4 Best Sights in Eidfjord, The Western Fjords

For thousands of years, this 600-foot waterfall has cut like a knife through the Hardangervidda Plateau, every year adding another fraction of an inch to the Måbødalen Valley. There are a number of ways to take in the waterfall and the valley beneath it, the most accessible being the cliff-top lookout points along Route 7 between Eidfjord and Fossli. For a dazzling and damp view from beneath the waterfall, take a half-hour hike from the road to the bottom of the waterfall. The trail is slippery, even in dry weather, but is well worth it. Visit Eidfjord can help plan your trip.

At an average height of 3,600 feet, Hardangervidda is Europe’s largest (almost 3,300 square miles) high-altitude plateau. It’s also part Hardangervidda National Park, Norway's largest national park, which stretches from western to eastern Norway across the three counties of Vestland, Buskerud, and Telemark. The Norwegian Nature Centre acts as the park's official visitor center. It has exhibits and information on Norway’s nature, climate, and environment.

Dotted around the steep hillsides flanking the fjords are a number of small, seemingly inaccessible farms. Farmers who originally settled here would often use a system of ropes and pulleys to haul up supplies. One of these farms, Kjeåsen, became accessible when workers built a narrow switchback road to the top of the cliff. Because the road is a single lane, traffic goes uphill for the first 30 minutes of every hour, downhill for the last 30 minutes. A more strenuous but more rewarding way up is via the footpath the inhabitants used to take. Starting at the parking lot near the Sima power station, it's a fairly strenuous 90-minute walk each way, with ropes and ladders helping you navigate the more difficult portions. The view from atop the cliff is your reward, and if you’re lucky, the proprietor will offer to give you a tour.

With exhibits that will interest the whole family, this nature center is spread over three floors of a gorgeous glass-and-steel building. Whether you're interested in climate, nature, or the environment, there's plenty to keep you occupied. Don't miss the bird's-eye view of Norway in Ivo Caprino's 20-minute film Fjord Fjell Foss, meaning Fjord, Mountain, Waterfall.