SEVEN WATERFALLS TOUR: Private roundtrip to the Hardanger Fjord, 12 hours

Waterfalls are only the beginning. This private 12-hour journey from Bergen reaches the Hardangerfjord, Hardangervidda, Eidfjord, Odda, and seven major falls in one long, scenic day. I especially like the private vehicle, which keeps the pace in your hands, and the chance to see both famous viewpoints and quieter fjord roads. The main drawback is simple: at $968.75 per person, this is a costly day unless you can share the price with a larger group.

The tour runs in all weather, and that matters in western Norway. You need waterproof layers, solid shoes, and patience for changing conditions. The route covers a lot of ground, so some stops are brief, and lunch, the Norwegian Nature Center entrance, and gratuity cost extra.

Key details before you book

• Seven major waterfall stops: See Fossen Bratte, Steinsdalsfossen, Skjervsfossen, Vøringsfossen, Tveitafossen, Låtefossen, and Furebergsfossen.
• Private group of up to seven: You ride only with your own party, with pickup from Bergen hotels, cruise terminals, or private addresses within the city.
• A full day on the road: The suggested start is 9:30 a.m., with about 12 hours of driving, views, short walks, and stops.
• More than waterfalls: The route includes the Hardanger Bridge, Fyksesundet, Eidfjord, Odda, the Hardangervidda plateau, and the Maurangsfjord.
• Personal guiding: The driver-guide provides local commentary. If Vlad is your guide, you may also get maps, books, photos, music chosen for the scenery, snacks, and homemade hot glogg.
• Best for small groups: The price makes the most sense for families or friends who value comfort, privacy, and a full day without arranging their own car.

Leaving Bergen for the fjords

Your day begins with pickup anywhere in Bergen city limits. That includes a hotel, cruise terminal, or private address, which is useful if you are in port for the day or staying outside the immediate center. The suggested departure is 9:30 a.m., though the listed operating window begins earlier.

Bergen is known as Norway’s Gateway to the Fjords, and the first part of the drive gives you a quick look at the city and its surroundings. You will pass historic and cultural sights rather than stop for a city tour, so this experience is not a substitute for time in Bergen itself.

The road then reaches Osterøy Municipality and follows Sørfjorden, the South Fjord. This is part of the Osterfjord system, a saltwater inlet that surrounds Osterøy Island, described as the largest inland island in Northern Europe. The road segment is scenic, but the itinerary notes that the vehicle usually does not stop at Trengereid or along this first fjord section.

That is an important expectation to set. This is not a hop-on, hop-off trip with a photo break every few minutes. Some of the best views come through the windows while your driver handles the road.

Fossen Bratte and Steinsdalsfossen

The route turns onto Norwegian Route 7, known as Hardangervegen, or the Hardanger Road. The drive itself is part of the attraction, with mountains, lakes, and falling water appearing along the way.

The first planned waterfall stop is Fossen Bratte, a 79-meter fall. You can take photos from the viewpoint, but the short walk toward the bottom is the better choice if conditions allow. The appeal here is physical. You can feel the spray and hear the force of the water instead of simply photographing it from a distance.

You get about 20 minutes at Fossen Bratte. That is enough for photos and a short walk, but not a long hike. Wear shoes with a good grip, especially when rain has made the path slick.

Next comes Steinsdalsfossen, 50 meters high. This is one of the most memorable stops because a path takes you behind the falling water. The route is designed so you can reach the viewpoint without getting soaked, though rain gear still makes sense in wet weather.

The stop lasts about 25 minutes. I would use the time for the walk behind the falls first, then return for photos from the front. The two waterfalls offer different experiences: Fossen Bratte gives you spray and raw sound, while Steinsdalsfossen gives you the unusual chance to walk behind the water.

Fruit country at Steinstø

After passing through Norheimsund and Øystese, the vehicle crosses Fyksesundet on a suspension bridge built in 1937. The road then reaches Steinstø, a small farming community beside the fjord.

Steinstø Fruktgard offers a pause from the road. You can stop for coffee, apple pie, and a view across the water. This is one of the day’s more relaxed moments, and I like that it adds a local food stop to what could otherwise become a long sequence of viewpoints.

The planned pause is about 20 minutes. That is enough for a quick drink and snack, but you should not expect a long farm visit or meal here. It is a pleasant reset before the larger sights later in the day.

The Hardanger region is strongly associated with fruit growing, and this stop gives you a small taste of that side of the fjord country. It also helps break up the driving. On a 12-hour tour, small pauses matter.

Skjervsfossen and the Hardanger Bridge

The road follows the Hardangerfjord toward Granvin, then crosses the fjord on the Hardanger Bridge. Before reaching it, the tour makes a short detour to Skjervsfossen.

Skjervsfossen has twin falls dropping about 150 meters. You get roughly 10 minutes here, so think of it as a focused photo stop rather than a walk. The twin streams make this waterfall visually different from the single, broad drops seen earlier.

The Hardanger Bridge is one of the day’s major engineering sights. Opened in 2013, it has a main span of 1,310 meters, or about 4,300 feet. The bridge is reached through an 8-kilometer tunnel, followed by another tunnel after the crossing.

The tour stops at a viewpoint overlooking the fjord and bridge. You get about 10 minutes to take in the scale of the structure. If you enjoy bridges and road engineering, this will be a highlight. If you care only about waterfalls, it is still a useful pause because it shows how modern Norway connects these steep fjord communities.

Eidfjord and the Norwegian Nature Center

After crossing the bridge, the route continues through Eidfjord, a popular cruise ship destination, and on to Øvre Eidfjord. Lunch is planned at Hardangerviddahallen, a spacious, comfortable restaurant open from April through October.

Lunch is not included, and the itinerary also notes other possible lunch stops along the way. Since this is a private tour, you can ask your driver about the available choices, but you should budget for the meal separately.

Øvre Eidfjord is also home to the Norwegian Nature Center, a museum and visitor center devoted to the flora, animals, geology, and history of the Hardangervidda area. It is open from April through October, and admission is extra.

The center includes a five-screen film by Norwegian-Italian director Ivo Caprino. It focuses on the sights of the Hardangervidda plateau and offers useful context for the mountain country you are about to see.

You get about 40 minutes here, including lunch time. That is enough for a meal, but likely not enough for a slow meal and a full museum visit. You will need to choose how to use the stop. If the center matters to you, tell your guide early so the timing can be managed.

Vøringsfossen and the edge of Hardangervidda

Vøringsfossen is the day’s most dramatic waterfall. It drops 182 meters, or 597 feet, at the end of Måbødalen valley, where the Hardangervidda begins.

The viewing area has secure platforms over the waterfall and canyon. From here, you see the water plunge into the gorge, with a stream below and a high mountain setting around it. The viewpoint is built for wide views, but the scale is still hard to grasp until you are standing above the drop.

The scheduled stop is about 30 minutes. If time allows, the route may continue onto the Hardangervidda plateau above the tree line. The scenery changes there. Instead of wooded valleys and fjord water, you find exposed mountain country, rock, and lichen.

That extra drive depends on timing and conditions, so you should not treat it as guaranteed. The tour covers a huge route, and the day can run long if you spend extra time at earlier stops. Still, even the viewpoint at Vøringsfossen gives you a strong sense of the plateau country.

Husedalen, Tveitafossen, and the waterfall valley

After returning toward the fjord, the tour heads into Husedalen valley, known as the valley of waterfalls. The planned stop is Tveitafossen, with a possible continuation to Nyastølfossen if the road is open.

A short hike is required for Nyastølfossen. If you have enough time and want more walking, the route may continue to Nykkjesøyfossen, the third waterfall farther up the valley.

This is the part of the day where the private format matters most. You can tell your driver whether you prefer a short stop or a longer walk, although the final choice depends on road access and available time. The listed stop is about 30 minutes, so a serious hike is not guaranteed.

You should also understand that the seven-waterfall title includes a mix of roadside viewpoints and short walks. It does not mean seven long hikes. The tour is designed to show you a great deal of western Norway in one day.

Odda and the powerful Låtefossen

The route continues south to Odda, the largest settlement on the Hardangerfjord. Odda is both a tourism and industrial town, and its recent appearance in the Netflix series Ragnarok has brought it extra attention.

The stop in Odda is brief, usually enough for coffee or a snack. The main reason to reach Odda is Låtefossen, the southernmost point of the tour.

Låtefossen drops 165 meters into the Opo River. It is actually formed by two falls, Låtefossen and Skarsfossen, fed by Lotevatnet Lake above. The water crashes beside the road, making this one of the easiest waterfalls to appreciate without a long walk.

You get about 15 minutes here. Bring a waterproof jacket because the spray can be strong, and be careful around the busy roadside setting. This waterfall was already a favorite stop for cruise passengers in the 19th century, which tells you something about its long-running visual appeal.

The Maurangsfjord and Furebergsfossen

The return route takes you through the 11.15-kilometer Folgefonn Tunnel, which passes beneath about 4,500 feet of rock and the Folgefonna glacier. The tunnel itself is a striking piece of infrastructure, but the reward comes after it.

On the other side is the Maurangsfjord, a narrower and quieter branch of the main Hardangerfjord. The road follows the fjord to Furebergsfossen, the last of the main seven waterfalls.

Furebergsfossen drops about 90 meters directly into the salty fjord water. That makes it different from the falls that feed rivers or plunge into valleys. You get roughly 10 minutes here, enough for photographs and a final look before the route continues.

The vehicle then crosses the fjord by car ferry, passes through Mundheim, reaches the Eikelandsfjord, and heads back to Bergen. The ferry crossing adds a final change of pace after a day dominated by roads, tunnels, bridges, and waterfalls.

What the private format is really worth

The listed price is $968.75 per person. That is a serious expense, but the value changes if you fill the vehicle. The maximum group size is seven, and group discounts are offered. At the published per-person rate, seven people would represent $6,781.25 before any discount, so you should ask for the exact group price rather than assume the listed figure applies unchanged.

You are paying for a private vehicle, a professional driver-guide, pickup and return in Bergen, bottled water, and all listed fees and taxes. You are also paying to avoid arranging a rental car, navigating mountain roads, planning ferry connections, and fitting the fjord route into one day.

The format is especially useful for a family, a group of friends, or a small cruise party with shared interests. A solo visitor may still find the comfort and personal attention worthwhile, but the per-person cost is harder to justify.

One detailed account of a solo trip praised Vlad for making the ride feel safe and carefully prepared. Maps, books, photographs, descriptions, snacks, bottled water, homemade hot glogg, and music suited to the changing scenery were all part of that experience. Those touches are not listed as guaranteed inclusions, so treat them as possible extras rather than promises. Vlad’s wife Jana is also associated with the company.

Who should book this day trip?

I would choose this tour if you want maximum scenery with minimum planning. You get fjords, waterfalls, bridge views, tunnels, mountain country, a fruit farm, a ferry, and towns such as Eidfjord and Odda without changing hotels.

It suits people who enjoy scenic road trips and short walks. It is less suitable if you want a slow day at one fjord village, a long hike, or extended time at each waterfall. The schedule is ambitious, and some stops last only 10 or 15 minutes.

Families may appreciate the private setting, especially because children must be accompanied by an adult and the route can be adjusted within the available time. Solo visitors can also benefit from the personal format, particularly if safety and local guidance are important.

The tour operates in all weather. That does not mean every road or optional stop will be available. Dress for rain, wind, and changing temperatures, and bring shoes suitable for short walks near waterfalls.

Final verdict: expensive, broad, and highly personal

I recommend the Seven Waterfalls Tour if your priority is seeing a large portion of the Hardanger region in one day and you can share the cost. The strongest features are the private transport, the wide range of scenery, and the personal driver-guide experience.

I would skip it if $968.75 per person strains your budget or if you prefer a relaxed schedule. For the right small group, though, it offers something a standard coach trip cannot: pickup at your door, a private vehicle, local commentary, and the freedom to spend more time at the places that catch your interest.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time. Lunch, the Norwegian Nature Center entrance, and gratuity are not included.

FAQ

How long is the Seven Waterfalls Tour?

The tour lasts approximately 12 hours.

Where does pickup take place?

Pickup is available from hotels in Bergen’s city area, all Bergen cruise ship terminals, and private addresses within city limits.

What time does the tour usually start?

The suggested start time is 9:30 a.m. The listed operating hours allow departures between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.

How many people can join the private tour?

A maximum of seven people can participate in one booking.

Which waterfalls are included?

The route includes Fossen Bratte, Steinsdalsfossen, Skjervsfossen, Vøringsfossen, Tveitafossen, Låtefossen, and Furebergsfossen. Nyastølfossen and Nykkjesøyfossen may be added if time, road access, and walking conditions allow.

Is transportation included?

Yes. The tour includes private transportation in an air-conditioned car or minivan, along with round-trip pickup and return in Bergen.

Is lunch included in the price?

No. Lunch is not included. A meal can be arranged at Hardangerviddahallen from April through October, with other lunch possibilities along the route.

Is the Norwegian Nature Center included?

No. Admission to the Norwegian Nature Center in Øvre Eidfjord is extra, and the center is open from April through October.

Does the tour operate in bad weather?

Yes. The tour operates in all weather conditions, so you should dress appropriately.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the experience start time for a full refund. Changes or cancellations made less than 24 hours before departure are not accepted for a refund.