Autumn is the perfect time for an active trip with friends

1. Cycling and surfing in Jæren

We have a good alternative to a cycling holiday with friends from vineyard to vineyard in France: Jærruta – 140 km on a bike along the coast south of Stavanger! We can promise fantastic landscape, good food, great hotels and an unforgettable experience.

The Jærruta route extends from Solastranden beach to charming Egersund, and crosses the open landscape of Jæren, with its beaches, on a nice cycling path and quiet roads. Electric bikes are available for hire.

On route, you can surf at Borestranden beach, play golf in Bryne, and try coasteering in Egersund.

2. Upgraded camping at Preikestolen BaseCamp

If you’re dreaming of doing the walk to Pulpit Rock, autumn is a great time to do it: less people around and beautiful autumn colours make this a great experience.

'Hikers’ camp' is located by Refsvatnet lake, below Preikestolen mountain lodge and the starting point for the walk, where you'll also find a hikers’ nest. The 'nests' are equipped with mattresses, lights and USB outlets, and they're situated beside the sandy beach at Refsvatnet lake. Here you can hire a floating sauna after the hike to Pulpit Rock, a kayak or SUP, and do some post-hike stretches with yoga at Preikestolen BaseCamp.

3. See the sun rise over Trolltunga

Trolltunga is one of Norway’s most popular destinations. Now you and your friends can experience this spectacular mountain formation, probably in majestic solitude, with Trolltunga Active’s 'Sunset/sunrise-tour'!

Experienced guides will take you up to Trolltunga, where you will eat dinner and spend the night in a see-through dome with comfortable facilities. Breakfast is of course also included, and you can enjoy the sunset and sunrise from the tip of Trolltunga.

If you would like an even more spectacular and challenging trip, you can take the Trolltunga Via Ferrata on the way up. 

Are you looking for a little luxury after the arduous trip to Trolltunga? Book a room at Hotel Ullensvang and relax and enjoy the hotel's fantastic location beside the fjord, outdoor and indoor pool, restaurant and bar.

4. Active challenges in Voss

Voss is known the world over for extreme sports and experiences that give you an adrenaline rush. This trip gets your pulse going, without overdoing it.

You can take the train to Voss from Bergen or Oslo, and check in at the new Scandic hotel, located right next to the train station. The new cable car takes you from the railway station up to Hangurstoppen. There is a restaurant at the top and great paths, and Hangurstoppen is a good starting point for mountain hikes.

You must also naturally make your way back down, but you will neither walk nor take the cable car. Instead, Voss Hang-gliding and Paragliding Club offers a lofty tandem paragliding trip!

Back down in the centre of Voss, you can test your wings a little more, if you're up for it: in the wind tunnel at Voss Vind where you can feel the free fall in a safe setting. 

Have dinner at Haik, the hotel restaurant. After a good night's sleep you’ll be ready for more adventure and Wild Voss will take the whole group climbing. You don’t need any previous experience of climbing, and you can borrow all the equipment. You can do some more climbing and a zipline in the climbing park, unless you would like to try waterfall abseiling. You will be equipped with climbing harnesses, wetsuits and helmets to abseil down the 100-metre-long Skjervsfossen waterfall.

Tired? Relax in one of the cafés or restaurants in Voss, for instance Tre Brør kafé & Bar, which among other things has 20 different types of beer from Norwegian microbreweries, and the local kveik yeast beer, which has even been mentioned in the New York Times. Another good alternative is Vangen café, which serves traditional dishes made from scratch.

5. Mountain hikes and yoga in Nordfjord

In Oldedalen in beautiful Nordfjord, right beside the Briksdalsbreen glacier, lies Melkevoll bretun. It is surrounded by spectacular scenery: waterfalls, high mountains and glittering glaciers – the perfect starting point for an unforgettable trip with friends.

Kattanakken is situated near the campsite, 1,458 metres above sea level, and this is definitely a hike anyone who loves hiking will want to tick off their list. This is a lofty hike in places and is classified as black. From the top, you can see the whole Oldedalen valley and the Briksdalsbreen glacier, which is a great reward after the taxing hike up. 

Melkevoll bretun is also a bouldering spot, where there are approximately 100 boulders to climb at the camp site, which should be enough for anyone who wants to have a go. There are also yoga classes at the campsite a couple of times a week, relaxing treatments, a sauna and ice swimming – perfect after a long day in the mountains!

The Briksdalsbreen glacier is situated around 50 minutes on foot from Melkevoll bretun. From an altitude of 1,200 metres, the glacier plunges down to the lush, narrow Briksdalen valley. You walk past Kleivafossen waterfall, one of the most photographed motives in Norway, on the way there!

6. Walks along the north-western coast – on Norway’s longest stairway in stone

Are you ready to test your stamina? Plan an autumn trip with your friends to Molde and walk up the Midsuntrappene steps.

On the island Otrøya, west of Molde, lie the ‘mountains in the ocean’ and the longest stairway in stone in Norway. Sherpas from Nepal had just finished building the steps up to Digergubben (527 metres above sea level), when they were asked whether they could stay a bit longer and build steps up to the neighbouring mountain Rørsethornet (659 metres above sea level). The result is Norway’s longest stairway in stone with 2,200 continuous steps. Before the steps were built, the terrain was at times slippery, muddy and difficult to walk, while now everything is set for not only one, but two hikes with 360-degree views of the Romsdal Alps, Sunnmøre Alps, outer Nordmøre and out to the ocean’s edge.

Stay overnight in Molde at Molde fjordstuer, or head for Finnøy Havstuer housed in the premises of the old trading station and fish landing facility on Finnøy. On Finnøy, you will also find the water park ‘Håp i havet’, where you can relax after the trip. 

If you decide to stay overnight in Molde, you can take the bus to the starting point of the hike up to Digergubben (if you don't have your own car). Don’t miss the viewpoint Varden in Molde, where you can see the famous Molde panorama of 222 mountain peaks.