Active Journeys Guided Tour Hiking

NORWAYNorway Walking in Country!

Our base in central Norway is on the edge of the Rondane and National Park, looking down the Gudbrandsdal Valley just north of Olympic Lillehammer. You stay at the Venabu Fjellhotel, a favourite with our clients for many years. It is cozy, comfortable and very welcoming. It has two spacious sitting rooms, saunas, bar, TV room (with satellite), solarium, game room with pool table, table tennis and more.

The Fjellhotel was built by the Tvete family 50 years ago. Still in the family, it is now run by the second generation, Lars and Halldis. Together with the guides, the staff are ex- tremely knowledgeable about the area, especially the local flora. They look after the hikes for us. Choose between a relatively easy or more challenging walking group with no more than ten people and minibuses take you to the best walks.

Although Norway has a reputation for being expensive, clients are surprised by just how little they spend on extras. This holiday includes almost everything. Breakfast is generous, and there is a traditional buffet for lunch (or picnic lunches on full-day walks). Dinner is a buffet three evenings a week, usually a barbeque on Fridays, and served at your table other evenings.

Tour Details 2018 Dates: Saturday from June 30 - September 15 Fast Facts Cost: $1995 per person  Hiking through the best of Norway on Single Supplement: $495 well-marked trails with qualified and certified guides Length: 8 days / 7 nights  All meals Grade: Moderate / Intermediate  All accommodations, park fees and Starts / Ends: Venabu guide services are included

Active Journeys Contact: 11----800800800----597597597----55945594 or 416416----236236236----50115011 Email: [email protected] ITINERARY

Day 1 Arrival to Venabu Arrive in Venabu either by bus from airport or via Ringebu rail station. The afternoon is free for you to relax.

Day 2 Venabu Day free to roam the magnificent surroundings. Introductory dinner at 6:30 to meet the group and guides who will talk about the coming days activities.

Day 3 Rondane National park and Vnabygdsellet Your accommodation is located on the high mountains near Rondane Na- tional Park. The area has friendly rock formations with over 30 small and large peaks up to 1463 m. As a start of the week, we make an easy trip to Svartell which gives a great view into Rondane. In the evening, the hosts will show pictures and relate the history of Venabygdsellet and Venabu.

Day 4 Geological walk On this beautiful high , you will find a surprisingly wilder landscape, with waterfalls and deep gorges, places best discovered with local guides. The trip goes to Myfallet, three waterfalls with more than 100 meters fall, and Dørdalen, a canyon of vertical mountain walls up to 100 meters. We look at landscapes that were formed during the last and your guide will give an insight into how this happened.

Day 5 Working farm visit Through the mountain birch and over some easier hills, the walk goes to Søndergrenda at Jønnhalt where we enjoy a traditional lunch. Here, "budeia" (the milkmaid) tells about the ancient culture of the place, about life on the summer farm and why the mountain was important for people of the villages. In the evening there will be lectures on living condi- tions for wild reindeer. Our guides will give you a lot of interesting knowledge about the life of the wild reindeer and how they have survived.

Day 6 The Prehistoric Hunting Trail Wild reindeer in the mountains are protected. Today we hike to areas where we look at old fishing stations with ledges and well-preserved ani- mal trapping pits. Lunch at the hotel. After lunch, we visit Ringebu Stav- kirke and the gallery in Prestegården, alternatively Ringebu Centre. In the evening we have Norsk Matbord which is a specialty of Norwegian tradi- tional food, all based on local produce.

Day 7 Hogronden Summit Walk Today, we walk in beautiful open countryside over the plateau and down to Sollia. You will hear more about the journeys over the mountains and the use of mountains before and now. The trip ends at Bretningen farm, a small farm that still has traditional operations.

Day 8 End of services. Transfers can be arranged to airport or Ringebu rail station.

What to Expect

What will the weather be like? The weather is hard to predict, so one must be very well prepared always with an Getting There extra layer of clothing. The area is protected by the high mountains of Rondane, in the summer there can be long periods of warm dry weather, as well as rainy On Saturdays, there is a bus periods. directly from the Oslo How many hours of hiking a day? Gardermoen airport to the Be prepared to hike between 4 to 6 hours daily, often on flat terrain. There are hotel in Venabu, leaving the often 2 options each day, and easier or more challenging hike. airport at 14:00. It returns the How fit do I need to be? The fitter the better, and some hiking experience is recommended and required. following Saturday, departing You may have the option of taking a day off and not hiking. Venabu at 09:30 and arriving

What are the meals like? at the airport at 13:00. Cost is Norway has one of the oldest cuisines in Europe and, because of its relative isola- approximately $170 for the tion, it is in many ways unchanged since Viking days. The centerpiece is the mag- return trip (paid locally). nificent and generous Scandinavian buffet, with numerous hot and cold fish and meat dishes, surrounded by salads and fresh vegetables, with various barley and rye breads. Herbs especially dill, fruit, and cream are used liberally to create dis- The express bus is definitely tinctive flavours, especially in marinated fish, game and meat dishes. Delicious the best option for accessing desserts include waffles, piping hot griddlecakes, and an enormous variety of the hotel, but if you prefer, berries (cloudberries and cream is our favorite)! we can arrange a transfer What are the accommodations like? from the Ringebu rail station, The hotel is built in several stages in Norwegian architectural style with light & airy rooms throughout. There are 56 bedrooms with private facilities. The dining if you’re taking the train from room has a fantastic view towards the Rondane and over the local mountains. Oslo, $37 per person/per way. There are saunas, a solarium, meeting rooms, two TV lounges, table tennis table & pool table. There is live dance music 6 days a week in season and a fully li- censed bar. How to book your holiday

 Contact our office to make sure there is space available. One of our travel planners will walk you through the en- tire booking process.

 Download the reservation form from our website and send in the completed form by fax or email. Once this is done, your space is confirmed and a pre-departure packet will be sent immediately. Extra services  A deposit is required immediately, and final payment is due 60 days prior to departure. Terms & conditions are TRANSFERS can be arranged in advance. outlined on the back of our Reservation Form. OTHER OPTIONS: If you do not want to participate

in the organized walks, you can stay back and relax.  Plan your air travel as soon as possible. The hotel also has extensive stables. You can take an optional horseback ride through the area. This is  We encourage you to purchase travel insurance, either not included in the tour cost, but many of our cli- through us or directly from a travel insurance provider.

ents enjoy having a ride (day trip) halfway through  Ensure that you are in proper health for the trip. Contact the trip. us for more information on vaccinations, inoculations, and There are other options as well, including a fitness requirements. safari by jeep, day trip canoeing on the Atna River, or simply a shorter walk near the hotel.