Fjord cruise is a must for anyone visiting Norway. There are a plethora of choices available ranging from few hours to few days, and from various towns. I took the 2 hour cruise from Flam to Gundvagen, through the magnificent Aurlandsfjord and the narrow Nærøyfjord and a 5 hour cruise around the Fjords near Tromso. A Fjord is essentially a narrow body of water, surrounded on 3 sides by mountains. On the both the cruises, the scenary on the mountain side was by and large similar- waterfalls, rock formations, trees, snow cap, charming huts with wharfs … the landscape is very pleasing to the eyes. Despite the cold and the wind, I preferred to be out in the open, coming inside the boat only when the body started giving ominous signs of freezing!
The cruise from Flam was on a medium sized boat and as I boarded, there was confusion on where to sit for the best view. It did not matter eventually because the best views and the pictures can only be had from the open deck. Snacks, beverages, ice cream were available for purchase onboard.
Charming wooden boat cruise in Tromso
The cruise in Tromso was on a charming wooden boat. Spotted several Artic eagles during the cruise. The crew prepared and served delicious fresh vegetable soup with bread. But most had the local favourite fish soup with the fish being caught fresh during the cruise. Everybody onboard was given the opportunity to try and catch a fish.
I personally do not think there is need to take more than a couple of fjord cruises. I am not sure if a cruise on Hurtigruten would be anymore exciting, apart from the sheer pleasure of a long cruise. The other popular fjords include Geirangerfjord, Hardangerfjord, Sognefjord(Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord are the smaller arms of Sognefjord). As I have said, the landscape is by and large the same.
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