If you followed my Norway diary you know the these northern country is a land full of natur wonders, great views and stunning places. The kingdom – oh, yes, it is still one! - is largern than Italy and it has only ten percent of the inhabitants of Italy. So much room for mountains, lakes, prairies, summits, forests, beaches and waterfalls. One of them is Voringsfossen, perhaps Norway's most famous waterfall, who brings huge masses of water from the Hardangervidde plateau 182 meters down into the Måbødal valley. 145 meters of this are the water is „Free falling“ like the great Tom Petty sings has sung in his classic song with the same name.
The scenery sound like a never ending hurricane or an always riding train. You will see the Voringfossen from miles away: There are clouds in the sky right above it who are not „normal“ clouds. They're made from water that's vaporisided out of the water on the ground, not from flying water in the air. If you come from Bergen, the worlds capital of rain, it's just a drive of 150 miles along the nice E10 to come to the Eidfjordvatnet where the serpentine to Voringsfossen begins. The road from Måbødalen up to Fossli was completed in 1916 and can still be used on foot or by bike. Today's road leads through numerous tunnels and has some pleasant viewpoints to see fjords, lakes and lonely dark forests.
At the top of the mountain you will find a great and norwegian red colored hotel building named „Fossli“ and a lot of hiking trails, short ones and longer ones, dry ones and wet ones. The first view of the waterfall with the imposing valley cut from above is a unique experience. The surroundings are green, the water foams white and the sky is blue, so you have the perfect look from above down to the narrow and steep of Måbødal, who stretches from the Eidfjord up to Hardangervidda.
On wooden paths with safety railings braves ones can go in some places right up to the front and look into the abyss. Down there you will see hikers who are going to the foot of the waterfall: Like small ants they walk and climb over the rocks the fall has thrown along the river Bjoreido who is not the same river anymore since he is dammed with the Sysendam to generate elctric energy. Watch out: The amount of water is therefore limited, but for the tourists it is increased in the summer from June 1st to September 15th to around 12 kubic meters of water per second. This means 100 bathing tubes at every blink of your eyes.
A nice thing is the walking trail at the bottom of the fall too. The walking time from the main road – a small parking waits here - to the waterfall is 30 minutes they say, but don't trust them. It needs an hour because the way down is steep and the path along the river is rocky. To get down you have to deal with 1,300 stone steps builted at the year 1780 to aid the ascent.
At the ground behind a suspention bridge the air is getting wet and wetter the closer you get to the foof of the fall. It feels like a little like diving to go further, but it is much more louder than a diving trip to oceans ground. The Voringsfossen screams and crys and he drums and roars like a monster made of water. You will need a cape or a, very good rain coat so as not get soaking wet in this invisible cloud on the ground. But the view is worth the humidity: When you stand right before the tons and tons of fall down water it is an unforgettable experience. A dwarf you are, a dwarf who is facing a giant.
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