Besseggen — Local services in Vågå

One of the most amazing hikes I have ever done.

We decided to start the trail in Memuburu, we booked our spots for the ferry and the parking lot/shuffle bus for the earliest morning ferry, I recommend to take this route as it is so much nicer to not worry about getting to the ferry on the way back from the hike.

I’m not an experienced hiker, however, I do training (gym mostly) and this was my longest and most technical hike so far, I have to say in terms of views, it exceed my expectations, it was completely wonderful and memorable, we were so lucky with the weather. The hike itself, it is quite technical, very rocky and the way up can be quite tiring. The most challenging parts for me were, the climbing part in order to reach the top, I got quite scared as it is definitely more dramatic than it looked in the pictures/videos specially, for people with fear of heights and also quite long hahah. After the climbing part, it gets a bit better until it get worse, when you’re starting to go downhill, it’s hell hahah, I have bad knees, and I have train and prepare myself for this moment, brought all the gear (hiking poles, knee sleeves, etc ) and that’s usually good enough, but god, it was so long, technical and so much impact on my knees that I almost gave up hahaha. If you have bad knees like me, be aware of this and take your considerations, the way down isn’t tiring itself but it is very hard on your knees.

The most memorable views are honestly in the first half of the trip if you start from Memuburu, so take this in consideration for pictures/videos, because when you reach the top after the climbing part you might think the view is even better there but is not hhahah, so, if you don’t want to go the climbing part, you could even just go back after reaching the half and you have seen all the pretty tbh.

I would recommend to take this route instead, because the climbing part going downhill would look even scarier 😆

Overall, great experience! Even with super bad knees, I made it on time, 7 hours 40 min, and it was totally worth it, loved this...

Wonderful view, tricky hike. Overall, this was a wonderful experience! The view from the ridge and all along at least one 3rd to half the hike are fantastic. However it is very fatiguing and there is a segment where you actually need to climb rock with hands and feet, across very steep rock on both sides. It's not as dangerous as it might look from a first view, since there are places where you can rest here and there and the climb is never so vertical that you risk to fall over if you are reasonably careful. However if you're not fit or trained I'd recommend you consider carefully this hike, read the description of the path, the challenges you'll face and if you do decide to go, start early to make sure you complete the hike before it's dark. We first took the boat to Memuburu and hiked back towards Gjendesheim. In hindsight this was the best choice because: you don't have to worry about the boat schedule to get back to the "civilised" world: Memuburu has no road access and there is just the turisthytte mountain lodge, which could be an option if you book it in advance and/or you're not fussy about the comfort/privacy of your accomodation. you climb the steep part up, not down. I think climbing down would have been a nightmare: I wouldn't have been able to see my steps and make sure my feet had solid grip. Just remember to stop your climb from time to time and look back at the wonderful view! It took us 10 hours from Memuburu to Gjendesheim, vs. the advertised 6 to 8 hours, since we are not very trained. Our feet, muscles and joints were hurting in the second half of the hike and we were worried we would not make it to the end before sunset. But it was...

Sadly very overrated. It cost about £60 in total with the parking, bus and ferry. As others have mentioned the weather in this area is extremely changeable and hard to predict even with the best websites/apps. It is 100% stones, very unsatisfying to walk on. View is OK, nothing world class. Others have mentioned the height exposure - this is VERY real. We have hiked extensively in the Himalayas and Alps but on this ridge we reached a slim section en route to the summit with an insanely exposed drop off so we turned back. If you slip there, you'll fall several hundred meters to your death. It is not worth the risk, you only live once. So we did the same as someone in a previous review - walked back to the cafe / ferry port along the far side of the north lake (Bessvatnet). There is a path on 70% of it but it was boggy, extremely wet, loose stones etc. Not fun. Sadly I can't recommend this hike - it's too much stress / awkwardness and not enough enjoyment plus it's far too expensive...