The Husedalen Waterfalls
The Husedalen Waterfalls are a series of four giant waterfalls on the Kinso River making a mad dash down from the Hardanger Plateau (Hardangervidda) to the Sør Fjord (Sørfjorden). The hike, however, isn't easy as you're looking at a minimum of 4-6 hours return where some parts may be difficult to follow (especially if the bridges are out, which happened to me during my trip in 2005). But it is well worth the effort and the waterfall lover must do this hike. :) To get to the trailhead, head up a road just beyond the Kinsarvik Hotel in the town of Kinsarvik. Take the road all the way to its end (it gets unpaved once you get past the residential areas) where a power station sits. You can park the car there. The four waterfalls are in this order (from the lowest to the uppermost): Tveitafossen, Nyastølsfossen, Nykkjesøyfossen, and Søtefossen.
Søtefossen (pictured at the top of the page) is the last and uppermost of the Husedalen Waterfalls. It's unique in that it tumbles in two giant tiers at angles to each other. I think the name is Norwegian for "the sweet waterfall," but I'm not totally sure (the word "søt" means sweet). Whether I'm wrong or not in my translation, this waterfall sure is sweet! However, getting to Søtefossen isn't easy (at least in my experience) because you have to scramble up the wall adjacent to Nykkjesøyfossen. During this scramble, you'll be tramping through mud, hunting for sparsely placed red Ts, and using all 4 of your limbs to get over certain climbing obstacles. Now, I understand that when the Kinso River wasn't as swollen as when I saw it, there would be bridges over the river, and that might make hiking this section far easier. The photo at the top of this page is Søtefossen. See the photos below to see what the others look like... Tell us about your experience with this waterfall. [Back to top] [Go to previous waterfall: Skrikjofossen and Opofossen] [Go to next waterfall: Other Sørfjorden Waterfalls] [Go to the Hordaland Waterfalls Page] [Go to the Norway Page] [Return from Husedalen Waterfalls to the World of Waterfalls Home Page]
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Tveitafossen is the waterfall sitting adjacent to the power station. It's difficult to get a clean look downstream from the falls due to the tremendous amount of mist that gets thrown in your direction. However, you can get more contextual views as you go further up the trail and look down at the falls.
Nyastølsfossen is second and perhaps largest of the Husedalen Waterfalls. When I did the hike, I walked up the unpaved road and got great distant views of the falls, but the lower parts were obstructed. There is a more primitive trail that follows the Kinso River where you get up close and personal with this monster.
Nykkjesøyfossen is the third waterfall. It lacks the size of the other waterfalls, but is quite scenic. Perhaps I remember this waterfall most for the houses in the middle of nowhere with a view of the falls. It sits beyond the point where the unpaved road ends.
Fighting off the mist for this direct view of Tveitafossen
Profile view of Nykkjesøyfossen
