- Address: Hardangervidda National Park, Buskerud Hordaland Telemark, Norge
- Phone: +47 35 08 07 50
- Website: hardangervidda.com
- Opening date: 1981.
- Area: 3422 sq. M. km
- Working time: 24 hours
Hardangervidda is Norway 's largest national park . It occupies a part of the mountain plateau of Hardangervidda, the largest not only in Norway , but also throughout Europe. Actually, the name of the plateau (and park) consists of two words, where the second part - vidde - and means "a large mountain plateau."
The area of the park is 3422 square meters. km, territorially it is located in three counties (provinces): Buskerud, Telemark and Hordoland. The status of the Hardangervidda National Park was in 1981. Today it is a popular tourist place; There are many routes along the park, there are specially equipped places for rest .
Geography and climatic conditions of the park
Plateau was formed as a result of tectonic processes; his age is about 5 million years. But its tops were smoothed much later, the glacier already "worked" over them. In the form in which we can see the plateau today, it exists about 10 thousand years. It is unique nival landscapes that attract a large number of tourists.
Here you can see bizarre peaks and deep valleys, covered in the summer with bright emerald vegetation, relict dark forests, rivers and waterfalls . The most famous of the waterfalls of the National Park is Veringsfossen , the height of the free fall of water is 145 m, and the total height is 182 m. Also the Mebodalen valley, the Bierja river valley, the waterfall over which looks like sparkling diamond dust, and in sunny weather over the river always shines with a rainbow.
The height difference in the park is 400 m - from 1200 to 1600 m above sea level. At an altitude of 1500 m and above, several glaciers have remained, the largest of which are Napsphon, Solfon and Hardangeryokullen.
The weather in the park, as it happens in such high-altitude places, changes quite quickly. It is quite cool in summer (usually - no higher than + 15 ° C) and it is cold in winter (the temperature drops below zero quite significantly, sometimes to -20 ° C). The snow cover is deep, in some places it reaches 3 m, and the snow lies very long, until the middle-end of April.
Flora and fauna
The Hardangervidda National Park is home to most species of polar animals and birds of prey. The park is famous for the largest reindeer population in the whole of Northern Europe. Also there are moose. Beavers live in the rivers of the park. You can see such a rare predator as the Arctic fox.
Ornithofauna of the park is also extensive - partridges nest here, which are a kind of a symbol of the park, wood grouse, golden eagles, gerfalcon, kestrels, buzzards, marsh owls, loons, plovers.
The flora of the park is also diverse. Fruits and berries are grown in the valleys of Hardangerfjord, the slopes are covered with coniferous plants, but rough grasses, as well as mosses and lichens, prevail here.
For lovers of outdoor activities
Hardangervidda Park offers a variety of leisure activities for active recreation enthusiasts: you can climb, trekking, hiking, or simply take a leisurely stroll along the more flat plots by bike or on foot.
Numerous lakes and rivers of the park attract fishing enthusiasts . Here you can catch whitefish, mountain trout, char, trout, and minnow.
Archaeological finds
On the territory of the park there are several hundred stone-age settlements, as well as an ancient path that connected Western and Eastern Norway, that is, it performed the same function that today is performed by the railway line laid through Hardangerviddu.
How to get to the park?
From Oslo to Hardangervidda park, it is possible to drive by car for 3.5 hours along the Rv40 and in almost 4 hours - by Rv7; route Rv7 runs right through the park, so most tourists choose it. You can get here by train - through the park there is the Bergensbahnen railway line. The park is most beautiful in May, when gardens and wild plants blossom.