About the national park

Folgefonna, the third largest glacier on mainland Norway, is the heart of the national park. Exotic and dramatic, this magnificent glacier has drawn tourists since 1833. Here are glacier tongues and icefalls, wild valleys, and raging rivers of rushing meltwater and scenic summer pastures.

Outdoor adventures and activities near Folgefonna

A beautiful national park means lots of opportunity to explore the great outdoors, and Fjord Norway should be more than a spectator’s sport! The menu of activities available on the Folgefonn Peninsula is sure to raise your pulse and call forth an expectant smile.

Visitor centre & gateways

There are many gateways to Folgefonna National Park. Think of these as places to obtain valuable information that will help you make the most of your explorations. The friendly staff will also point you to where you can set up a good base.

Getting here

Folgefonna National Park is a 545.2-square-kilometre national park in Vestland county, Norway. The park is located on the Folgefonna peninsula and it spans the municipalities of Kvinnherad, Etne, and Ullensvang. The national park was opened by Queen Sonja in 2005.

Facts

Where is Folgefonna?

Folgefonn peninsula in Hardanger og covers areas in Jondal, Ullensvang, Odda, Etne og Kvinnherad municipalities, all in Hordaland county.

Visitor centre Folgefonna national park

Folgefonnsenteret
Skålafjæro 17
5470 Rosendal
Telefon: +47 53 48 42 80
E-post: post@folgefonnsenteret.no

Tourist information

www.visitsunnhordland.no
www.hardangerfjord.com

Gateways to Folgefonna
Protected areas nearby

Buer landskapsvernområde
Bondhusdalen  landskapsvernområde
Hattebergsdalen landskapsvernområde
Ænesdalen landskapsvernområde

Hardangervidda nasjonalparksenter

Hardangervidda natursenter

The right to roam: joys and responsibilities

Guidelines to roaming where you want

Norway gives you free access to the countryside – as long as you tread lightly.

In Norway, you can walk nearly anywhere you want. Outdoor recreation has become a major part of national identity, and is established by law. You are free to enjoy the great outdoors and breathe in as much of the fresh air as you want – as long as you pick up your rubbish and show respect for nature.

The few rules and regulations are there to keep the unique right of access enjoyable when many people go to the same places.

The main rules are easy: Be considerate and thoughtful. Don’t damage nature and other surroundings. Leave the landscape as you would want to find it.

The right to roam (“allemannsretten”) is a traditional right from acient times, and from 1957 it has also been part of the Outdoor Recreation Act. It ensures that everybody get to experience nature, even on larger privately owned areas.

 

Useful guidelines to the right to roam

You may put up a tent, or sleep under the stars, for the night anywhere in the countryside, forests or mountains, as long as you keep at least 150 metres away from the nearest inhabited house or cabin.

If you want to stay for more than two nights in the same place, you must ask the landowner’s permission, except in the mountains or very remote areas.

Places for emptying toilets are signposted. Doing so elsewhere is strictly prohibited.

Campfires in or near forests are prohibited from the 15th of April to the 15th of September. They are nevertheless allowed in places where fire hazard is unlikely, as by the sea. Never leave an open fire before you have ensured that it is fully extinguished. Take care not to cause any other damage.

In general, you may pick berries, mushrooms and wildflowers, but special rules apply to cloudberries in much of Northern Norway.

You may fish for saltwater species, without a license, as long as it is for your own use.

Respect for nature, animals and local inhabitants will make both your short and your longer expeditions even more pleasant for everybody. Enjoy your trip!

More information about the right to roam.

 

Memorize the limits of the right to roam

The right to roam applies to open country, sometimes also known as “unfenced land”, which is land that is not cultivated. In Norway, the term covers most shores, bogs, forests and mountains. Small islands of uncultivated land within cultivated land are not regarded as open country.

It does not apply to “fenced land”, which is private, and includes cultivated land, such as ploughed fields with or without crops, meadows, pastures and gardens, as well as young plantations, building plots and industrial areas.

However, you have access to fields and meadows from 15 October to 30 April when the ground is frozen or covered with snow. Note that “fenced land” does not need to actually be fenced.