Gerainger, Norway - A Village at the End of a Fjord

 Gerainger is a small tourist village at the end of Geraingerfjord and a popular stop-over for cruise ships. It's a magnet for outdoor adventurers who compete each year in the Gerainger - From Fjord to Summit Half Marathon and bike race. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's considered a must do on a visit to the Fjord region. And it was the third stop on our Holland America Norwegian Fjord cruise. 

The excursions on our cruise seemed, to me, to be a bit high priced. So we decided to limit our excursions to one and do most of our stops on our own. We decided to do Gerainger on our own. Here's how we enjoyed our visit to this little fjord town.

Hop On, Hop Off Bus

We opted to explore Gerainger on our own on a Hop On, Hop Off Bus. I believe we paid $38.95 per person - don't quote me on this - and the bus made 3 stops - the Norwegian Fjord Centre, Westeraas Farm and Flydalsjuvet Viewpoint. And as with most Ho, Ho buses there was commentary in many different languages through headphones we were given.  The important part of this is that the bus took us UPHILL so we didn't have to hike up 4 or 5 kilometers. Then we walked down. Win - win. 

Norwegian Fjord Centre

The Norwegian Fjord Centre, also known as the World Heritage Visitor Centre, is the educational hub exploring the West Norwegian Fjords region. Within the center, there is a cafe, a souvenir shop and an art gallery. It is on UNESCO's World Heritage List for its "exceptional natural significance." 

I loved this museum and found its exhibits fascinating. Though small, it represents the history and geology of the West Norwegian Fjords region very well. Exhibits tell about the geological processes that formed the fjords, and to see what the fjords look like today. There are also exhibits of clothing worn by those living in the fjords, about the transportation of the area and about the biological diversity of plants and animals along with their adaptation to the area.

A nice bonus is the small art museum with views onto the waterfall. The displays showcase topical issues, or are curated by in-house staff and even feature projects from local schools.

I highly suggest a visit here if you are in Gerainger and want to know more about the West Norwegian Fjords. The cost is minimal (about $15) and it's small enough to not take a lot of your time but still give you lots of information.

Flydalsjuvet Viewpoint

If you've ever seen a photo from Norway, chances are it's been taken here. Flydalsjuvet is located about 4 km uphill from the village of Gerainger and our reasoning for taking the HoHo bus was to get to this spot. (If you so choose, you can walk up to the viewpoint - but it is uphill) The bus dropped us off right here and we got our self in position to take some photos. Then we enjoyed the viewpoint from the benches there until the bus came around again.

Walk the Waterfall Trail

We decided to take the HoHo bus uphill and walk back down to the town and our cruise ship. The waterfall trail (or walk) is 327 steps along the surging Storfossen (waterfall). There are plateaus and viewpoints along the way and it passes the Norwegian Fjord Centre and Hotel Union. The price tag on this walkway was 12 million Norwegian kroner ( or 1 million in US dollars) and it took more than 20 years to build.

How about you? Have you been to Gerainger?

Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!