Waterfalls and Farms of the Geirangerfjord

Saying goodbye to the lovely village Geiranger, once again we climb on the deck of the ferry to Hellesylt, which will take us through the most interesting part of the Geirangerfjord.

A couple of kilometers from Geiranger, on the sloping shore of the fjord, there is a small village of Homlong, which used to be a farm, now there is a tourist camp.

It is the only suitable habitable spot on the fjord shore before Hellesilt.

Further on, the water surface of the fjord is surrounded by rocky mountains with heights of more than 1000 meters.

In some places, the cliffs form sheer walls up to 400 meters high above the water.

From the stone walls here and there break down mountain rivers, forming a large number of waterfalls.

Numerous white jets on gray rocks or among green vegetation are the main decoration of Geiranger Fjord and attract a lot of tourists here.

On one of the steep cliffs near Geiranger, you can see the stone face of a troll. According to legend, trolls are nocturnal, hiding in caves at the first light of dawn - daylight turns them to stone. This troll, apparently, did not have time, and even lost his nose somewhere. For some reason, this interesting rock is not mentioned in travel guides.

An ancient legend tells the story of a young Viking warrior who decided to marry one of the seven beautiful sisters. Taking a wedding veil to cover the head of his chosen one, he went to woo, but stopped and thought hard about which of the seven to give his preference. The question was so difficult that he tried to solve it until it turned into a waterfall.

The same thing happened with the beauties who did not wait for the groom, who became the waterfall "Seven Sisters" (Syv Søstre). The highest "sister" starts at an altitude of 250 meters, and their number depends on the water level in the rivers that feed them.

During the snowmelt period, waterfalls look most impressive. Now the end of summer, there is not much water, because there are only four and a half full-fledged jets.

Opposite the "sisters", on the other side of the fjord, there is a full-flowing waterfall "Bridegroom" (Friaren), which forms several cascades in the lower part.

The source is located at an altitude of 440 meters, but only the lower part, 275 meters high, is visible. The waterfall is sometimes referred to as Friarfossen (Brother), or Geitfossen (Goat waterfall). Or simply Skageflåfossen (exciting).

Due to the fact that the waterfall, expanding on the rock ledge, takes the form of a bottle, evil tongues say that the groom, from the inability to make a choice, became addicted to this vessel.

A little further away is the muslin "Bride's Veil" (Brudesløret), which remains hanging on the rocks.

The Seven Sister waterfalls originate on the slopes of the Geiitfjellet mountain massif, which reaches a height of 1,615 meters.

The main source of water is the snow and ice cover on the mountain peaks, in spring, during the active melting period, the waterfalls are most full.

At other times, waterfalls are fed by rainwater, but more by moisture that condenses on rocks from the air. In the mountains of Norway, you get the impression that water is oozing right out of the rocks.

Many waterfalls have carved deep canyons into their stone slopes over millions of years.

Some of them are hidden in the rocks, and now, at the end of summer, they are almost visible, but during the melting of snow they form powerful streams.

On the banks of the Geirangerfjord, there are rare farms located on small areas of mountain ledges. even in such harsh conditions, local residents manage to engage in agriculture. On such farms, goats are usually bred, which feel great on steep slopes, and their milk makes a very tasty and healthy cheese.

The Geirangerfjord farms can only be reached by water, and some of them were also reached by climbing ladders or rope ladders. A funny case is connected with one of these farms - the owner, having learned from neighbors that tax inspectors work in the district, simply removed the stairs and there was no way to get to the farm.

Skageflå farm is available for tourists, it is located at an altitude of 250 meters above the waters of the fjord opposite the Seven Sisters waterfalls. From Geiranger there is a walking route, a mountain trail with a length of about three kilometers starts from the village of Homlong. You can also get there by sightseeing boat and climb a very steep path.

Another spectacular waterfall, the Stekkane, which originates in the Korsvatnet lake at an altitude of 1108 meters.

The waterfall consists of many cascades and sometimes hides in dense vegetation, which is kept in an unknown way on bare rocks.

I had to take a few pictures to capture the whole thing. Here is a full-height vertical panorama of it.

The ferry approaches the mouth of Geiranger Fjord, then the waters of Sunnylvsfjorden begin, at the end of which Hellesilt is located.

On the southern side of the estuary, the highest peak on the shores of Geiranger Fjord, Nokkenibba, goes under the clouds, its height is 1380 meters.

On the other side of the mountain Lundanessega, 1020 meters high, on its steep slope we can see two almost parallel jets.

The ferry passed the mouth of the Geirangerfjord and turned towards the village of Hellesylt. A regular flight lasts only 50 minutes, which is clearly not enough to fully appreciate the beauty of this place. During the summer period, there are approximately two-hour sightseeing routes to the waterfalls from Geiranger and Helesilt.