While Viking Saturn is an ocean cruise, expedition-type experiences are offered at every port of call, including helicopter flightseeing, cycling, kayaking and, of course, hiking. In Ålesund, located in northwest Norway, a picturesque coastal city at the entrance to the famous Geirangerfjord, I opt for Sukkertoppen (Sugar Summit).

Our group of 14 sets out on a gravel trail that soon becomes a scramble around tree roots, giant boulders and emerald green moss. The air smells of pine needles, and the trail is scattered with pine cones and berry bushes. We pass giant scarlet toadstools with white spots that look delectable. “They are very toxic,” says Jensen as I approach them.

We continue our climb for about an hour, huffing and puffing as we view the mountains in the distance. When we reach the summit, our reward is a dramatic panoramic vista of the fjords below on Hessa Island, next to Ålesund, and the colourful houses of the city beyond. We munch on cinnamon buns and drink smoothies that Jensen has thoughtfully carried up (eating outdoors is also a sacred Norwegian tradition) while taking in the spectacular scenery. The sun streaks through the horizon, dodging several large menacing grey clouds…

Suddenly, just as I finish my cinnamon bun, a gust of wind blows in from the sea and the trees start swaying madly. “There is a storm coming from the Atlantic; quick, put on your rain gear,” Jensen warns. I wrap myself in a flimsy emergency poncho I had stuffed in my pack, and we start our descent. Within seconds, the rain is pelting down and the wind shreds my poncho, which flaps around my midsection like a torn garbage bag.

Jensen tells us that the Norwegian Trekking Association (the country’s largest hiking organization) gives members access to 550 huts in remote locations throughout the country at a meagre rate, so they can hike overnight in the wilderness without having to lug up food and a tent.

It seems too good to be true. However, for the 5.4 million residents of Norway, a love of nature comes close to being a national religion. According to a recent survey by market research company Kantar TNS (June 2024), 83 per cent of Norwegians are interested in friluftsliv, 77 per cent spend time in nature every week, and 25 per cent do on most days of their lives. Some professors study this concept, programs to help newcomers embrace this way of life, and friluftsliv kindergartens where children spend 80 per cent of their time outside.

It helps that the country has so much natural beauty. It boasts 70,000 islands, with 40 per cent of the land covered in forests and an astonishing 1,700 fjords. However, attitude and respect for the environment are also critical. One older local reminded me during a moment on the trail when my energy flagged: “Why are you not walking uphill faster? It is better for your heart and knees than walking downhill,” he scolds me.

By the time our group arrived at the bottom of Sugar Summit, the storm had blown over. The sun is out, and it is warm enough that I start peeling off my outer layers.

“Well done,” says Jensen. “Who wants to go on another hike?”

Flam

In Flam, a fjord village nestled in the Aurlandsfjord (a branch of the 203-km-long Sognefjorden – the world’s second-largest),  Visitors can hike, cycle, walk, and zipline around the city and surroundings. Or, for a change of pace, you can rent a Renault Twizy electric car and buzz around the narrow mountain roads, praying you don’t run into a tractor or, God forbid, a tourist bus.

The Twizy (which resembles a cross between a car and a go-cart with room for only two people) is a great way to take in the scenery – picture cascading waterfalls, fertile valleys and idyllic villages with turf-roofed houses. South of the Flam Harbour is a 17th-century wood church in a valley with a gurgling stream behind it. We pass apple and pear trees that grow here thanks to the Gulf Stream, which moderates temperatures in winter. Flocks of free-roaming sheep are everywhere; the sound of bells and bleating fills the air.

I enjoy passing the Flåm Railway (Flamsbana), an electric train 20km from Flam to Myrdal. As one of the world’s steepest railways, it took 20 years to build the Flåm Railway, which has 20 tunnels that had to be excavated by hand. Fellow travellers who took the train marvelled at the scenery: small farms, waterfalls, burbling streams. Not to mention the terrifying heights as the train ascends 865 metres in less than an hour. I am happy on my Twizy, zipping around the hills and enjoying the green gardens and incredible viewpoints.

Bergen

Founded in 1070 on what was then a Viking settlement, Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway and a historic treasure. Surrounded by seven hills and seven fjords, Bergen boasts numerous sights. You can start by visiting the fortress of Bergenhus, near the Vagen Harbour, and the Rosenkrantztarnet, a stone tower built in 1270 by then-King Magnus Lagabote. The German occupation forces also used Bergenhus during the Second World War.

Walking down the harbour, you’ll come to Bryggen, an old wharf and historic site lined with quaint, coloured wooden houses. It was once the seat of the Hanseatic League, a medieval network of guilds that began in Germany and spread throughout central and northern Europe.