Dovrefjell National Park 2023

In the late February of 2023 I went for a weekend trip to Dovrefjell National Park to see musk oxes and enjoy wonderfull scandinavian winter.

Day 1

I started my trip with overnight drive to Gdańsk airport and early morning flight to Trondheim, where I rented a car and drove to my destination - Snøhetta Camping. I arrived there in the afternoon. I stayed in a 2-person, very small cabin. But it was all I needed and it was very warm. Also the mountain view from the cabin was amazing. And I didn't pay that much. :)

As expected - winter conditions were very appropriate for the time of the year. Snow and cold. Very strong wind was not that welcomed though - as was the snowstorm when I was driving. Later in the evening my tour guide contacted me that due to extremely strong (and cold) winds in the mountains we do need to cancel Saturday hike, unfortunately. :( So I ate supper, watched some tv shows and planned a more local hike for the next day.

Day 2

I did some hiking in the area on that day. The weather was a bit extreme I must admit. While it appeared all sunny and lovely (and it was lovely while walking through forest), when I drove a little bit higher on one mountain - I instantly felt the wind on my bones, it was so chilly. Apparently it is the coldest area in whole Norway.

Day 3

Sunday. The weather is still quite bad in terms of wind speed, but we go up the mountain (not a very high one). It was my first time walking in snowshoes, which was interesting. The snow kep getting inbetween my boots and the sole of the showshoe which was very annoying..

I hiked with Kim from Dovre & Lesja Aktiv, I enjoyed her company very much, such a lovely person. I also enjoyed the views so much, especially when we reached some height and all I could see was a carpet of white. There is something about this endlessness of white that always mesmerizes me.

We had partially sunny day during the hike, which was nice. We found the small herd quite easily (Kim had good intel), but the terrain was working against me as it was not easy to get close enough (within safety range of course). As I look back it's really not that visible in the photos, so you have to take my word for it. :) Once we approached them I started taking pictures. It didn't take long for my fingers to go numb due to harsh wind and in maybe 15-20 mins of our arrival, weather got worse with wind taking up speed and blowing snow everywhere. I do like to observe this - the snow rolling on the ground, forming a slight mist - but it this case, at times, I couldn't see anything (you'll see in the video below). The herd went away shortly after that and we decided to head back. Trying to walk straight in the strong wind. So while I was excited to see the oxes and the views, I am very hungry for more. These photos of animals are not what I wanted to do. I will be coming back for sure, maybe again in winter or during fall, will see.

In the evening Norway once again rewarded me with aurora sighting, which was very short, but non the less beautiful. :) On Monday I flew back home.