What's up guys, today we're doing the Besseggen hike. It's considered one of the best hikes
in all of Norway. In this video, we're gonna give you the full guide from how to get here,
what to pack, and of course the beautiful views along the route. So hope you enjoy the video!
We are Zac and Ine, full-time digital nomads from the United States and Belgium.
We met while studying abroad in 2018 and have been traveling the world together ever since.
We're here to inspire your next adventure, whether it's hiking in the Canadian Rockies,
a road trip through the US, or backpacking across Africa. On our channel, you'll find
unfiltered videos of hiking guides and the best things to do in destinations around the world.
The Besseggen hike is located in Jotunheimen National Park and between three major cities
of Bergen, Oslo and Trondheim. The national park itself has over 250 mountains that are
nearly 2,000 meters high. The Besseggen hike is one of the most iconic and popular ones in
all of Norway. With around 60,000 people hiking the trail on average each year.
On the hike itself, you'll be able to see amazing views of Lake Gjende,
Lake Bessvatnet, glaciers, and endless mountain peaks. It's a once-in-a-lifetime hike.
To get to the Besseggen hike, we recommend driving your own car or renting one. There's apparently
a bus that goes from Oslo to Gjendesheim a few times per day, which is called Valdresekspressen.
We'll leave a link in the description below if you want to book that. If you end up driving
your own car coming from the south, you can stop at the Stegastein viewpoint, which is on road 243
and overlooks a beautiful fjord. Most people will drive to the Besseggen hike from the major cities
of Oslo, Bergen, or Trondheim. From Oslo, the drive is about four and a half hours. From Bergen,
it's five and a half, and from Trondheim, five hours. Since the hike takes between six
to eight hours, it's important to arrive the night before and start the hike early the next morning.
Driving your own car allows you to camp in a secluded spot on the way to the trail.
One of the great things about Norway is that you're allowed to wild camp in most natural areas.
Near the Besseggen hike, for instance, there are camping spots along the Valdresflye National
Tourist Route. Other rules to follow while wild camping are that you should never be within 150
meters of houses, never camp on farmland, and always pick up after yourself. If you're not into
wild camping, there are also seven other options near the trailhead. We've included the names of
those on the screen here and have links in the description below to book them if you'd like.
There are some things you should do in order to prepare for this trip.
First, you need to pack the right stuff. We've put the essential items on the screen, such as a rain
jacket, water bottle, and more. You also need to book your accommodation in advance that we
mentioned in the previous section. If you're not planning on wild camping, you should also check
the weather in advance to ensure conditions are good enough for hiking. We don't recommend doing
this hike in the rain or heavy winds, since there are steep rock formations that can be dangerous.
Check the website yr.no for the most accurate weather in the area before heading out. And
while the route is nicely put together, it's still moderately difficult due to the exposed
sections of rock near the top and its overall length. We don't recommend hiking this trail if
you don't have any alpine hiking experience. If you're not fully comfortable, you can also book
a local guide for the hike. And we've included a link for that in the description as well.
To get to Gjendesheim, you'll need to park your car in the lot about two kilometers away.
With your parking fee, you also get free access to use the shuttle bus. This was running continuously
every 15 minutes or so from 7 AM to 7 PM in the summer, at the time of this video. Once you're
in Gjendesheim, we highly recommend taking the ferry boat in order to get the full beauty and
experience of this hike. That way, you can do the hike one way back to Gjendesheim,
and not worry about having to catch the last ferry back that day or walking an extra 12 kilometers on
the lake itself. The ferry to Memurubu is about a 20-minute ride, which takes you across the blue
lake Gjende, where you'll see waterfalls and high mountains surrounding you. This is an experience
in itself. It's best to reserve the ferry in advance to save your spot, and we've put a link in
the description to check the current prices of the shuttle parking as well as to book your boat ride.
Now, let's take a look at the route for the Besseggen hike. After a short boat ride from
Gjendesheim to Memurubu, you'll start climbing immediately until you reach the ridge after
about two and a half kilometers. Once you're on the ridge, it's relatively flat for about
four and a half kilometers with some minor ups and downs. Here, you'll take in beautiful views of the
surrounding glaciers and Lake Gjende. Then, there's one hard push where you gain nearly
300 meters over one kilometer. That's the rocky section with a little bit of exposure. You must be
very careful there! Then, you'll reach a gradual plateau before heading back down to Gjendesheim
the rest of the way. That's about five and a half kilometers downhill to finish back where you took
the ferry from. In total, the hike is about 15 kilometers with 1,177 meters of elevation gain,
and takes between six to eight hours to complete. Now, we'll show you the entire hiking route from
start to finish so you know what to expect and can feel prepared for your own Besseggen hike.
It's a little bit windy up on the ridge so make sure to bring a good wind jacket.
So we're just about to start the final ascent here. Looks pretty steep and maybe a
little bit of exposure, but there should be really nice views at the top so let's see.
And that's it for our video on the Besseggen hike, one of the premier hikes in Norway
and in the world. We hope it helped you prepare for your own Besseggen adventure. Make sure to
stay safe stay within your limits and have fun out there. Check out the description of
this video for all the links that you need to book accommodation, transport,
and even to download the actual trail route that we did. We'll catch you on the next adventure!