain. However, when you reach that point there is always more to go. A few breaks might be necessary along the way. Once we reached the top it was time to stop for lunch with a pleasant lake view! Part 3: The Fjord The next portion we were mainly walking along the edge where there was a beautiful view of the fjord (be prepared to want to take many photos). Also not much up or down here so you can focus on taking in the amazing view. Part 4: Trolltunga We made it!! Wowza, one of the most amazing views I have seen in my life! We got here at a popular time, around 1pm so the line to take photos took about 30-45 minutes. We first spent some time to sit and enjoy the view before waiting to take a picture. Around the area there are also a few other nice spots for good photo opportunities, but nothing beats the main attraction so it is completely worth the wait for the photo. We took our time to eat donuts and wander around and by 2:30ish the line was just about gone so we could experiment with a few more photo poses without the pressure of others waiting behind us. Going back down you follow the same path up, however be aware that the last shuttle leaves at 6:00 pm, so unless you want to be walking a full marathon, try and keep track of the time! In terms of water there are plenty of springs to fill up your bottle on the way so there is no need to pack more than a liter. Also be sure to have snacks because in total this hike took us about 12 hours. Overall, I would 100% recommend this hike to anyone staying in Norway as it's a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Parked at P3 which cost 600 NOK! P3 takes only 30 cars and arrived around 5AM to secure a spot. 530AM was still safe since 30 cars hadn't arrived by then. Super expensive but worth it to save 4km each way if you want to save time and your legs. The hike itself had several ups and downs, but the end was so worth it! I arrived at Trolltunga around 9am and the line wasn't too long but by 10am the wait was approaching 30-60mins with more and more people streaming in. The weather was fortunately very sunny on this day, but always be prepared for rain/snow.

**** Review #3000 **** For my 3000th Yelp Review, I had to write about Trolltunga. What is Trolltunga you ask? It is a spectacular cliff in Norway. The view of it with Lake Ringedalsvatnet in the background is truly breathtaking. Trolltunga is a rock formation that sticks out horizontally from the mountain side hence the name. Trolltunga means Trolls Tongue in English. For several years, we have dreamed of coming here!! Wifey asked her Norwegian friends to take us here, and they did!! This natural wonder is beyond words indescribable! I will try to put into words my feelings about Trolltunga. An exhilarating, out of body experience are the first words that come to mind when remembering our hike to Trolltunga. The journey is a very special one. My wife and I are not in the best of shape, but we still managed to complete the roundtrip hike in about 11 hours including 60 minutes spent admiring the view and taking memorable photos at the Trolls Tongue. Our friends are in better shape than us, and they only took about 9 hours to complete the hiking portion. Highly recommend to come prepared for this physically demanding trek. It is not an easy walk in the park. The distance is approximately 23 to 27 kilometers (14 to 17 miles) roundtrip. Elevation gain is about 1100 meters (3600 feet) during the hike. We experienced all kinds of weather and challenges that day ( August 3, 2017). Make sure to get an early start (we started at 8:30am) cause it is much easier to walk the uneven terrain during daylight hours. If you are not paying attention, you could get lost. Fortunately, the weather was great going up to Trolltunga. From the parking lot in Skjeggedal, you begin your climb. The trail is paved with switchbacks for the first several kilometers. Near the end of the switchbacks (at the 4 km mark) my wife was feeling lightheaded due to only 2 hours sleep and no breakfast. We had to stop for about 30 minutes so she could recover. Thankfully, we each packed a banana as part of our food for the day. After eating it and a bit of rest, she was great the rest of the hike. Once you finish the paved switchback trail, the real fun begins. The terrain is very rocky, slippery, and muddy in some areas so wear good hiking shoes or boots. Keep your eyes open for the red letter "T" on rocks which marks the trail along with other signs. Easy to get distracted because by this point you will be surrounded by gorgeous scenery. Got to admit that we would wander off the trail at times in order to take photos and admire the views. Personally, my physical challenge began with about 5 Km to go from reaching Trolltunga. We had stopped to eat some snacks. 15 minutes later, we continued on our journey. Lo and behold....I could barely move one leg in front of another without feeling pain. Yup, both my legs were cramping on me. Would not let that stop me because we were too close to reaching our goal. Never entered my mind to give up, and the reward was well worth the pain. Felt bad for my wife cause I slowed her down, but I was able to recover some once we reached the awe inspiring destination. Oh, how I wish that we had more time to spend at our bucket list stop!! Trolltunga did not disappoint!! Still, we had to go because the journey back to the parking lot was about 13 kilometers, and the ominous rain clouds were fast approaching!! About 2 kilometers after leaving the mountain top, we had to take out our rain jackets and rain pants from our backpacks. We were so happy that we packed them because it was pouring cats and dogs!! Eventually, we made it back to the starting point a little after 9:30 pm. WOW, WOW, WOW!!!! We did it!! We actually conquered Trolltunga!!!! Seven months later....and it still seems like a dream! Will we ever return? Probably not, but we are happy to say that we have been here. For all you nature loving, adventurist Yelpers out there, I Highly Recommend visiting Trolltunga in the beautiful country of Norway!! The day will forever be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling days ever for my lovely bride and myself. Such an Amazing, Unforgettable journey that I cannot say enough good words about.

Trolltunga is an amazing place, and a wonderfully strenuous hike to accomplish. To start, you have to wake up 5:00 AM in the morning to catch a mini-bus at the train station to take you to the Trailhead. From there you have to hike up a steep, and sometimes extremely muddy and foggy slope to get to the top. On top of this, it was extremely dark when we started the hike and I saw numerous people continuously slipping. After the steep hike, it's a matter of following the right path with gradual up and downs until 4 hours later, you're at Trolltunga. If you go during peak times, or even remotely peak times during the year, expect a giant line waiting to take pictures. Sometimes you get lucky and get wonderful weather but when we went it was cloudy the entire trip, and everyone was waiting in line for the sky to clear for that one shot to remember. There are other sites and angles at Trolltunga everyone should check out as they are just as amazing and the line is not remotely as long. Additionally, you could camp here and wait to take your shot early in the morning or if you get lucky, get some shot with Aurora Activity in peak seasons. This was one for the books and hopefully I'll be back someday to take my kids here. Tip: Make sure you wear boots that fit.. or else all the crazy incline and decline will give you crazy blisters..

I will not forget this day. It was the most emotionally and physically intense day of my life so far. If you're thinking about doing this, let me tell you it's totally worth it, regardless of the long, exhausting hike. By far this is the most amazing, rewarding, challenging and breathtaking trek I've made. We have traveled quite a bit, have seen a lot of amazing natural wonders, but Trolltunga is definitely the one that left us speechless and in awe, even now almost a week after we did it. There is no easy way to get here, no tram, no bus, no gondola, no magic carpet. It's either by hiking 10 hours round trip (on average) or by doing what we did. We did the bike + hike + climb via ferrata Himmelstigen with our tour guide named Theo with Trolltunga Active. Our trip started at around 9:30am by first biking along a section of the lake before we started hiking and climbing. Biking on gravel wasn't easy and we had to pass a couple of waterfalls, so make sure you hold on to the steering wheel tight and be prepared to get your boots wet because certain parts of the trail were flooded with gravel blocks that were too big to bike over. Also, when we signed up for it, we thought biking along the lake would be flat and easy... No! The trail was like a rolling hill, gentle up and down slopes. Walking on a slight incline is fine, biking on an incline is 10 times harder. But finally, we got to the beginning of our hiking trail after biking for an hour. From then on it was all going straight up. Well, we're heading to the top, so there's only one way, up up up! The lower part of the trail was a lot of soil, brushes and trees. It was easy to hike up but more challenging to hike down in the rain because the branches were super slippery. As we got higher, we found ourselves in a wash that had active and dry river beds full of big and small boulders. This part was definitely testing our ninja skills, bouncing from boulder to boulder. It was fine on a dry day, but it was no fun when it's raining. The brown and green algae were as slick as a troll's tongue. All of us except for the guide, who's basically a mountain ninja, slipped and fell at least once. Here, I have bruises and cuts to prove it. As we got higher, the boulders got bigger and bigger. Some of them were so big that we were hoping no rock would come down on us like that. Finally we reached the beginning of the climb after about 2 hours of hiking. Seriously we were already tired from the biking and the hiking, but we still had to climb! Theo showed us how to put our harness on and made sure it was secure. When we were up there, it is this strappy thing that presses against your balls that will save your life, well, somewhat. The via ferrata is something similar to the Half Dome in Yosemite, if you're familiar with that. I haven't been to the Half Dome, but that was what our tour guide was saying. There were iron handle bars drilled into the cliff face and you climb it like a ladder - some parts are vertical, some slope inward, some overhangs. There are ropes and steel wires next to the ladder steps onto which you secure your carabiners in case of falling. As our legs were already exhausted from the biking and the hiking, we were really pushing our quad muscles to work even harder for the climb. We were too tired and focused to even worry about heights. An hour later, we're finally at the top! The view was surreal. The rocks were all black and layered (foliated in geologic term) with most areas covered in pure white snow. Previous hikers have carved out a hiking path for us in the snow, but it was still slippery but fun. We wanted to spend time enjoying the snowy mountain view, but were too anxious to see what Trolltunga was like! We walked on snow, over one big black boulder, another boulder, and another boulder, and finally we reached the very top of the last boulder. The view opened up with the faraway snow-capped mountains that were as high as where we were standing, and of course, the Troll's tongue, a wedge of dark rock jutting out over the deep blue lake that we biked along. I started crying. Finally, after all the exhaustion, pain, blood and sweat, we are here! The view was breathtaking, serene and surreal. The snow made the mountains even more majestic than they were already. The deep blue lake brought out the peace in me, but the moment I looked at the Troll's tongue, I started feeling anxious, because it reminded me how high we were! After all, an Australian girl did fall to her death a year or two ago from Trolltunga. The way down was actually more brutal because I had no anticipation and motivation to muster up my last bit of energy to climb, hike and bike AGAIN. What would that be? food? sleep? home? It started to rain on us on our way back making the trail slippery and harder to walk on, but eventually we made it back after 13 hours of exhaustion filled with adventure, wonder and courage. Yes, I would hike this tongue again.

This review has sat in my drafts for 6 months with just this "I'm not over it yet." I'm not over how unprepared I was for this hike. I'm not over hiking for 12 hours straight. I'm not over how gorgeous this part of the world is. I'm not over how much mud I saw while staring at my feet for 12 hours. I'm not over how I only packed 2 PBJs and an apple for the entire day. I'm not over how I managed not to pee for the entire hike. I'm not over how breathtaking the view was from the top. So, it's been hard to put into words, you see. I'm just not over it. Maybe I never will be. This hike took me to the brink of mental physical recreation capacity (but not like childbirth, for the record) -- and it was worth it, but I probably am not signing up to do it again unless I've got way better hiking boots, am in better shape and pack a LOT more food. In a style I've come to know about myself, I sort of winged it. Not advised. This is an intense hike in terms of time commitment, not necessarily physical strain. The physical strain came in part because our entire hike down was in the rain and mud, making it far less enjoyable than the ascent and treacherous in some places. I finished absolutely covered in mud with one knee hinge on the verge of quitting for good. (It was better in a day, not so dramatic!) So, if you're thinking about hiking Trolltunga and getting a bird's eye view of the "best place to take a selfie in the entire world" -- here are my tips: *Wear proper hiking gear, shoes, socks and pack layers for heat/cold. *Pack enough food for 12 hours of continuous activity. *Bring a water bottle, fill up in streams. STAY HYDRATED (I obviously did not) *The line at the top can be 1+ hours, budget it into your course so you are out by dark *Breathe in the fresh air and the gorgeous views! Overall its a great hike, beautiful terrain, challenging but not crazy. I don't do anything for 12 straight hours, even watching TV would start to get on my nerves after a bit -- so I think it was just the time intensity. I'd know more going in, for sure! Enjoy the Troll Tongue!

I just did this hike this past weekend and it is a hard hike. I repeat a hard hike! I hike regularly and had trouble with this. tons of uphill climbing and once you are sweating you then reach the top which is full of snow and cold. It's a bit of off season right now and i went on a friday so wasnt crowded at all and taking pics was easy. Take a hydration pack and a water bottle that u can refill on the streams along the way, bring some energy food like granola bars. super hard physically and mentally but worth it!

Trolltunga will live in my memory forever. This place is stunning. Any photo is not worthy. The human eye is the only viable way to truly capture it's beauty. But you must earn the majesty of the Trolls tongue. I biked through the lake then hiked up half way the mountain and climbed (with harnesses) up the metal ladder attached to the cliff face until I got to the top. On the way down I hiked about 5/6 hours down the snowy mountains. It was beautiful - at times hard - but for keen hikers or climbers - it will take your breath away!

The first mile-and-a-half (and the last, on the return trip) is the steepest, muddiest and most difficult part of the trail, but the rest of the hike is pretty easy. It IS 14.7 miles (23 kilometers), however, so be prepared for a long haul (e.g., snacks, water) if you're not in shape. The weather is liable to change, as well, and you could end up hiking in rain and fog, so keep an eye out for the red "T"s (that mark the trail), bring layers and emergency gear (e.g., bivvy, headlamp). Also, hiking season starts in late June, but there's still quite a bit of snow and ice; if you don't have waterproof boots, slip your feet into a couple of plastic bags to provide a layer between your socks and your boots. One last thing: it's stunning up top.

simply WOW, one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever been on. The day started out a bit misty and foggy as we hiked, but then the sky began to clear as we approached the vista. The view of the lake & cliffs is awe-inspiring. It's a long hike (~ 14 miles) so be prepared!

Amazing place, one of a lifetime experience. Trolltunga which means "troll tongue" is one of the most famous fiords in Norway, another one is Preikestolen. To get to Trolltunga you need to walk about 10-11h in both sides so some basic trekking equipment is needed and remember about sunscreen! But all pain is rewarded by exquisite view.

My sister and I hiked Trolltunga on July 2, 2016, and it was by far the most physically demanding thing either of us has ever done. However, the views were totally worth it, and I would highly recommend this hike to anyone, given you are well prepared! The weather can change drastically over the course of a day, and you want to make sure you plan ahead so you can have the most enjoyable experience. I wrote a full review of this hike here: https://mvmtblog.com/2016/07/05/trolltunga-not-for-the-faint-of-heart/

If you want to do this hike, make sure you have GOOD hiking boots, a light and waterproof jacket and waterproof hiking pants, a change of clothes, 1 empty bottle of water, socks and snacks like powerbars and toilet paper. We woke up at 4 45 am - Ate a quick breakfast and drove to Trolltunga. They have parking spots available at the uppermost level - Only 30 spots are available and they fill up fast. The top parking spot saves you an additional 4 km ascent back and forth. Alternatively, you can take the shuttle bus to the same parking area. Shuttle buses start at 7 am. PS: There are NO toilets on the hike except at the 2nd level parking space. So be sure to carry some toilet paper and be comfortable going in the bushes. Hike was intense but doable. Take an empty water bottle - they have several beautiful natural streams - you can refill your bottle here. Neither of us got any traveler's diarrhea. The trail is well marked and there are tons of people doing it. Once you get to the top, we waited maybe 30 minutes to get a picture at the famous Troll's tongue. We befriended some American tourists and gave our camera to them and we took their pics in return. Stayed here for another 30 minutes and had our lunch. Views were breathtaking. Way back was much worse for me but I am SO glad we did it!! Entire hike probably took us about 8ish hours.