Historic route Jotunheimen

6 days, self- guided

On this 6-day hike, you will follow the path of the pioneers in Norway’s mountaineering history on this historic route. From Eidsbugarden to Gjendesheim you will hike along the most spectacular sights in Jotunheimen National Park. You will start your hike with a storytelling at Fondsbu, during the whole hike you will learn about the history and go back in time to see why artists were inspired to write beautiful music and good literature from this area.

Highlights

  • Hiking the famous Besseggen Ridge
  • Magnificat nature
  • Cultural and historical landscape
  • Accommodations with a cozy atmosphere and local food

Including

  • Bus from/to Oslo
  • Boat cruise x 1
  • Luggage transport
  • Accommodation x 5
  • Dinner, Breakfast with packed lunch x 5
  • Storytelling at Fondsbu and Gjendebu
  • Tour Description
  • Map

Season & Price 2024

June – August

Daily departures between: 
First departure: 28.06.2024
Last departure: 30.08.2024

Prices:
Person in a double room: NOK 12.999
Singel room supplement: NOK 2.400

Hiking adventure in Jotunheimen

This summer you can join us on a long hike through the beautiful Jotunheimen. Here you get both the history behind the route, while you get to experience the best areas and accommodations.

We will visit some of the most famous DNT cabins, Fondsbu, Torfinnsbu, Gjendebu and Gjendesheim. As well as the privately owned Memurubu Hotel.

In these mountains, DNT was established about 150 years ago. With the two lakes Gjende and Bygdin as an important entrance to mountain areas in Jotunheimen. After the first DNT cabin was built on Tyin in 1870, it did not a long time before several cabins were opened along the two lakes. Since then, millions of hikers have walked the many trails and climbed the many mountain peaks – from the famous mountain Besseggen, to beautiful valleys like Svartdalen. With its dramatic landscape, thousands of stories that even Henrik Ibsen and Edvard Greig were inspired by, we look forward to opening one of the country’s best hiking trails.

Map

The map shows the route you will walk

Day to day

Day 1: Arrival Jotunheimen

Transport
Bus from Oslo 8.30 am to Bygdin.

Boat cruise to Eidsbugarden.
Start your trip, by getting into the mountains with the historical MB Bitihorn, built in 1912.

Activity, Storytelling
The story of Eidsbugarden dates back to the year 1868, when Norway’s very first hut for recreational use was built here by the famous Norwegian poet, journalist, author, and rebel Aasmund Olavson Vinje.
Solbjørg, your host at Fondsbu will take you to the historic site Vinjebue (his cabin) to give you an insight into how this writer ended up here, his fascinating life path and his connection to Jotunheimen.

Accommodation: Fondsbu DNT

Day 2: Hike along Bygdin Lake

Activity, Hike along Bygdin Lake
Duration: 7-9 hours, Distance: 20,5 kilometers, ↑ 500 meters

This hike follows the Bygdin lake for most of the time, before going up a rise to a pond and down again to Torfinnsbu in the end. The word Bygdin comes from the old Norwegian “bugr” which means a bend, on the map we can see that Bygdin is bent in a boomerang shape. (If you would like an easy start, or the weather is bad it is possible to sail with the boat on this stretch. (Extra costs).

Accommodation: Torfinnsbu DNT- self-served cabin
At Torfinnsbu you will do your meals yourself. There is a food storage where you can take food (included!) to do your dinner, breakfast, and packaged lunch. You will receive detailed information in your travel documents on how to use the facilities.

Day 3: Hike Svartdalen

Activity, Hike Svartdalen (the Black Valley)
Time: 5-6 hours, Distance: 14 kilometers, ↑ 610 meters

Svartdalen is a very beautiful valley with views of many 2000-meter peaks and glaciers. Get to know the pioneers who first climbed these peaks. However, this is not an easy hike since the trail is quite rocky, and good surefootedness and poles are an advantage. In the end, a steep downhill awaits you – under wet conditions, this part can be quite slippery too. Take your time to come safely to the next cabin.

Activity, Storytelling
At DNT’s oldest you will also get a storytelling from your host. In Gjendine bue you will learn more about the farmers who lived here in the early 1900s.

Accommodation: Gjendebu DNT-cabin

Day 4: Hike Bukkelægre

Activity, Hike Bukkelægret
Time: 5 hours, Distance: 11 kilometers, ↑ 850 meter

This hike starts along Gjende Lake before it leads you steep and exposed up to the ridge. When you reach the ridge, you will have a beautiful view over the mountains and Gjende Lake. Milkmaids and farmers came over the mountains from Lom and Vågå with their cattle, sheep, and goats and down Bukkelægret. Steep downhill to Memurudalen, where you find your next accommodation Memurubu,

If the weather is bad or you need a rest day, it is possible to use the boat from Gjendebu to Memurubu (Extra costs, not included).

Accommodation: Memurubu Mountain Lodge

Day 5: Hike Besseggen

Activity, Hike Besseggen
Duration: 6 – 8 timer, Distance: 14 kilometres, ↑1132 meter

Ever heard about the play “Peer Gynt” by Henrik Ibsen, this is the place, Gendin-edge, where Peer comes home to his mother and tells the tale of the buck ride that went awry. Besseggen is one of Norway’s most popular hikes nowadays. On a trip over the narrow, airy ridge, there is a fantastic view of the majestic Jotunheimen. With the green Gjende 400 meters straight down on one side, and the deep blue Bessvatnet Lake on the other, you will have an experience you will never forget. The steep section is possible to avoid, and for the whole, trip is possible to hike down by the lake or the the boat (extra costs).

Accommodation: Gjendesheim DNT-cabin

Day 6: Departure

Departure

With our bus from Gjendesheim to Oslo

Practical information

Below you will find practical information about this trip. Not finding what you are looking for? See our frequently asked questions page, or send us an email – we will help you!

Add-ons

Extra night in Oslo,
– on request
If you are interested in seeing the capital of Norway, or your flight is arriving late, you can add one extra night in Oslo, including breakfast. You can also add the extra night in Oslo at the end of the trip.

Extra night at Bygdin Høyfjellshotell,
– person in double room NOK 1995
If you cannot reach the bus at 8.30 am, we recommend having an extra night in Jotunheimen at Bygdin. Different departures are available. All meals included (breakfast, packed lunch and dinner).

Extra night at Beitostølen, Raddison Hotel,
– person in double room NOK 1395
If you can not reach the bus at 8.30 am, another option is to have an extra night in Jotunheimen at Beitostølen, a mountain village. Different, and more departures from Oslo are available. Included breakfast. There are many restaurants in Beitostølen, where you can enjoy a dinner.

Important details

To fully enjoy your hiking adventure in the mountainous areas, it’s important to dress appropriately for the weather conditions and local temperatures. For a comfortable and enjoyable experience, we recommend wearing warm, waterproof clothing, sturdy mountain hiking boots that provide ankle support, and sunscreen and sunglasses. We also recommend bringing hiking poles in this type of terrain.

Luggage transport

We will send your luggage from cabin to cabin, so you only need to bring a daypack.

Accommodation

In the DNT cabins, you will meet a traditional atmosphere where the rooms have bunk beds and bathrooms and showers are in the hall. At Torfinnsbu the toilet is in a house outside, and you will have to cook your meal yourself and may have to share a room with other hikers. When ordering a single room, you will get a room by yourself, but if the cabins are fully booked you will have to share them with other guests, as a DNT-mountain policy, it is always room for all hikers. At Memurubu you will get a private bathroom in the room.

Fondsbu DNT-cabin
This is the place where the famous writer Vinje built his cabin in 1868. Fondsbu is located in beautiful Eidsbugarden. The cottage is widely known for its good atmosphere, hosts, and great location. A popular place for hikers.

Torfinnsbu DNT- self served cabin
This beautiful pearl of a cabin is self-service. This cabin is partly built of materials from the Norwegian Trekking Association’s very first cabin – Tvindehougen near Tyin. The M/T Bithihorn stops here. It’s a natural stay for mountainers who want easy access to the climbing peaks Torfinsstind and Knutsholstind. In the summer there will be a cabin guard living here.

There is a food storage where you can take food (included!) to do your dinner, breakfast, and packaged lunch. You will receive detailed information in your travel documents on how to use the facilities.
The toilet is outside, in a separate building.
OBS. You will need to bring a sleep liner for this cabin.

Gjendebu DNT-cabin
At 990 m.a.s.l. at the west end of Gjende Lake, you will find Gjendebu. The DNT accommodation consists of several cabins and a main house with a beautiful dining room, with good local food – This is the oldest cabin of DNT, built in 1871.

Memurubu Turisthytte 
Memurubu is a tourist hut at the end or start of the famous Besseggen hiking trail. Memurubu is originally an old mountain pasture dating back to 1872, but has had tourists for just as long. Cows are still grazing around the tourist hut, which lies at the mouth of the river Muru in the valley Memurudalen. In 1880, three young Englishmen went on a hunting and fishing trip and had camp in Memurubu. Two years later, they published a book about their experiences. It was published anonymously in London in 1882, and they called it “Three on Norway. By two of them.”

Gjendesheim DNT-cabin
Gjendesheim Turisthytte has a history dating back to 1878, ten years after DnT was established. The hut is run by DNT and is located in the heart of the Norwegian mountains. Across the water from the restaurant you will see some old log cabins, one of them is Jo Gjende´s cabin. Jo Gjende (1794 – 27 February 1884) was a Norwegian outdoorsman and freethinker. He is believed to have been the model for Henrik Ibsen´s Peer Gynt. A famous photo of Jo is in the picture book.

Meals

All restaurants, except Torfinnsbu, offer food based on local ingredients. For breakfast, there will be a buffet. Here you also need to make yourself a packed lunch that you bring for the day. It is possible to fill a thermos. Dinner will be served in the afternoon/evening. At Torfinnsbu there is a food storage where you can pick the food you want for a certain amount of money included, to make your own food together with other hikers staying there.

    Route

    Our selected daily hikes are well-marked, and you will meet other hikers. The trails are narrow, often rocky, and sometimes you need to cross rivers and streams. Therefore, we recommend ankle-height mountain boots and hiking poles.

    You will receive a physical map and gpx files from us on arrival and a detailed tour description for orientation and history.

    Difficulty

    Hard
    Distances: up to 20 kilometres
    Ascent: up to 1500 ascent meter
    Terrain: Varied trail, where longer sections are hilly and rocky, there will also be features and exposed terrain.

    On these trips, we spend a lot of time in demanding terrain, and there are long ascents and descents. The tours are usually around 6-8 hours. These trips can also involve crossing glaciers and rappelling, this requires that the person participating in the trip has some previous experience and is in good physical shape.

    Please ask us if you are not sure about your level.

    Equipment list

    When you book with us, we’ll provide you with a packing list to ensure you have all the necessary clothing and gear.

    Transport

    Travel green by using public transport. Enjoy the trip from the big city towards Valdres and Jotunheimen! The express buses take you straight from the capital to the heart of Norway. On the way, you will pass mountains, valleys, rivers, and beautiful farms. The buses have free WiFi, power outlets with USB chargers, and toilets.

    You will also travel by the historical MB Bitihorn.

     

    On this trip, you will have to get the

    bus from Oslo Bus Terminal at 8.30 am

    to reach the boat at Bygin at 1.30 pm.

    If you can not reach this bus, we recommend having an extra night in Jotunheimen at Bygdin or Beitostølen. Different departures to choose from.

    It is also possible to add one night in Oslo.

    You may also like