It's not without reason that the elk is called the "king of the forest" – with a shoulder height of up to 2.3 metres and a length of up to 3.2 metres, the impressive animal is always a stunning sight.
In Rauland you have the chance to get up close to the big animals. Here you can go on an elk safari with Rauland Tourist during the summer season. The tour goes through the beautiful forest and mountain terrain, and along the way the guides tell about both elk and other wild animals of the area.
If you visit Rauland outside the summer season, you can make the trip on your own – Rauland Tourist has posted the route map on their website, marking where you have the best chance of meeting the big animals.
Read more and find the map on Rauland Tourist's website.

Elk safari – Meet the king of the forest

If you're looking for a child–friendly hike that offers beautiful scenery, easy trails and fun activities and stories for the kids, there are several options right near Rauland. Here are two suggestions for family trips in the beautiful mountain landscape.
Falkeriset
Falkeriset is often called "the children's favourite" because of its good path, exciting history and beautiful views. The tour is around three km round trip and goes along a stone path built by Nepalese Sherpas, and many children love the opportunity to jump from stone to stone on the way to the top.
 
Falkeriset is named after the falconry that was practiced in the area until the 18th century. The area is still home to many different types of birds of prey, which you might be lucky enough to see on the trip You'll also pass the ruins of the stone houses that Dutch falconers lived in when they captured gyrfalcons for princes and kings across Europe, and the hunting grounds themselves lie just northwest of the summit.
The walk to the top starts at the parking lot at Kromvikvegen, around 25 min from Rauland town centre. The stone staircase goes all the way to the top of the Falkenuten, and along the way you pass through a cosy birch forest before reaching the spectacular panoramic view of Hardangervidda, Gaustatoppen, Møsvatn and Rauland.
Enjoy a packed lunch after exploring the summit – and remember to write your names in the guest book at the warden before heading back down the stone steps.
Read more on the Rauland Tourist website.
Vidsyn
Close to Rauland Høgfjellshotell, you'll find another short, family–friendly hike to a very special destination: the Vidsyn sculpture, which looks out over Rauland from the top of the Vierlinuten.
The tour, which is around four km long, starts at Vierli Kafeteria, and with the well–marked tour path it is easy to find the top. Here you can get up close and personal with the quirky character, whose eyes follow you whether you're on the left or the right. If you walk slowly past, it feels like the eyes are following you – try it yourself!
Don't forget to enjoy the beautiful views of Raulandsfjellet and Hardangervidda – the interplay of mountain, lake, the varied high mountain vegetation and snow on the mountain tops in the distance is a stunning sight.
From Vidsyn you can follow the path to Lake Oksatjønn, where you can either turn off and head back towards Vierli or extend the trip with the Silk Valley route, which goes around the lake – then the trip is around four km longer.
 
Read more and find a map of the tour on Rauland Tourist's website here.

Photo: Visitsorlandet.com / Mona B. Nielsen

Photo: visitsorlandet.com / Mona B. Nielsen

Family–friendly hikes at Rauland

With a length of 105 km, eight locks and several cosy breweries and small harbours, Telemark offers plenty of fascinating experiences.
When you stay in Rauland, you are only 45 minutes from Dalen, where the historic cruise ship M/S Henrik Ibsen docks.
 If you choose the day trip Dalen–Ulefoss–Dalen, you board right at the adventurous Dalen Hotel. Afterwards, you can look forward to seven pleasant and relaxing hours on the charming boat, sailing past unique cultural history, mountainous scenery and spectacular buildings.
Watch steep mountainsides tower above you and see the landscape change dramatically around you as you sail across vast lakes and through narrow passages. You'll also pass several of the area's impressive traditional locks, especially on the last leg of the tour.
When you get hungry, you can buy good food and drink on the Promenade deck, in the restaurant or in the café, so there's sure to be something for everyone.
The final stop of your cruise is Ulefoss, where you disembark. Afterwards, the bus will take you back to the car park in Dalen, giving you plenty of opportunity to enjoy the idyllic Telemark landscape from the country side.
Read more and see sailing times and prices on the Telemark Canal website.

Cruise on the Telemark Canal

If you want a top trip out of the ordinary, set course for Gaustatoppen around one hour northeast of Rauland.



When you arrive at the car park, you can choose from several different paths to the top. The walk is about five kilometres each way, and the most popular route follows a wide and well–marked path over large and small rocks. Don't forget to look up along the way – with an altitude difference of 700 metres, the view just gets better and better with every step.



When you reach the top, you can reward yourself with coffee and waffles from the century–old tourist cabin while enjoying the panoramic view: the Gaustatoppen is said to be perhaps Norway's most beautiful view, and in clear weather you can see a sixth of Norway!



If your legs aren't up for the walk up and down the mountain, you can take the Gaustabanen – a unique railway that runs inside the mountain. Originally built as transport for a secret NATO facility, the track now carries several thousand tourists a year who want to experience the views from the iconic mountain top.



Of course, you can also choose to walk one way and take the Gaustabanen the other way when visiting the beautiful mountain.



Read more on Gaustabanen's website.



On the way from Rauland to Gaustatoppen, you'll pass Rjukan and the Vemork Museum, so if you haven't used up all your energy on the summit tour, you can visit the charming town and impressive museum on the way home.




Gaustatoppen – Fantastic top tour one hour from Rauland

Look forward to a cosy and relaxing day in some of Norway's most beautiful high mountain scenery.
The tour starts just 25 minutes drive from Rauland, at Skinnarbu, where the charming little catamaran Fjellvåken II docks with its departure 9.30 am. Once you're on board, just sit back and enjoy the hour–and–a–half sail across the clear waters of Møsvaten, surrounded by impressive mountains. Along the way, you'll pass cosy mountain farms and, not least, a beautiful, varied landscape.
The destination of the tour is Mogen, where you arrive around o'clock. 11. Here, the tourist cabin offers a delicious lunch with traditional Norwegian dishes based on local produce in the tourist cabin. Once you have eaten your fill, enjoy a walk in the beautiful area before returning to Skinnarbu with Fjellvåken ato'clock. 15.30.
Read more and see sailing times and prices on Fjellvåken's website.
 

High mountain cruise on Møsvatn

Norway

In Rauland, nature experiences in a class of their own await the whole family – whether you want to experience the high mountain nature by car, on your own, by dog sled, by water or via a railway inside a mountain.



Experiences in Hardangervidda Nasjonalpark

Rauland is close to the large high mountain plateau that makes up Hardangervidda Nasjonalpark – Norway's largest nature reserve. There are plenty of great walks for all the family to enjoy the beautiful scenery and the area's many wild animals, including huge herds of wild reindeer – or why not go on an elk safari and get up close to the "king of the forest"? You can also go on a guided horseback ride in the high mountains or zoom through the countryside behind an eager dogsled – a fun experience for the whole family!



Hardangervidda Nasjonalpark route
Rauland is located in the middle of the fantastic Hardangervidda Nasjonalpark route, which runs from Haukeliseter in the west to Heddal Stavkirke in the east. The route offers a pearl of natural and cultural experiences, from unique viewpoints to exciting museums of old and recent Norwegian history. Drive the whole route or use it as inspiration for day trips during your stay in Rauland.



Beautiful nature experiences on the water
When you holiday in Rauland, two fantastic cruise experiences are just around the corner. At Møsvatn, you can go on an idyllic high–mountain cruise on the beautiful lake, and just 45 min. From Rauland, one of Telemark's greatest nature experiences awaits: a cruise on the Telemark Canal in a charming historic cruising boat.



If you prefer to explore lakes, rivers or even the Telemark Canal on your own, there are also plenty of opportunities for canoeing and kayaking – and don't forget to visit the beautiful sandy beach of Fagersand, which definitely lives up to its name.



Experience history
The area around Rauland offers a wide range of historical experiences – from cosy hours in the traditional farms of Telemarkstunet to the exciting museums in Rjukan and Vemork, which tell about the area's amazing industrial history and one of Norway's most dramatic sabotage actions, known from the film Telemark's Heroes and the series The Heavy Water War.



Don’t forget…
Rauland is only around
 one hour from Gaustablikk, where you can reach the top of Gaustatoppen, said to have Norway's most beautiful views. If you don't want to go all the way to the top, you can ride up and down on the Gaustabanen – a unique railway inside the mountain.



Accommodation in the middle of beautiful nature
In Rauland you can choose to stay in a nice room at Rauland Høgfjellshotell – with access to e.g. restaurant and bar as well as, for example, spa, sauna, fitness area– or in a cosy cabin in Rauland Feriesenter. Whatever you choose, you'll be living with the area's beautiful scenery right outside your window!



Your guide to a great holiday in Rauland
Read more about what to do, see and do in Rauland below and find inspiration for your holiday in our Rauland travel articles.




Hirtshals

Langesund

In Rauland, the whole family can enjoy a unique nature experience – whether you want to discover the high mountain nature by car, on your own, by dog sled or from the water.

Rauland – Holiday gem on the edge of Hardangervidda

Rauland

summer

At Rauland you can find great accommodation, whether you prefer small rooms in the hotel – with access to delicious self–pampering in the spa and restaurant – or a large cabin with several bedrooms and plenty of space to cosy up in front of the fireplace or on the veranda overlooking Hardangervidda.

Whatever you choose, you can look forward to a wonderful holiday in the midst of some of Norway's most beautiful scenery.

In Rauland you can stay in a nice room at Rauland Høgfjellshotell or in a cosy cabin at Rauland Feriesenter.

Accommodation in Rauland

Rauland's beautiful scenery offers a wealth of fantastic experiences for the whole family – from the endless expanses of Hardangervidda Nasjonalpark to the spectacular natural and cultural landscape of the Telemark Canal.

Here are eight tips for your holiday in Rauland, whether you like exciting history, unique nature experiences, challenging hiking or relaxing mountain cruises.