Summer in the Venabygd mountains

Venabu Fjellhotell lies in the middle of fantastic tour terrain on 'Venabygdsfjellet' and is a gateway to the Rondane National Park. In the summer months there is a large network of paths and trails in light easy terrain. We lie close to the birch forests as well as over 30 different mountain tops. At Venabu we offer walking, horse riding, canoeing, bathing, fishing & cycle hire. There are a whole variety of different walk, very short to very long. The area is very good for hill walking. We also offer a ride with our minibus into the mountains every morning, with a variety of different routes back to the hotel. Choose from simple routes with good easy footpaths or visit deep canyons and waterfalls, mountain summits & plateaux.

Guided walking (In the oldest mountain formations in Europe)

To get the best out of the area, we recommend joining one of our guided walking trips. We take people to see the highlights of the local area, places that are not always easy to find by yourself. We follow many of the old footpaths in the mountains, which are no longer marked but good to walk on. Some of the walks also head off the beaten path without following footpaths. In this way, we think you’ll get to know the local area, animal life, geography & local history (and maybe even meet the wild reindeer). Our friendly and well-informed guides as well as guests from different European countries make this an unforgettable experience. We have a varied weekly programme during the summer season. Starting on the 16th June and finishing at the end of August. New for 2012 are special “themed weeks” and some we call "Out in the unknown". You can walk to one of the peaks in Rondane, visit canyons and waterfalls, find tracks of wild reindeer, hike over the lichen covered plateau and visit summer farms just to mention some of the organised walks. Every Wednesday evening we serve traditional Norwegian food of the area. Detailed information.

Riding

Venabu has its own stable with 15-25 horses and ponies in the summer months. Venabu has its own stable with 15-25 horses and ponies in the summer months. Venabustallen can offer horse back riding for all levels and ages. We arrange longer and shorter trips, riding instruction for beginners, and small rounds for children. We also arrange riding weekends and ridning holidays for those who are interested in riding several days. These weekends and holidays allowes you to see more of the area and get in better contact with your horse. We ride in different terrain, and get to see the view from high mountains, waterfalls and canyons. On some of our trips we ride into the wild reindeer's territory.

General information about the Venabu Stable An overview of our riding options

Worth doing/worth seeing:

Myfallene - 3 waterfalls, 100m fall, 3 km from the hotel
Dørjuvet - the "Grand Canyon" of Venabydgsfjellet
Sollia Church – one of Norway’s best preserved churches from the Baroque period. Guiding possible
Ringebu Stave Church and the art gallery at the old vicarage – guided visits
Hundorp – Burial grounds from the Viking age
Olympic Lillehammer – visit the arenas & Olympic museum
Cultural Lillehammer – Art museum & Maihaugen, Norway’s largest open air museum
Moose Safari – normally Tuesday evenings
Rondane panorama - Harald Sohlbergs well known painting scene. "Vinternatt i fjellene"
National tourist road Rondane, route 27 from Enden to Folldal
Cycle & canoe hire
Programme at Rudi Gard (old farm with lots of cultural events)
Peer Gynt by Gålåvatnet in end of July/beginning of August - open air play
Summer farm lunch on Tuesdays
Fishing in local lakes & streams
Hunderfossen family park and Norwegian Road Museum, just north of Lillehammer
Guided walking from beginning of June to end of August
Rafting on River Sjoa
Jutulhogget - Northern Europe's largest canyon (two hour car journey)
Ringebusamlingene in Ringebu vicarage – paintings, including Jacob Weidemann
Folldal mining museum
Rondane national park
Many great car journeys nearby - Geirangerfjord within reach for a day trip (long day)
Storfjellseter - very special old place with coffee and art gallery in summer, along Friisvegen