VALLDAL – A NATURE AND ACTIVITIE PEARL IN NORWAY
Valldal is a gem in inner Sunnmøre and lie perfectly positioned between Trollstigen and Geiranger. Valldal is surrounded by high mountains that provide a good climate and an excellent starting point for beautiful mountain hikes. The nature in Valldal offers the best of what Norway and Western Norway has to offer with steep mountains that plunge straight down into the fjords. World Heritage site Tafjord starts based in Valldal and is an experience you will not forget. Here you can enjoy the beautiful Norwegian nature and admirable mountain farms without interference from large cruise ships, if you are lucky you can also see the small whale species Nise play around in the bay.
One of the best ways to experience Valldal and the nature we have to offer is through Valldal Naturopplevingar. In the summer season you can experience Rafting in Valldøla if you are in to action and you are not afraid to get wet. When the river is too small for rafting it opens the possibility for Canyoning in a gorge just beneath the famous Gudbrandsjuvet. There will be swimming, jumping, climbing and much fun in and adjacent to the river.
For those of you who like to keep dry you can experience climbing and caving in Fjøra. There are climbing routes that provide some challenges to everyone and anyone. If you are tough enough you can try at abseiling 30 meters in what looks like straight into the fjord. Caving is a cool ride down in a stone cave with holes going all the way into the sea.
The best way to experience the World heritage fjords is from the fiord itself. You can either rent sea kayaks and explore the fjords on your own, or you can embark on a guided tour that addresses the whole spectrum along the fjord with mountain farms and natural events.
«Valldal Aktivitetspark»was newly founded in 2014 and has a rich and challenging climbing park from «Høyt og Lavt». In addition, the trolls from Trollstad has their habitat here in the summer months and hold both dance shows and troll school for the youngest.
This is a perfect activity for the whole family, but don’t forget to book your tickets; it can quickly become fully booked in the summer.
In Valldal centrum you find Kulå bowling. You can go bowling with the whole family on cool «disco bowling« courts. You can also enjoy a big Kulå pizza or a glass of beer outdoors in the great weather for the grownups.
Through all summer there are regular events and concerts both outside and inside Kulå, watch the calendar on their web site.
Whenyou are in Valldal you should do a quick trip to Tafjord and experience the new power and avalanche center. Here you can walk through and experience the history of hydropower development in Tafjord in their museum. And they have a 12 meters high climbing wall open some days in the summer for the toughest ones.
«On the night of 7 April 1934 was disaster a fact for the little villages Tafjord and Fjørå.
A massive landslide at around 3 million cubic sparked a tsunami in the fjord that killed 40 people when waves up to 17 meters tall struck the land. «Power and Avalanche Center provides a sense of how it was for those who experienced this tragedy in 1934. In addition, you get much oher useful and exciting information about avalanches in general. This is both exciting and educational for all ages.
As we ahave allready mentiond, Valldal is a great starting point for a lot of beautifull hikes and nature experiences. morotur.no is a portal sett up by the county of Møre and Romsdal, to collect most of the hikingtrips we have in one place. You will find a lot of good suggestions there. And you can always ask us at Valldal Camping for suggestions and we lend out hiking maps to our guests.
This year’s big event in Valldal is the outdoors festival Valldal Summer Games. Every year in the last 6 years there have been a gathering in the first weekend of July in Valldal. People from all over the world come her to cycles down steep mountainsides, kayaking in rivers the most incredible places, climbing, rafting and much more. During the festival there is also a lot of people just coming to watch or enjoy the great atmospher in Valldal.
This is certainly something that are worth seeing, either you’re the crazy type, or just likes a good atmosphere and sourround yourself with great people.
SKI RESORTS
Many believe Valldal only has something to offer in the summer, but the truth is that it is at least as beautiful here in the winter when the mountains are filled with snow. Only 30 min away is the ski resort Arena Overøye, and 45 min away is the famous freeride center Strandafjellet. If you want to juggle between the ski resorts, stay away from the noise at the center, or just want a cheeper accommodation is Valldal a great starting point.
If you are of the slightly more daring type who rather walks hours upwards in powder snow than to share the snow with hundreds of people, Valldal is simply a undetected paradise. We have loads of different easily accessible peaks between 1,000 and 1,500 height meters of skiing. With steep mountains everywere you can always find a perfect trip to the different conditions and ski well into June if you are extra diligent.
You might find som trip suggestions on morotur.no, but there is always a lot of local knowledge for the people who ask.