There is a photograph that almost everyone who has been to Norway has seen. A lone person standing on a horizontal tongue of rock, jutting impossibly into the air above a turquoise lake and a wall of mountains. That is Trolltunga. That is the Troll’s Tongue.

It is one of the most extraordinary natural formations in Norway, sitting at 1,180 metres above Lake Ringedalsvatnet, and it draws around 80,000 visitors every year. But here is the thing: most of them do it in a single very long day, and they rush. We think there is a better way.

The Trail in Numbers

  • Total round-trip distance: approximately 27 to 28 kilometres
  • Total elevation gain: 800 to 1,100 metres
  • Summit altitude: 1,180 metres above sea level
  • Estimated hiking time: 10 to 12 hours return
  • Difficulty: very hard

Why Two Days is Better

The full Trolltunga hike from Skjeggedal is a 27 to 28 kilometre round trip with over 800 metres of elevation gain. Doing that in a single day from Stavanger — which is a 3-hour drive from the trailhead — means very early starts, very late finishes, and a rushed experience at the viewpoint itself.

By spreading the adventure across two days, everything changes. You hike in on Day 1 at a steady, comfortable pace. You reach Trolltunga in time for the late afternoon or sunset — when most day hikers have already turned back and the plateau is quiet. You overnight in Odda, rest properly, and return on Day 2 with fresh legs. On the way home, you stop at Låtefossen, one of Norway’s most beautiful waterfalls, and see the Oddadalen Valley of Waterfalls.

You arrive back in Stavanger by 5pm. You have hiked Norway’s most iconic trail, slept in a charming Norwegian town, explored the Hardanger region, and done it without the exhaustion that comes from trying to compress everything into 18 hours.

What the Trail Looks Like

The trail begins with a steep climb out of the Skjeggedal valley, ascending to the Gryteskaret pass — one of the most demanding stretches of the entire hike. From there, the terrain opens up onto the Hardangervidda plateau, a vast landscape of bare rock, mountain streams, and high-altitude lakes. Snow patches are often visible even in June and early July.

As you approach Trolltunga, the iconic shape comes gradually into view. The trail levels off for the final section and suddenly the rock appears — a thin horizontal ledge jutting out into thin air over the turquoise lake 1,180 metres below. The moment you see it for the first time is one you will not forget.

Odda: More Than Just a Place to Sleep

Odda is a small town at the end of the Sørfjorden, a branch of the Hardangerfjord. It has a fascinating industrial history and has reinvented itself in recent years as the adventure capital of Hardanger. There are good restaurants, a scenic boardwalk along the Opo River, and views across Sandvin Lake to the surrounding mountains.

After 12 hours on the trail, an evening in Odda feels like a proper reward. And waking up to the Hardanger mountains outside the window before Day 2 is a genuinely memorable experience.

Our View from the Trail

We have guided Trolltunga many times and our honest assessment is this: it is the most demanding hike we offer, but it is also the one that leaves guests changed. There is something about the scale of the Hardangervidda, the length of the journey, and the moment you finally step out onto the rock that is unlike anything else we do. The two-day format is the right way to experience it. It gives the hike the respect it deserves.

Experience Trolltunga the right way. Two days, small group, overnight in Odda.Book now: Trolltunga 2 Day Guided Adventure