Ulvik
Ulvik fjord safari: the longest RIB trip on the Hardangerfjord
Ulvik sits at the head of its own arm, surrounded by orchards, with a single road in. The RIB safari from here is 105 minutes — the longest on this fjord — and it goes further into the system than the one-hour trips from the bigger villages reach.
Quick answer
The Ulvik RIB safari runs 105 minutes and costs from $137. It is the longest boat trip on the fjord itself, from a village of about a thousand people at the head of Ulvikafjorden. Ulvik is roughly two and a half hours from Bergen, it is the greenest of the fjord villages, and it is where a good deal of Hardanger cider is made.
Ulvik, at a glance
- Where
- Head of Ulvikafjordenits own arm off the main fjord
- The trip
- $137105 minutes on a RIB
- Length
- Longest RIB hereby half an hour
- Reviews
- 56at 4.8 — a thin evidence base
- Population
- ~1,000smaller than Norheimsund
- From Bergen
- ~2.5 hoursvia Granvin
- Known for
- Orchards and ciderseveral producers around the village
- Also here
- Poet Olav H. Haugewho lived and gardened in Ulvik
- Season
- Spring to autumncheck dates outside it
- Cancellation
- Free to 24 hlike every trip here
What the extra half hour buys
Further out, and quieter than the busy villages
Further into the system, fewer boats, and a village in a bowl of orchards.
An hour on a RIB from a village gets you into the nearest arm and back. A hundred and five minutes gets you out of Ulvikafjorden and into the main fjord, past the mouth of Osafjorden, with time to stop more than once.
It also gets you away from other boats. Ulvik is not on the cruise-ship circuit in the way Eidfjord is, and it is not the closest village to Bergen, so the water here is emptier. On a weekday in June you may not pass another tourist vessel.
The village itself is worth the extra half hour of driving. It sits in a bowl of orchards at the head of the arm, and it is the greenest place on this fjord — apple, pear and cherry trees on every slope, and several cider producers who welcome visitors.
It is also where the poet Olav H. Hauge lived and worked as a gardener, which explains why a village of a thousand people has a literature centre. Hardanger is more literary than it looks.
Ulvik beyond the boat
Five things in a village of a thousand people
Small, green and unexpectedly cultured.
- Cider tasting
Several producers around the village press and sell their own. Hardanger cider has protected status.
- The orchards
Walkable from the centre, and in blossom season they are the reason people come.
- Olav H. Hauge’s house and centre
The poet lived here; the centre explains him and the landscape together.
- The fjord promenade
A flat walk along the water with the arm ahead of you and orchards behind.
- Cycling to Osa
A quiet road up the neighbouring arm, and one of the better easy rides in Hardanger.
Cider is not a side note here — Hardanger is Norway’s fruit country and it has the protected designation to prove it.
Cider and orchards→A day in Ulvik
Five things beyond the boat
A thousand people, an orchard bowl and more culture than it has any right to.
- A cider farm
Several around the village, most open in summer and autumn. Plan the driving.
- The Hauge centre
The poet Olav H. Hauge lived here; the centre explains him and the landscape together.
- The fjord promenade
Flat, short and lovely in the evening when the day boats have gone.
- Cycling to Osa
A quiet road up the neighbouring arm, and one of the easiest good rides in Hardanger.
- The orchards on foot
They start at the edge of the village. In May this is the reason people come.
Common questions
Ulvik, answered
How long is the Ulvik fjord safari?
105 minutes on the water, which makes it the longest RIB trip on the Hardangerfjord, at $137.
How far is Ulvik from Bergen?
About two and a half hours by road, via Granvin.
What is Ulvik known for?
Orchards and cider, a very green setting at the head of its own fjord arm, and the poet Olav H. Hauge, who lived and gardened here.
Is it quieter than the other villages?
Yes. It is not a cruise port and it is not the closest village to Bergen, so both the roads and the water are emptier.
Does the trip run all year?
It is seasonal. The only all-year boat on this site leaves from Norheimsund.
Is 105 minutes worth the extra over an hour?
If you want to get out of the home arm and into the main fjord, yes. For a first taste of a RIB, an hour is plenty.
Go deeper
More on the Hardangerfjord
Hardangerfjord boat tours
What the trips are, where they leave from and what you see.
The verdictWhich trip is best
Seven trips ranked, and which village to start from.
From BergenFrom Bergen
Two hours by road, and what actually fits into a day.
NorheimsundNorheimsund
The village with the waterfall you can walk behind.
FyksesundFyksesund
The narrow arm, the bridge and why the boats go in.
EidfjordEidfjord
The inner end, under the plateau and Vøringsfossen.
