In a nutshell

Not just anyone can live in the remote Herdal valley: you need to be able to understand it, and respect it. A group of local farmers will welcome you to their 300-year-old summer farm, not far from a UNESCO World Heritage fjord, to share their memories and traditions with you, along with handmade delicacies that taste of open-air pastures and a hard, simple life. A real return to the roots of this place.

Main stops

Eagle Road by coach, with panoramic views of the Geirangerfjord and the Knivsflå alpine farm
The Seven Sisters and the Suitor waterfalls: photo stop
Visit to the Herdalssetra or Dale summer farm
Tasting of goat's cheeses and desserts, made by the farmers
Heregga peak and Herdøla river: photo stops on the way back

The programme

The start is all adrenaline and amazement: the Geirangerfjord getting smaller and smaller below, as the coach climbs the 11 hairpin bends of the vertiginous Eagle Road, and your local guide regales you with facts and legends about the place.
There is the moving tale about the Seven Sisters and the Suitor waterfalls and the story of the Knivsflå alpine farm - unbelievable, yet true.
But not as incredible as that of the centuries-old Herdalssetra farm, a remarkably beautiful and harsh place, where living means adapting to the rules and rhythms of nature.
The farmers who welcome you do this every summer, when they take the livestock to pasture: cows, sheep, goats and Fjord horses, reared in the wild.
In their wooden huts, cocooned by the warmth of the wood-burning stoves, they will reveal some of their tips for rural living: the turf covering the roofs, the importance of the Heregga peak...
And then, they will also share the fruits of their labor with you: you'll sample cheeses and desserts made from goat's milk using the old method, before heading back to the sea.

Good to know

The experience includes sections on foot over steep and slippery ground. As such, for your own safety, please wear comfortable, non-slip shoes.
Out of season or if the road to the Herdalssetra farm is rendered impassable by the winter thaw, you will be welcomed by the farmers of the DaleFarm, located further down in the valley.
This is one of the most popular experiences so book early.