Nandita Nelson says...
Excellent all round, except for holiday grading. Would definitely travel with you again.
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This seven-night guided walking holiday is set in Venabu in central Norway, on the edge of the Rondane National Park, looking down on the Gudbrandsdalen Valley, just north of Lillehammer. The landscape is dramatic and full of contrasts from spectacular gorges and lofty peaks to pretty fells and verdant valleys that extend as far as the eye can see. This is Norway's vast yet beautiful, untouched wilderness at its very best.
Your hosts for the week - assisted by knowledgeable local guide, Joy O'Flanagan - are the Tvete family, who have been looking after guests at the Venabu Fjellhotel for over 75 years. Birgit and Arvid Tvete built the hotel from scratch, choosing the original plot because of its tremendous views. Now run with daughter Line in charge, it has developed into a friendly, relaxing 'home from home' in a fabulous setting. The dining room in particular - which offers traditional Scandinavian cuisine - affords glorious panoramic vistas out across the mountains.
Your guide will run through the week's activities before dinner. Your evening meal is included every night for the week, as are picnic lunches.
Today sets the scene for the rest of the week's walking. After a short transfer, we climb steadily to the summit of Dynjefjellet for superb 360-degree views of the wild yet beautiful Venabygd plateau, with the high peaks of Rondane visible in the distance. Wild reindeer have lived here since the last Ice Age and still roam freely on these untamed lands.
We hike to the peak of Stiore Ramshogda at 1463m in the heart of the Rondane National Park. The National Park was created in 1962 to protect the genetically unique reindeer that live here. We'll descend to discover a valley with the chance to see some of the birdlife of the area - merlin and fjellvak.
Our longest day starts with a transfer to the Rondane massif where we traverse through the heart of the National Park to explore the high mountains of Norway.
Today, we follow St Olav's Pilgrim Road above the wide river valley of Gudbrandsdalen. Scandinavian painted farmhouses dot the landscape as we climb to the remains of a 4th to 6th century hillfort, where we learn more about the life of St Olav. We end the day with a visit to one of Norway's last remaining medieval stave churches.
Setting off from Holterseter, savour the contrasting views of the open, lush river valley to the rocky lichen-covered peaks of Venabygdsfjellet. We reach the summer farm set in the pastures below Forbundsfjellet in time for a traditional Norwegian lunch, regaled by stories of local folklore. We return via farmland and meadows to our hotel. This evening after dinner, there is the option to join the moose safari.
We end the week with a fantastic walk to the crystal clear lakes of Finnsjøvola, with far reaching vistas to the Rondane massif and the graceful curves of Atnasjøen lake. We visit the unusual and delightful Sollia church before returning to the hotel for our final dinner.
This single-centre holiday is based at the following hotel. If you'd like to extend your stay here, or upgrade your room, just let us know at the time of booking.
To find out more call our sales team on 0044 1606 720199 or email sales@headwater.com
Read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
NEARBY:
Room upgrades: West Wing Single Room, West Wing Twin / Double room or West Wing Corner
West Wing rooms are more spacious than the East Wing ones. The West Wing Twin rooms have got Scandinavian beds (single beds with end to end). West Wing Single rooms are effectively West Wing Twin rooms so double for sole occupancy with 2 beds (single beds with end to end). The single supplement is included in the room upgrade supplement for the applicable weeks. West Wing Corner rooms have got double beds.
If you'd like to extend your trip with extra nights at the start or end, or if you'd like to arrange a stop off point en-route, then we recommend the following hotels.
Find out more on the hotel website.
Read customer reviews on Tripadvisor.
The Hotel Cecil is a modern 3 star hotel situated next to the parliament and is in an ideal location for exploring the city centre. All rooms are light and airy with full en-suite facilities. They also come equipped with direct dial telephone, cable television and air-conditioning. Breakfast is buffet style and there is a selection of restaurants within walking distance for your evening meal.
Extra nights: Please contact us for details.
Transfers can be arranged from Ringebu train station at 18:51, and back to Ringebu train station at 09:15.
Call now to speak to our specialist team at 0044 1606 720199 or email us at sales@headwater.com for enquiries or to book your trip.
Everyone who goes on a Headwater holiday will be emailed a link to our post-holiday questionnaire where they can give us an honest assessment of all aspects of their holiday - everything from how quickly we answer the phone to how clean the hotels were - plus an overall rating and comments about their holiday.
Any feedback collected is posted to our website, so that people can make an informed decision based on past experiences before heading off on holiday. We don’t edit the reviews, the only thing we do is proofread them and alter any typos, where necessary, to ensure they are easy to read for everyone. All reviews will be published (except in certain extreme circumstances), and a member of the Headwater team will respond to any constructive criticisms/comments under the reviews, at their discretion. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of our holidays, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.
Excellent all round, except for holiday grading. Would definitely travel with you again.
It was a relaxing and carefree holiday, thanks to Headwater’s sorting of all the travel and accommodation details and the excellent service from the hotel and guides. They really covered all the bases, so all I had to do was turn up and enjoy my holiday.
The whole experience was excellent. Travel arrangements worked well. Walking level of group and local guides were very good. Hotel accommodation appropriate for activity. Food was exceptional.
Great holiday, well organised.
The initial problems with my booking were frustrating but afterwards, all the admin was correct & provided at the right time. The hotel location was excellent and would make a good location for snow showing. The hotel team & our guide, Wenche, were also excellent.
I was very impressed with all aspects of the holiday. The only thing I'd change would be the length of the wait for the train.
I have been to Venabu 3 times to ski and I wanted to see the area without snow (totally different). The week's walking is designed to show the culture and scenery of the area and the guide (Wenche) was very knowledgeable and interesting to be with. She had to cope with a wide spread of ability in the group which she managed to do as well as the weather which was not the best. We visited old churches, summer farms and an exhibition during the week either as part of the walk or afterwards. The staff in the hotel are very friendly and efficient speaking very good English. The food is plentiful and as a vegetarian I enjoyed all the evening meals especially the Norwegian meal. I was also glad to be able to arrange my own flights as those offered by Headwater did not suit my needs.
I especially enjoyed the little things that were not in the itinerary and were unexpected - like a visit to an old stave church, a stop to talk to an old farmer, and a second visit to the summer farm where we were given rhubarb pie.
Generally fine - and helpful with extra add-ons. Communication was good. As I've said above maybe the trip notes need a little fine tuning -and Exodus and Headwater need to agree on a standard grading for the holiday.
You can be confident that our pricing includes all the standard requirements of your holiday and many additional extras. Always ensure that you are comparing like for like when booking your holiday.
This 7 night guided walking holiday includes:
Single-centre accommodation in a hotel
All buffet breakfasts, 6 picnics including filled flasks and buffet evening meals
Briefing at the start of your holiday
Services of an experienced walking guide
Complimentary tea and coffee at the hotel
All walk transfers
Group transfer from Ringebu station
How to book:
To book this holidays speak to our sales team on 0044 1606 720199 or click on the appropriate 'book now' or 'check availability' button below.
To book this holiday call our sales team on 0044 1606 720199 or click on the appropriate 'Book now' or 'check availability' button below.
| Departing | Tour only | Prices  |
Single supplement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28th Jun 2024 | US$3605 | US$242 | Tour only: US$3605 Single supp: US$242 |
Check availability |
| Check availability | ||||
| Departing | Tour only | Prices |
Single supplement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23rd Aug 2024 | US$3605 | US$242 | Tour only: US$3605 Single supp: US$242 |
Check availability |
| Check availability | ||||
| Departing | Tour only | Prices |
Single supplement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20th Jun 2025 | US$3755 | US$242 | Tour only: US$3755 Single supp: US$242 |
Check availability |
| Check availability | ||||
| Departing | Tour only | Prices |
Single supplement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7th Jul 2025 | US$3755 | US$242 | Tour only: US$3755 Single supp: US$242 |
Check availability |
| Check availability | ||||
The prices quoted for each individual departure supercede those published in our current brochures. Air prices are subject to change and we advise early booking to obtain the best prices. Please see our Planning your holiday and What's included in the price? pages for additional information.
Solo travellers
Please call for details and prices
Children
This holiday is unsuitable for children.
Holiday type
Guided walking Managed by Headwater rep.
Departures
Selected dates from 28th Jun 2024 to 7th Jul 2025, for 7 nights. All dates are subject to availability, please contact us to check.
Meals
All buffet breakfasts, 6 picnics including filled flasks and buffet evening meals
Tour only
Transfers can be arranged from Ringebu train station at 18:51, and back to Ringebu train station at 09:15.
To book this holidays speak to our sales team on 0044 1606 720199 or click on the appropriate 'book now' button above.
If you need further information before you book simply complete our Holiday Enquiry Form and a member of our sales team will get back to you.
To book this holiday call our sales team on 0044 1606 720199 or click on the appropriate 'Book now' or 'Check availability' button below.
