Trolltunga Active was founded in 2008. Back then, not more than 200-300 tourists hiked Trolltunga. We have been part of a great journey, turning Trolltunga into one of Norways most popular tourist attraction, in 2025 89 000 tourists hiked to Trolltunga, and Trolltunga Active had 35 professional guides that provided lifetime good memories for more than 9000 clients. Here is our story - the picture above is from our first guided tour in July 2008.

From the mid-1800s, Hardanger was a sought-after travel destination for the European upper class. Travelers from England, Germany, and France came to experience waterfalls, glaciers, and mountains. Odda was a natural stop, with 14 hotels and 84 steamship arrivals. Trolltunga was know at the time -then by name Sylen(the Awl), but was not part of the established travel attractions.

In the early 1900s, industrialization transformed Odda. Foreign investors saw the potentia, and with the establishment of the hydro power plant Tysso1 and the factory Odda Smelteverk between 1906 and 1908, Odda went from being a village with around 100 permanent residents to a key industrial community with up to 2,500 incoming workers. Industry created jobs, prosperity, and early access to water and electricity compared to the rest of the country. But since the factories were without any purification treatment facilities, nature was affected, and tourism was pushed aside.

Industry continued to dominate, but pollution left clear marks. At times, vegetation almost completely disappeared in Tyssedal, and there were restrictions on painting houses white due to soot and fallout. During this period, Trolltunga was mainly a destination for experienced hikers and locals familiar with the area. Toward the end of the 1980s, a clear environmental shift took place, with major investments in cleaning and environmental measures. Nature gradually began to return.

Even if meeting the new enviromental regulations, and the nature slowly returning to its former glory, tourism had not returned. In 2005 Lonely planet listed 'Odda is the ugliest city of Norway'. The same year, 3 good friends renovated and opened Trolltunga Hotel. The local newspaper stated that the opening of the new hotel was the 'start of a new tourist era for Odda!'

With international marketing claiming Odda was the ugliest city of Norway, the Trolltunga Hotel was slowly moving towards bankruptcy. As the last attempt, the owners of the hotel made a plan. Thinking that the old tourist capital of Odda still had something to offer the tourists. In August 2008 Trolltunga Active was established.

The project 'Trolltunga- a travel in the history of Norway' was started. Trolltunga Active created products and tours, so that the tourist again could explore the spectacular nature attractions of Odda - this time added with an incredible history lessons. Invitations were sent to newspapers and media all over the world; come avisit the 'ugliest city of Norway'. And the journalists came. And specially they found interest in pictures of the rock Trolltunga, a 5-6 hours hiking into Harangervidda Mountain Plateau.

Behind the initiative were local mountain enthusiasts with backgrounds in climbing and outdoor life. Instead of marketing the place, they began by exploring. Testing routes. Building experience. With support from Innovation Norway, the idea of modern, guided experiences began to take shape. In 2009, the first Via Ferrata route in Tyssedal was established in just three weeks, with professional input from some of the world’s leading climbers. During the same period, the Himmelstigen route at Trolltunga was also developed.

The pictures of Trolltunga becomes a SoMe attraction. The spectacular frame with the needle shaped rock, the Ringedalen lake 700 m below, and the Folgefonna glacier to the west, exploded with interest on facebook and instagram. Tourists from all over the world, hiked the 10-12 hour hike to sit on the edge of Trolltunga. At the same time the national marketing organizations, Visit Hardangerfjord, FjordNorway, VisitNorway, saw the potential. National and international the pictures of Trolltunga fronted the marketing of Norway. In 2014 Trolltunga got the front page of National Geopraphic.

Around 85,000 people visit Trolltunga each year. What started with Trolltunga Active—one guide and help from friends and acquaintances in Hardanger—has today become a professional activity company with over 20 years of experience and 35 certified guides employed year-round. In addition to guided hikes to Trolltunga, the company offers outdoor experiences and activities throughout the Hardanger region, and has helped make the area an attractive destination again, both nationally and internationally.