My Top 3 (cheap) nature-bases outdoor activities in Norway
To be very clear, I could easily make this my top 10 favourite or even top 20 favourite outdoor adventures in Norway, but people are just sick and tired of choice these days – well at least I am! So with this in mind, I give you my top 3 most affordable outdoor adventures in Norway. And by affordable, I mean relative other ridiculously expensive experiences, and Norwegian prices compared to other countries. I hope to give options for all tastes, comfort and fitness levels, both in the city and the great outdoors. Let the outdoors adventures in Norway begin!
1. Short Hike to “Eagles Nest” (Ronåsen) in the Heidal Valley
Thankfully the Heidal Valley has not (yet) become completely tourist saturated such as hikes like Preikestolen, Besseggen and Trolltunga. Meaning you can still hear the sound of the wind and birds with out any human intervention. It is an eerie feeling while hiking through the land of giants with only the sound of the lonely wind, and the odd craw of a jet black raven overhead – is Odin watching us from his throne in Valhalla? Well it feels like something ancient and timeless is living in the mountains, or is that just my fantasy enriched imagination – who knows, its a cool damn experience either way!
To get to “Eagles Nest” you must drive here and park. Then it is a simple walk following the DNT (The Norwegian Tourist Association) tracks. Wear bug repellent or appropriate clothing unless you a sadist who enjoys being needled by tiny bloody thirsty & cold hearted insects. I recommend downloading the app “Norges Kart” and you can also use Google Maps (here are the coordinates to Eagles Nest AKA Ronåsan), as reception is pretty good up there – ahh the joys of the modern age!
Why is this classified as an affordable outdoor adventure in Norway? – Because you do not need a guide and the parking is free. You can also stay with us at Mad Goats Sjoa for only 100NOK per night! Yes, including a toilet, outdoor shower, kitchen and river swimming opportunities. We also have a forest sauna and hot tub that you can use all day for an additional 100NOK. I mean who even gets shiz for 100NOK these days? Inflation and global economic insecurity is a b…h! And no this blog is not written by Chat GPT, not that I have anything against artificial super intelligence. Meow.
2. Overnight Kayak Trip to Klovningen Island in Vestfold
Ok ok, this Kløvningen is an absolutely stunning island of the coast of Verdens Ende on the outer western part of Oslofjord. You can also leave from Hvasser if you want free parking. The islands geology is characterised by big bulbous red granite valleys. These valley’s cut through the island from north to south direction. They look like they’ve been carved out by glaciers, by how evenly chiseled they are…or was it by the hand of Thor when he was battling the frost giants in Nifhiem? Who can really say.
To complete this trip, I would recommend that you have at least some kayaking experience under your belt, as the seas can become quite rough, due to the area being exposed – remember to always check the weather before going on any outdoor adventure! The island has great camping possibilities and even a compostable toilet and a fire pit. Please remember to always leave no trace and take away all your rubbish, and even go a step further and do a beach clean up while you are there.
When I was there last, we were on a trip with the Fjord CleanUP, an Oslo based environmental organisation, and while exploring the island, we unfortunately found a lot of marine plastic – so we did a clean up! We found A LOT of trash, such a large mount that we could not take it back with us. So we contacted the Faerder Kommune (The local municipality) and they went to pick it it up with a boat. We also took free-diving equipment on the trip, and went underwater exploring, which was totally epic, as the marine life down there is on another level than that of the inner Oslofjord. If you are in Oslo and want to join an awesome organisation, that cleans trash out of the Oslo Fjord every week, and does marine life restoration, then join Fjord CleanUP!
Why is this classified as an affordable outdoor adventure in Norway? Because you only need drive to the free parking spot (or stay at Verdens Ende Camping) , which is only a short kayak trip out to the island. If you do not have your own kayaks then you can rent a kayak from Mad Goats for only 895NOK per day. This includes pump, sprayskirt, life jacket, paddle and dry bags. Way way way cheaper than joining on a multi-day kayak tour and you are the captain of your own boat, the arbiter of your own destiny!!!
3. Nordic Floating Sauna Experience in Central Oslo
Sauna life in Oslo has really exploded in the past 5 years or so. I think it was an accumulation of science catching up to how healthy regular saunas use is, a desire for Oslo residents to be able to use the Oslofjord waterfront for fjord based activities all year around, and I suppose just a healthy dose of luck! What also probably helped was that the first floating sauna in Oslo, “The Oslo Fjord Sauna”, never actually had permits from the authorities, but still went ahead with the project anyway (goat life) and thankfully there is a saying in Norway “ask for forgiveness, not permission”, because as long as you are doing a good thing for society, even without permission, you usually do not get in a lot of trouble, and it might actually kick start an amazing trend – like lots of floating saunas in Oslo!
The reason why I would classify this as an affordable outdoor adventure in Norway, is that you will be sitting in a sauna on the water looking out a big glass window onto the Oslofjord, and once you get too hot you will be forced (willingly or not) to jump into the clean and refreshingly freezing waters of the fjord. This combination of hot and cold will have you tingling, zinging and buzzing with joy, screaming ODINS name at the top of your lungs and giving one another high fives – even if you have just met! That sauna life mate! YOU CAN BOOK YOUR FLOATING SAUNA IN OSLO HERE.
Why this is classified as an affordable outdoor adventure in Norway, is that it will only set you back 150 – 250NOK dependant on the time of day you choose to go. That is less than going out drinking or eating at a restaurant, and probably a better investment in your long term physical and mental health – PRAISE ODIN! Yes, we are all heathens here.
Bonus Material for those goats wanting to upgrade their outdoor adventure skills
We at Mad Goats teach beginner to intermediate våttkort courses that give you a solid paddling skill set and foundation. Goats are dynamic creatures with a varied skill set, giving them an edge over their lessor cousins, the humble and meek sheep. Nothing against sheep, they are wonderful and kind fluffy animals, but the goat is an all together different beast. If you want to embrace goat life, level yourself up into the outdoor action hero you know yourself to be, then get in touch! MMaaeeh!
To conclude this amazingly short, concise, and valuable digital script!
Thanks for reading, goat! Hope you got some value from this blog and that this is not just a sales pitch but does actually give you 3 very affordable outdoor adventures in Norway without actually spending any of your money with Mad Goats. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about kayaking, sauna and hiking experiences and activities in Oslo, Norway. Maaeeeeeehh!!!!