Our next family adventure / Jotunheimen, Norway
Turquoise lakes. Welcoming mountain lodges. Dinner together after a day outside. And the famous Besseggen ridge—if we feel like taking on the challenge.
A Norwegian hyttetur: a little journey from mountain lodge to mountain lodge. We travel light, walk among extraordinary scenery, and sit down to a meal together each evening. Around Lake Gjende, the boat lets us keep the adventure—and skip the hardest sections. We don't all have to be mountain goats.
A holiday with a different rhythm
01 / Wake up here
No daily drive to find the view. At Gjendebu and Memurubu, we're already beside the lake, with walks starting from the hut.
02 / Travel lighter
Book staffed lodges and meal plans: breakfast, a packed lunch, and dinner. No tent to carry or stove to negotiate. Rooms may be shared.
03 / Find our pace
A lake crossing isn't a consolation prize. It's mountain scenery from the water—and the reason we can link remote huts without doing every ridge.
04 / Come back together
A big walk for those who want it, gentler choices for those who don't, and a shared destination. The best day doesn't have to be the hardest one.
Picture the day
We arrive at the next hut, leave our bags, and choose a walk to suit the day. There is time to stop, look around, and take the photograph.
Later: boots off, dinner booked, and the wonderfully simple question of what tomorrow might bring.
01 / Pick our adventure
Our pick is the flexible five-day trip: all the mountain-lodge atmosphere, with Besseggen as an optional grand finale. The other two suit a family looking for more walking.
Gjendesheim → Gjendebu → Memurubu → Gjendesheim. Boat between the remote huts; choose your final walk.
5 days / 4 nights
Gentle with boats; moderate lakeside walk; demanding if you choose Besseggen.
Gjendesheim → Gjendebu → Fondsbu via Veslådalen. A proper hut-to-hut mountain day, without the famous ridges.
5 days / 4 nights
Moderate, not a short stroll: approximately 16 km and 5–7 hours for the main crossing.
Gjendebu → Memurubu over Bukkelægret, then Memurubu → Gjendesheim over Besseggen.
4 days / 3 nights
Two substantial mountain days. Best only if everyone enjoys steep, exposed terrain.
The family vote: Trip 1. It's the easiest to tailor to different energy levels. Use boats and short walks for a gentle holiday, or choose the lakeside trail for a longer day. Besseggen adds a real challenge, not an obligation. These are self-booked trip ideas; beds, boats, and meals need reservations.
02 / Get your bearings
An offline schematic route map. Select a trip to highlight its connections; select a hut to jump to its booking link.
Swipe the map sideways to explore all the huts →
Showing all connections. Boat services and trails are seasonal. This map is for planning only.
03 / Our days in the mountains
Here's how the favourite trip could feel. Arrival and departure are included; the final hut night means we don't have to rush home after a big walk.
Gjendesheim → Gjendebu → Memurubu → Gjendesheim. The best balance of hut atmosphere and flexibility. This is deliberately a boat-assisted hut holiday, not a continuous walking trek. The remote-hut transfers don't require ridge crossings.
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive at GjendesheimSettle in, have dinner, and take a short shoreline wander if you have time. No major walking commitment. | Gjendesheim |
| 2 | Boat to Gjendebu; explore gentlyChoose a short out-and-back valley or lakeside walk with the hut staff. Aim for 1–3 hours, turning around when you like; ask about river crossings and current trail conditions. | Gjendebu |
| 3 | Boat to MemurubuBook the specific sailing. Spend the afternoon relaxing or take an easy-paced out-and-back in Memurudalen, with a route suggested by staff. This boat leg avoids Bukkelægret. | Memurubu |
| 4 | Choose your way back to GjendesheimBig day: Besseggen, roughly 13–16 km; allow 7–9 hours. Lower option: lakeside trail, 10 km; published 2½–4 hours, budget 4–5 at a relaxed pace. Gentlest: pre-book the boat. | Gjendesheim |
| 5 | Breakfast, then travel homeThe final hut night means no pressure to finish Besseggen in time for a long onward journey. | — |
Make it genuinely easy: choose the boat on Day 4 and keep the walks short. Choose the lakeside trail if 10 km of uneven, undulating ground sounds comfortable. Neither choice gives you the iconic ridge-top view—but both give you a lovely trip.
Want a second chance at Besseggen? Add a second Memurubu night before the crossing, making this 6 days / 5 nights. The 5-day plan is not a guaranteed weather buffer; hut changes and boat seats depend on availability and booking terms.
Gjendesheim → Gjendebu → Fondsbu / Eidsbugarden. Choose this if you want a real hut-to-hut crossing but dislike narrow ridges. It is moderate mountain walking, with one substantial day—not the gentlest overall option. No Besseggen on this itinerary.
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive at GjendesheimStay beside Gjende and get an update on the next day's boat and the valley trail. | Gjendesheim |
| 2 | Boat to GjendebuA light afternoon: explore close to the hut, enjoy the lake, and ask whether the seasonal bridges on the Fondsbu route are in place. | Gjendebu |
| 3 | Walk to Fondsbu via VeslådalenApproximately 16 km / 5–7 hours, with about 516 m ascent quoted by the route publisher. Budget a full day. Birch woodland gives way to open mountain terrain before the descent toward Bygdin. | Fondsbu |
| 4 | A slow day at EidsbugardenChoose a short local walk with Fondsbu staff or just enjoy a proper hut day. This is a rest/contingency day, not a second long crossing. | Fondsbu |
| 5 | Depart from EidsbugardenUse a confirmed summer bus or a booked M/B Bitihorn boat to Bygdin plus onward transport. Check the actual seasonal timetable before booking the huts. | — |
Logistics trade-off: this is an open-jaw trip: you finish at a different roadhead. Don't leave a car at Gjendesheim without arranging its retrieval. If conditions rule out the valley crossing, stay by Gjende and use the boat, but contact Fondsbu about your reservation; that fallback does not get you to Fondsbu.
Gjendebu → Memurubu → Gjendesheim. A memorable classic, but not a “relatively easy” trek. Bukkelægret is not an easy warm-up: it has steep ground and chain-assisted sections. Choose this only if the entire group is comfortable with exposure and two consecutive mountain days.
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reach Gjendeosen; take the boat to GjendebuMatch the booked sailing to your arrival, with a sensible margin. If the connection is tight, add a Gjendesheim night before this itinerary. | Gjendebu |
| 2 | Walk Bukkelægret to MemurubuAbout 9½ km; published roughly 4½–5 hours, budget 5–6 with pauses. A steep initial climb of roughly 450–500 m includes chains, followed by undulating terrain and a descent. | Memurubu |
| 3 | Walk Besseggen to GjendesheimRoughly 13–16 km, around 1,000 m cumulative ascent; allow 7–9 hours. Travelling this way means going up the narrow ridge rather than down it. | Gjendesheim |
| 4 | Depart after breakfastNo late transport deadline on the ridge day. Add another night if you want a rest day between the two walks. | — |
How to soften it: replace Day 2 with the Gjendebu → Memurubu boat, and Day 3 with the lakeside trail or boat. That's effectively the flexible trip above. Make those choices before starting the exposed routes; neither ridge has an on-demand boat escape.
Memurubu describes this classic as “Gjende på langs.” Its linked package page includes a date-limited 2026 offer; don't treat the old advertised price or departure time as a current booking.
04 / The optional big moment
That extraordinary ridge between two different-coloured lakes. A memorable challenge for the willing—not the price of admission for everyone else.
Could we do it? Possibly, with the right experience, fitness, and weather. It's a long rocky day with a steep hands-on scramble and real exposure. Fit hikers without climbing experience often walk it in good summer conditions, but it is not an easy family stroll.
The local guide quotes about 13 km and 6–8 hours; Memurubu's package description quotes about 16 km and 7–9 hours. Exact endpoints and estimates differ. Plan for the longer day rather than a fast completion.
Best direction here: Memurubu → Gjendesheim. You ascend the ridge, and finish at your hut instead of chasing a boat. There is still a long, rocky descent after the high point at Veslefjellet (1,743 m).
The big adventure: take the ridge if everyone doing it is ready for a full rough mountain day, comfortable with exposed scrambling, and hut staff report suitable conditions. A local guide is an option for extra support.
The gentler adventure: take the lower lakeside trail or a booked boat. If we split into groups, each needs appropriate supervision and equipment; younger children need a suitable adult. We can all finish at Gjendesheim and compare stories over dinner.
Our rule: nobody has to prove anything. Skip the ridge for strong wind, poor visibility, slippery rock, snow/ice, thunderstorms, fatigue, or discomfort with heights. Decide at Memurubu: the lakeside trail is not a bailout from halfway up Besseggen, and boats are scheduled—not on demand. For younger children or uncertain mountain experience, make boats and short walks the default.
05 / From “imagine” to “let's go”
Aim for late July to late August. Book the huts and boats together, add meal plans, and choose the walks to suit our family. No camping equipment required.
Aim for late July to late August. It's a practical summer target for staffed huts, boat service, and a lower chance of lingering snow than early season. It is not a guarantee of snow-free or good-weather hiking.
This is not an October itinerary. Check current trail conditions and Yr weather immediately before going; snow and cold are possible even in summer.
Published 2027 dates, checked 23 October 2026: Gjendebåten says 5 June–25 September, with booking opening 1 December 2026. Gjendebu lists staffed summer opening 18 June–10 September. Memurubu lists 20 June–19 September, closed 25–27 June for a wedding. Recheck all huts, Fondsbu, and your actual sailing dates; seasons do not automatically overlap.
Trips 1 & 3: use Gjendesheim / Gjendeosen as the access point. Check whether your bus stops at the quay or requires a transfer. If driving, check current parking and shuttle arrangements rather than assuming you can park beside the hut.
Trip 2: arrive at Gjendeosen and leave from Eidsbugarden / Fondsbu. Check JVB's summer boat/bus services and the onward connection. Avoid a car-retrieval puzzle by arranging transport before committing to the crossing.
Allow a night at the access hut if travelling from far away. Don't build a tight airport or long bus connection immediately after a ridge day.
Staffed huts mean no tent, stove, or full food carry is needed for these plans. Bring a sleeping-bag liner if the hut requests it, and confirm bedding arrangements.
For walks: grippy hiking footwear, waterproof jacket and trousers, warm layers, hat/gloves, food and snacks, water with a refill plan, first-aid/blister kit, headlamp, charged phone/power bank, and offline trail mapping plus map/compass knowledge. Keep essentials with you if forwarding a bag.
Costs: get date-specific quotes for beds, meal plans, boats, luggage, and transport. Compare DNT member/non-member prices where offered; Memurubu is privately operated. No unverified nightly price is assumed here.
DNT staffed lodge at the eastern end of Gjende. Roadhead, arrival base, and the comfortable finish after Besseggen.
Hut info & booking ↗DNT's oldest operating tourist hut, at Gjende's western end. Boat access makes the mountain setting unusually accessible.
Hut info & booking ↗Privately operated staffed lodge beside Gjende. The natural overnight stop before walking Besseggen toward Gjendesheim.
Hut info & booking ↗DNT staffed lodge at Eidsbugarden on Bygdin. The end of the less-exposed Veslådalen crossing in Trip 2.
Hut info & booking ↗The case for going
A boat ride into the scenery. A hut to come back to. Something to look forward to together. And, for anyone who wants it, a ridge they'll remember for a very long time.
Planning checked 23 October 2026. Use the operators' live pages for changes, current availability, and conditions. “Budget” walking times in this guide are conservative planning allowances; the source estimates are noted separately.
Photographs embedded with reusable Creative Commons licenses. Displayed as resized images and cropped to fit some panels; no color edits. Attribution and original license apply to each photograph independently of this guide.
Cover: “Besseggen from Gjende” by *saipal, CC BY 2.0. Boat: “Gjende Besseggen boat” by Silverkey (Mickaël Delcey), CC BY-SA 4.0. Hut: “Gjendebu” by color line, CC BY 2.0. Ridge: “Bessvatnet-Besseggen-Gjende” by Xauxa (Håkan Svensson), CC BY-SA 3.0.
The original schematic map is an illustration of connections, not surveyed cartography. Detailed geographic maps are linked separately. All photos, styles, map, and controls are embedded: this file can be shared on its own and read offline; external links need internet.
