When it comes to epic vacations to take next year, this trip in Norway ticks plenty of boxes. It's a 12-night journey that will take you on the country's Discovery Route, all the way from Bergen to Stavanger, where you'll enjoy action-packed adventures, engage meaningfully with local communities, and trek through otherworldly landscapes.
In May, travel company Up Norway worked with a team of sustainability-focused travel experts to create a new bucket-list trip along The Discovery Route in Norway. They met and partnered with local tourism providers, hosts, chefs, guides and farmers who are "truly invested in their communities" and who work together to provide fun and sustainable experiences for visitors and locals. Through this partnership, they created a 12-night trip that brings travelers right to the heart of these communities, and experience everything on offer there.
On the tour guests will enjoy guided adventures designed to have a low impact on the environment. For example, there's the sunrise and sunset hike in Trolltunga Via Ferrata. The day starts with a 6km off-road bike ride, followed by a 250m climb up the extraordinary 'via ferrata,' or iron paths, where they'll enjoy views of the lake and waterfalls from atop the mountain. Dinner is served in an Arctic domed tent, where guests will spend the night before making the sunrise journey back down the next morning.
The 12-night adventure also includes trips to Skjervsfossen Waterfall Rapell; canoeing in Refsvatn Lake; hiking through unmapped trails; a carbon-capturing experience in Trefadder forest; Arctic cider tasting in the picturesque hills of Hardanger; and more. The Discovery Route runs through mountains, glaciers, crystal-clear rivers, waterfalls and pristine fjords, making it the perfect route for an active holiday. Meals and food will generally be provided by local chefs, farmers, small growers and artisan producers, who guests are invited to meet.
Torunn Tronsvang, founder of Up Norway said she expects international interest in trips to Norway will accelerate in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, but he believes travelers will want to take a more considered approach to travel. "Regenerative tourism will be in focus," she said. "There is no doubt that the demand in the future will be for destinations that offer magnificent nature with plenty of space, security in the form of a good health system and sound political management, as well as a destination that takes sustainability seriously."
The Discovery Adventure Route trip costs $4899 per person. That price is based on four guests traveling together sharing one car (a Tesla model) and two rooms. It includes accommodation, transport, some meals and guided tours but doesn't factor in flights. The trip launches in April next year (if travel restrictions are lifted) and should run until September. For more information, see here.
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