Kayaking Norway’s Most Beautiful Fjord – A Trip Report

There’s no better way to experience the majesty of Norway’s fjords than by kayaking. Being so close to the water makes you feel at one with the environment. You become a part of it, rather than a mere observer.

This trip report details a guided kayak trip which took us along the Nærøyfjord, UNESCO listed for its extreme beauty. It surpassed all expectations. We kayaked the length of the fjord over two-days. The night was spent wild camping on a beach allowing us to surrender ourselves completely to this remarkable landscape. No kayaking experience is needed.

CONTENTS

Our Kayaking Trip Experience

The day starts with coffee and pastries at 10am, a civilised time, we’re off to a good start. The kayak centre, Nordic Ventures, is based in Gudvangen, a tiny village two-hour’s drive north of Bergen. The centre bustles with activity as guides gather their groups together around huge wooden tables for introductions.

Nerves are soon dispelled as we learn that nobody in our group has kayaked more than a couple of times before. Some have never kayaked. Everyone seems to gel, the excitement and trepidation of what’s to come bonding us quickly.

We are a group of eight, Andrew and I, two friends in their 20’s, and a family of four – mum and dad in their late 50’s and two teenagers. After our briefing, Ollie, our guide takes us through to the kit room, a huge shed filled with wetsuits, buoyancy aids, waterproof jackets, neoprene booties, spray skirts and drybags. The challenge – to find one of everything that fits, cram it in a bag and be ready to leave in ten minutes.

The first challenge completed, almost on time, we squeezed into a minibus, together with our unfamiliar gear for a 30-minute drive to remote Undredal. The drive of a few miles only taking this long because there were so many goats on the road, Undredal is famous for producing the most delicious brown cheese in Norway, ‘Brunost’.

On arrival we decided amongst ourselves whether to take single or double kayaks, we agreed to take a mix and swap so we can all try both. We loaded the kit onto the kayaks, and we were off.

After a few minutes of making sure we could all stay afloat and were able to paddle in the right general direction, we all relaxed and started to take in our surroundings.

You get an entirely different view of these impossibly steep mountains from water level as they soar skywards for over 1400m, diminishing you, nature putting man firmly in his place.

The pace was relaxed, the only rule – to not stray too far from the group. This, we learned later, was in case someone capsized, so the guide would always be near everyone. We were told that capsize is rare and only happens when someone wants it to, reassuring.

After an hour of paddling, it was lunchtime already. We pulled in to a small rocky beach and made undignified exits from our kayaks. Ollie set up a picnic blanket with bread, cheese, cold meats, salad, fruit, biscuits and more and we made ourselves hot drinks from a flask. Lying on the grass soaking up the sun, we felt on top of the world as we embarked on our expedition into the wilds of Norway.

With lunch packed up, we squeezed back in to our kayaks, pulling the spray skirts over the cockpit to keep us dry was the most difficult part of this trip, but we all helped each other. With everyone ready, it was time to bum-shuffle the kayaks into the water until we floated again, then rudders down and we were off.

This time we had a longer paddle of around three hours as there were no places to pull in along this stretch, the mountain sides were vertical. We needed to keep to the middle of the fjord as rock falls are common. Norway is basically crumbling into the sea.

We rounded the headland leaving Aurlandsfjord and heading now into Nærøyfjord. Both are branches of Sognefjord, ‘the King of the Fjords’, Norway’s deepest and longest, stretching an impressive 205km from the sea to its most inland point.

Nærøyfjord is Norway’s narrowest, wildest and most beautiful fjord. It’s 18km long and only 250m wide at its narrowest point. The narrowness accentuates the height of the mountains on either side, 1400m, higher in places, rising straight up from sea level, a further 400m of them unseen, below the depths of the water.

To preserve the silence in this awe-inspiring place, only one ferry is allowed to travel the Nærøyfjord and it’s electric. We waited for the ferry to pass and rode the waves of its wake. We hadn’t really appreciated how flat calm the water had been until then, but the waves were fun, and we were excited to see the ferry approaching on its return journey later so we could ride the waves again.

The route took us close to the base of one of the countless ribbon-like waterfalls, from here you could really appreciate the strength of its pulsing jets, water raging down from unseen rivers at the top.

We were pleased when Ollie pointed out our campsite for the night, our arms were tiring now, muscles unused to being used. The first task was to move the kayaks up the shore and created a chain, unloading and passing everything up to a high point. We were given two-person tents to set up ourselves while Ollie laid out snacks and made drinks.

Settled in, we had time to explore our home for the night and enjoyed a walk along the shore. We were camped on a lovely grassy area backed by woods and of course mountains. The view across the water was astonishing, we didn’t think views came any better than this until a perfect rainbow appeared, Norway is magical.

Ollie cooked us a delicious and substantial dinner of pork chops, sausages and peppers stuffed with spiced chickpeas, all cooked over a wood-fire and accompanied by pasta, salads and wine. We sat around the fire all evening, laughing, swapping tales and learning about Nordic folklore – trolls, giants and elves. There were plenty of snacks to accompany the wine that flowed that evening and we headed to bed full and content.

In the morning, we couldn’t wait to unzip our tent to take in ‘that view’ again. We lay, cosy in our sleeping bags for a few minutes more gazing at the mountains which now had a layer of thick white cloud floating just on the tops. Eventually, the silence was broken when some of the group went for a swim, high-pitched squeals becoming howls as they submerged their bodies into the cold water.

We are always asked what we do for toilet facilities when wild camping. Well, there was a long-drop toilet hidden in a shed in the woods a five-minute walk from camp, it was clean but smelly. Our campsite was surrounded with woods for ‘nature wees’ as one of our group called them, so we didn’t have to make too many trips to the ‘proper’ toilet.

After a filling and relaxed breakfast, it was time to pack up the kayaks again. We were sad to be leaving this perfect spot but keen to get back on the water and spend another day exploring.

We stopped to have a break and took a short walk followed by an easy climb up beside a waterfall, giving us lovely views along the fjord. It was grassier here and a few small farms could be seen clinging to the hillsides, taking advantage of the few grass patches for grazing their sheep and goats.

Back on the water, we played around trying out different strokes with our newfound confidence, Ollie taking lots of photos to share with us all afterwards. As we passed through the narrowest section of the Nærøyfjord a superyacht glided past us, gleaming white and highly polished, people lounging on deck being waited on. They didn’t look like they were having nearly as much fun as us!

We shared our picturesque lunch spot with another group from the same kayak company. Most of us had a swim here, or at least a paddle, although bracing, the water wasn’t as cold as you may expect being this far north.

Finally, it was time for the last stretch back to Gudvangen. Tired and happy we paddled to shore, unloading our gear one more time. There was plenty of help on hand to pull the kayaks up and after depositing all our borrowed gear in the wash area we collected our stored luggage, changed and gathered back around the huge wooden tables with hot drinks and cakes. Back where we started, the circle complete. Everyone agreed this had been an amazing two-days. An adventure full of happy memories that would last a lifetime.

Essential Information

Our Norwegian fjords kayak was booked with Nordic Ventures, a premier kayaking centre in Gudvangen. We took their ‘2-day Sea Kayaking Tour to the Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord’ trip and highly recommend it. The trip is suitable for anyone of reasonable fitness.

All food is included and it’s plentiful and tasty. You won’t need to bring any snacks or extras. The wine was a nice touch and unexpected. Special dietary requirements are well catered for, just make sure you tell them when booking, it’s on the form.

Nordic Ventures were extremely professional, well-organised and very friendly. We made a few enquiries before booking which were all answered promptly and efficiently. The guides work extremely hard on these trips, it’s a testament to their dedication to the outdoors life.

They are very busy in the main season of July and August and may have several groups out at one time, but you always stay with your own group and camp in your own campsite which keeps the sense of camaraderie strong. The camp site was kept spotless, and the guides and company had a strong sense of their environmental responsibilities.

Experienced kayakers can rent a kayak to explore on their own, the staff will help you plan a route, recommending overnight stops and places to visit on the way. You can rent a kayak for a couple of hours or a day, but if you can, we strongly recommend taking an overnight trip. You’ll experience a deeper connection with this remarkable land by spending a night wild camping on the shores of the stunning Norwegian fjords.

What To Bring

Nordic Ventures provide spacious two-person tents. We brought our own sleeping bags and sleeping mats, but you can use theirs if you prefer. All kayaking equipment is provided, including a waterproof jacket.

Lots of people roll up a fleece to use as a pillow but we never sleep well like this so always bring a lightweight camping pillow. These down topped ones are by far the most comfortable that we have found and give us a touch of luxury wherever we go.

Kayaking can give you blisters so bring a pair of gloves for protection. You don’t need specialist ones, leather or cycling gloves are ideal if you have these already. Fingerless or full finger are fine. We like these ones from LOMO, a brand that offers excellent value and well-made products with sizes to suit everyone.

The weather could be glorious sunshine, or it may be raining so bring comfortable clothes for either eventuality. Luggage can be stored at the centre so you can decide what to wear on the day. Leggings or shorts are ideal and a quick drying t-shirt and thin fleece.

Bring a change of clothes so you’ll have something dry to wear in the evening and either sleep in these or bring a base layer for sleeping, an extra pair of socks will keep you toasty all night.

A down jacket or warm fleece is essential for the evenings along with a warm hat and gloves.

Baseball cap or similar, to keep the sun off.

Trainers or walking shoes for exploring around camp.

Sunglasses and a retainer strap to stop them falling into the water are essential.

Swimwear and a microfibre towel that packs up small for fjord dips.

Suncream – we got through a surprising amount, it’s very exposed out on the water.

A water bottle – you can refill it on the trip.

Personal toiletries and medicine.

Power bank to keep your phone charged, you’ll be taking lots of photos. We always buy Anker chargers as they last far longer than cheaper brands which always seem to pack up after a year.

Would you like to see more of Norway?

We joined this kayak trip as part of a longer adventure holiday in the Norwegian fjords. You can read more about the bike packing tour and see our full tour itinerary. We have also compared this self-booked trip with the best available group tours.

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