By
Rebecca Gibson |
Hurtigruten is to offer two fjord-focused itineraries in May 2015 as part of its Explorer Voyages series.
The 318-guest ship Fram will sail a ten-day ‘Norwegian Fjords’ and a 12-day ‘Fjord Highlights & Viking Trail’, enabling guests to see a range of wildlife and enjoy optional excursions. These include a trip on the 20 kilometre Flåmsbana railway between Flåm and Myrdal, one of the steepest railway tracks in the world, and dog-sledging on a glacier near Eidfjord.
Fram’s ‘Fjord Highlights & The Viking Trail’ cruise departs from Bergen, Norway and sails through Hardangerfjord – the world’s third largest fjord – and explores several of its fjord arms including Eidfjord and Ulvikfjord. The ship will then call in Sognefjord to visit the Stave churches, before visiting Olden in Nordfjord on 17 May to allow passengers to celebrate Norway’s National Day. Passengers can then enjoy a day in the ports of Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands and Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands, as well as Reykjavik in Iceland.
Guests sailing on this itinerary can participate in numerous excursions, including a visit to expedition leader Karin’s private boathouse to learn about her grandfather’s life as a fisherman.
Departing from Dover, England, Hurtigruten’s ‘The Norwegian Fjords’ itinerary enables passengers to visit Lysefjord, which is home to the 2,000-ft tall, flat mountain plateau known as Preikestolen; the city of Stavanger; Hardangerfjord and its Vøringfossen waterfall; and Sognefjord.
Optional excursions include an exploration of the 1,000-year-old town of Skudeneshavn and a hike along the old Postal Route of Nærøyfjord. In addition, passengers can learn about the shipbuilding history of Rosendal where Gjøa, the first ship to transit the Northwest Passage, was built.