Trolltunga – or “The Troll’s Tongue” – is up there as one of the most popular hikes and is just outright beautiful. It is made worth all the while by the journey you take there too; a 26km round trip!
Stretching out 700m above Lake Ringedalsvatnet in Odda, this natural phenomenon draws crowds from across the globe to reach this point. But it’s not for the faint-hearted. This is not just a quick viewpoint from the side of the road. It is a long hike through the Norwegian mountains, traveling across the “Norwegian Flat” terrain (basically: not flat), curving around rock crevasses until you reach the tongue itself.
Okay, it’s not like you’re climbing K2. But you still need to either have a head for heights or know how to control any phobia you have. If you’re reading this wondering if you can do it, heights knock me for two and I still managed to stand on the end for a photo (with a twist!), so I have every confidence in you, random stranger.
“But Chris, it is so popular, there are just huge queues, it’s a big problem” – Someone who has never been, who probably comments the same about Everest.
That’s a negative, ghost rider. Yes, there can be huge queues (there are some great Instagram shots showing this) but not only will I explain the route and why it is still so worth it, but I will also tell you how to skip the queues. So read on to find out how.
Trolltunga Without The Crowds
Okay, I can’t do long suspense. To skip the queues, it’s really quite obvious: don’t go at peak times. Go in November. You won’t melt from the summer sun on the mountains and be stuck behind other hikers. You also won’t get battered by harsh conditions and high winds – unless you’re wanting to take a Christmas Tree for a photoshoot
November was a perfect time to hike, and we were incredibly lucky with the weather too; beautiful sun and gentle to no wind. I used a guide for this route, and I can’t recommend Trolltunga Active enough for their hospitality.
What I Packed
Staying at the Trolltunga Hotel, we (myself and only two others in the group – who happened to be from the same town!) received our briefing from the guide at 21:00 the night before. I could barely sleep that night and had my kit laid out perfectly.
So, with the kit, I won’t go into too much detail. Trolltunga Active provides spikes, but if you are going solo then you can pick these up for £15 or so on Amazon (which I did when I got home!). For reference, I’m a UK size 11 and I have XL size. Also bring a 35L day pack, gloves, warm clothes, and WATER! Unless, of course, you’re a fool like me and have to buy it at the centre before starting.
Getting Things Started To Trolltunga
The route is split into three parts.
First off: an epic opener. Testing your spirit, starting before sunrise, head torches on, you blister your barely-awoken body up this hill to the left of the hairpin mountain road at Skjeggedal. This is a good leveller to see how you’ll be for the rest of the day; you gain some good elevation over a short distance. Make sure you stop halfway to see the snowy mountains behind you in the morning twilight. Bringing your daughter’s teddy is optional:
You reach the top of the hill and boy are you glad THAT’S over. Right? No.
Now we press on through some “Norwegian Flat” to the base of another hill. Now is a good time to grab some water, eat a snack, and have a loo break if needed.
Fun fact: at this point, I learned that one of the other two guys hiking with us had only ever hiked Pen Y Fan before this – and given up. He was shattered before we were 1/6th of the way through. Although we were (spoiler alert) slowed significantly by his lack of experience – and therefore any endurance – he did not give up, never complained and kept putting one foot in front of the other. What a hero. Talking about heroes, his friend carried his backpack as well as his own the whole way to help him.
So, back to this hill. As you look at it, it doesn’t look too bad. “This’ll be a walk in the park”. You may even chuckle to yourself! But as you reach the top, your heart should be pounding and legs screaming for you to get back to Netflix as fast as you can. But, if you’ve made it this far, best to crack on.
At the top of this hill, you actually reach the highest point at around 1200m (Trolltunga protrudes out at 1100m). Before you ever so slightly descend down the other side, turn around to catch Norway’s 3rd largest icecap behind you!
At this point, you better hope you have a good team or are happy in your own head. It’s a long walk over our beloved “Norwegian Flat” terrain. Just as a reminder, that means not-really-flat-but-the-best-you’re-gunna-get.
Thankfully, I had a fantastic group and guide and got to know them all a little better as we walked past icicles, topped up water from a stream, and gazed across the beautiful Ringedalsvatnet Lake that becomes viewable as you get closer to Trolltunga. But don’t go too close to the edge; it’s a long way down!
At this point, you will be a beautiful ball of emotions. Your legs – and possibly knees – will be toasty and ready for bed. You’ll be constantly looking across to see if you can see Trolltunga, and you should hopefully be excited to finally get there.
As you walk across packed ice and navigate rock crevasses in the third and final section, you ultimately reach Trolltunga. For us, we were the only people there; the guide, the two guys from my town, and I. For 45 minutes we took it in turns to take photos, build snowmen, and have a snack. For me, I tucked into my Sour Strips, and got down for my photo, but with my twist: stark naked!
Always Grateful To Travel
Hiking to Trolltunga has been one of my favourite memories to date. It was a test of my resilience for longer day hikes and an experience I will never forget. I hope you get to do it as soon as you can!
Writing this has been an absolute pleasure, and I hope you enjoyed reading. If, by chance, you also love listening, then feel free to explore my podcast. which talks about adventure travel from backpacking to expeditions across the globe.
About The Author
Chris Kilworth is the founder and owner of the amazing travel podcast, ‘Between The Mountains’. He interviews travellers, adventurers and explorers to find out what makes them tick and helps get their incredible journeys out to the world. If you love all things travel, you will love this podcast. You can find the episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube, Podbeam and many more. Be sure to also check out his socials at Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with his vast and quickly accelerating travel podcast series.
Travel With Cooky On ‘Between The Mountains’.
Thanks to Between The Mountains for having me on the channel to talk about one of my favourite cities in the world, BUDAPEST. You can listen to my interview ‘Backpacking In Budapest’ here!
