The best of Norway! (8 days off- and on-road riding) This adventure will show you a side Norway that not many tourists will see. Most of our routes are not on any tourist map. In the evening we ll enjoy a good meal and enjoy stories after a day of gravel riding. And remember that during summer it hardly gets dark in this part of the world because the sun will tip only briefly under horizon. The routes / level of riding We will ride from fast gravel roads, stony tracks, do some water-crossings, dark tunnels, cross old bridges and ride a little bit of curvy asphalt. The level of this tour is Beginner/Medium - level 2 (out of 5). It s absolutely not a enduro tour, and the route is so that it be can be done by lighter bikes up to the big adventure bikes like a 1200 GS Adventure. You need to have experience with gravel / off-road riding or have had an (one/two days) allroad-course at beginners level (BMW, Touratech, BERRT, etc.). When it gets a bit tougher, we help each other so that so everybody will make it. This is of course half the fun! For safety reason, you are required to have real off-road tires like TKC80 or similar. Additionally, you should bring a repair kit/tools so you can fix a puncture. We can split up the group, where we adjust the speed and level of difficulty according to the level of riding of the participants. Therefore, the day-trips can vary a lot depending on the participant s competences, wishes and riding skills. Accommodation: During the journey we have 9 nights accommodation in hotels, cabins and mountain lodges. We start the first night in a hotel in Kirkenær, just north of Kongsvinger followed by one night cabins in Koppang and two night in Grimsbu and then one night in a high mountain lodge Aursjöhytte before we go to Norway s most famous places, Trollstigen and the Geiranger fjord. Next two nights we ll stay at a special mountain lodge in the middle of nowhere located in the mountains west of Gudbrandsdalen (Norway). The last night we ll be back in Kirkenær again. So you can bring a trailer or
mini-van and leave it there. The cabins are equipped with duvets and pillows, however you must bring with you a duvet cover (travel sheets) or a thin/light sleeping bag. You have the possibility to leave some luggage or you side-cases behind and travel as light as possible. Type of bike. Any adventure-bike/dual sport bike can join this tour. From lighter bikes like a KTM 690 or CCM GP450, to more heavy bikes like a Honda Africa Twin, Yamaha 660 Ténéré, KTM 1190, or a BMW 1200 GS Adventure. It needs to be well maintained and have off-road tires like TKC 80 or similar. Luggage. Travel light is the device! You can bring your panniers, or what luggage system you might have. But what you need is a thin sleeping bag/travel sheets, a tool/puncture repair kit, a thermos for hot coffee/tea, clothes for in the evening and warm underwear- and raingear in case some drops might fall (when not riding in Gore-Tex gear). You can leave your panniers behind at Kirkenær where we stay the first night and we will return there again, and bring only a light soft-bag. Bring ROK-straps! (the best straps you ll find). During the day trips we ll ride without any luggage. A packing/equipment list and travel/packing tips will be sent out to participants in advance. Getting at the starting location: You are responsible yourself to get to the starting location in Norway on your own bike, or with the bike(s) on a trailer, or in a van. Cars/trailers, side panniers can be left during the tour. You will be informed about the exact date and time when to be there. You can take the ferry to Oslo, Copenhagen or by road via the bridge in Malmö. Address: Skaslien Gjestgiveri Solørvegen 2260, Kirkenær, Grue, Norway GPS coordinates: N60 27.815' E12 03.661' Guides: Experienced Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch and English speaking guides.
Day by Day: Day 1 Arrival at Skaslien in Kirkenær. It s a daytrip of 420 km over curvy roads through Sweden s and/or Norway s beautiful country-side when you take the ferry to Gothenburg or Oslo. We ll gather in afternoon and go for dinner at 19:00 o clock. We can familiarize ourselves with each other and we ll have short briefing so you know what you can expect the coming week. Day 2 Today we start on gravel roads through Finnskogen and might even take some snowmobile tracks, depending on the weather and level of riding skills. We cross the border to Norway on a road that does not exist on any map. We proceed on small gravel roads east of Elverum. Cross an old military training field and take some classic old rally routes through north to the town Koppang. Day 3 From Koppang we take the 800 years old Kings Road on out way north. We even get the chance to see from 1666 meters from Trontoppen, and with a great view in all four directions moose, sheep and cows and traces of both bears and wolves along the old mountain roads! Our second off-road riding day ends in the lovely and well-equipped cottages in Grimsbu. We stay in here for two nights. Day 4 A day without luggage and that means often more fun! And this area has so much to offer: from water crossings, sandy roads, high view points, single tracks and making a fire and grilling our own sausages for lunch. It s all going to happen! Day 5 As we head for the mountain road amazingly beautiful Aursjövägen, we do some asphalt transportation. When we go down to the fjords the day after, we ll be following a steep gravel road through an unlighted 360-degree tunnel. Unique in Europe! Day 6 After following the fjord some time we get to Norway s most famous mountain-road Trollstigen, climbing up the almost vertical mountainside. We stop at Gudbrandsljuvet for a look at the river digging itself down through the rocks. In the afternoon we reach the world famous Geirangerfjord where we stay for the night near the village Geiranger. Day 7 We stop at the mountaintop Dalsnibba with a marvellous view over Geiranger down by the fjord. Next stop is at the Strynefjell summer ski centre along the Strynefjellsvegen. After some transportation down to the village Lom we hit the gravel areas again. The roads along Skåbubaklia are exciting and steep and take us to a wonderfully located mountain lodge where we stay for two nights. Day 8 Today we ride again without luggage and we divide ourselves into groups and ride almost all small mountain roads in the area. We can take different roads depending on skills and bike sizes. Would you rather take it easy and use the day to go for trout fishing, there are countless streams and ponds in the area. Day 9 This will be a long day driving for those who are still hungry for more gravel. We cross Gudbrandsdalen and ride over Östafjäll near Lillehammer up in the mountains along the Åsta River. A couple of hours later, we ll turn south towards Kirkenær again, where it all begun There awaits us with a delicious farewell dinner before we go to bed and dream of high mountains, river-crossings, curvy gravel roads and our new made friends. Day 10 All good things come to n end and after breakfast it s time to go because you ll have to drive back home. But great memories of last week will stay for a very long time.
General information. Price: SEK 19 500 Passenger is not possible on this tour. Included: All accommodation (hotel, cabins, mountain lodges). Breakfast and dinner during the tour Tolls for Norwegian (gravel) roads. Ferry fees (during the tour, not to get to Norway). The best gravel riding that Norway has to offer. Excluded: - Fuel - Lunch - (Alcoholic) Drinks - Insurances (travel, cancellation) Travel guarantee: Explore360 has lodged travel security with the Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency ( Kammarkollegiet ). So you are protected under the Swedish law. Suggested packing list. Casual wear and shoes for the evenings Toiletry Drinking system/camel back Off road boots Extra pair of (thin) gloves Buff/scarf
Sunglasses Mosquito repellent Shorts (you never know ;-) Rain suit (if you do not use waterproof pants and jacket) Long Johns Thin wool sweater or fleece (intermediate layer) Thick wool sweater or fleece Long, semi-thick socks (preferably wool) Thermos / flask Cloth for cleaning the helmet during riding Other useful equipment: Camera (preferably with a powerful zoom) Action camera (incl. extra batteries and memory card) Personal medication Tools: Tire repair set and additional inner tubes (even for tubeless tires) Tools needed to get your front and rear tire out. Duct tape, cable ties and straps Leather man tool First-aid-kit