For two and a half million years, glaciers carved U-shaped valleys into Norway’s land beneath the sea. The result is a network of thousands of steep-walled chasms etched into the country like a road map, filled with water that flows past scenes of breathtaking beauty on its way to the sea.fjords

As the glaciers that created these fjords retreated, the sea took their place, and Norway boasts some of the longest, narrowest and deepest fjords in the world. They are also among the most beautiful, filled with beautiful glacial melt-water that ranges from navy blue to emerald green.fjords

The longest fjord in Norway is Sognefjord, which extends from the coast to the mountains. Its depths plunge to more than 1,300 metres, and the mountains that border its 204km length rise to more than 1,700 metres. Nærøyfjord, Sognefjord’s most famous fjord arm, has World Heritage status and the mountains surrounding the narrow arm are some of Norway’s most popular hiking areas.fjords

Visit Norway offers no fewer than 18 National Tourist Routes that take visitors on journeys along the best drives in Norway. The routes are punctuated with viewpoints, both natural and specially-created, as well as parking and rest areas. Together they provide a wealth of opportunity to stop in safety, and capture the exquisite scenery on camera.fjords

Roads zigzag through the mountains, past forests that hug all but the highest peaks, or follow mountain streams as they cascade and fall ever downwards through rapids and waterfalls, before the view unfolds to reveal mountains rising from the sea, the serene waters of the deep fjords and an expanse of green teaming with wildlife.fjords

Many cruise lines offer an alternative view of the fjords, sailing into the inlets from the frigid Norwegian Sea, itself part of the North Atlantic Ocean. To experience the beauty of this adventure to its fullest, opt for a smaller ship, which will be able to travel further into each fjord than larger, wider vessels. Some of the fjords of Norway are so narrow that it is possible to touch the mountain sides from your boat as you sail into them.fjords

However you view these dramatic waters and the land that surrounds them, you are witnessing the result of nature in all its violent and wonderful power, in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

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