trying to choose among these three tours in Geiranger

Eagles Road and Herdalsetra Farm

or

Majestic Mt Dalsnibba and Djupvasshytta Lodge

or

Mt Dalsnibba and Norwegian Fjord Center

The all-day bus tour that goes both to Eagles Rd and Mt Dalsnibba and a bunch of other places and winds up in Hellesyit also sounds terrific, but I don't think we'd enjoy being on a bus that long. PLUS, I suspect we won't be awake for the sail up to Geiranger, so I think it's probably wise to be aboard ship for the sail back down.

Much appreciate input!

Do you have to choose in advance? If there's low cloud cover, there will be zero view from the top of Dalsnibba, so be sure there are also lower vantage points in case of weather.

IIRC we booked at the information centre the day of to go to Mt Dalsnibba and the fjord centre. The view from the top is absolutely incredible. I think we walked back from the fjord centre. A lovely day!

Anyone done the Hiking Westeras shore excursion? That is also an option in Geiranger.

Anyone done the Hiking Westeras shore excursion? That is also an option in Geiranger.

What specifically does this entail? I have never done an organized excursion in Geiranger, but I have hiked up to and around Westerås farm.

The hike up to Westerås begins behind the Hotel Union, across from from the Fjordcenter (~15 minutes walk up through town from the pier; if you're following the road, there's a shortcut by taking the steps below the church). It's a moderate 2km hike, entirely uphill on the way there. Last time I did it (about five years ago), it was fairly well-maintained, but there are a few small rocky patches to navigate.

My first cruise visit offered a hiking excursion that started at Westerås (after a bus transfer) and did the hike up to the Storseter waterfall. We had been intrigued by the description on the local hiking map of hiking "behind the waterfall" so we decided to do the same hike on our own (we caught up with the excursion group en route). This is also a moderate hike, but the trail had a lot more rocky and muddy patches than the walk up to Westerås. Additionally, the sheep grazing from the farm left additional surprises behind that needed to be avoided. In the end, I was underwhelmed by the waterfall, which isn't particularly big and doesn't have a lot of space behind it. More importantly, the hike itself is up in a mountain valley, so there weren't a lot of great views of the amazing fjord scenery behind us.

Since the fjord is the big draw in Geiranger, we decided (somewhat foolishly) to try to follow up this hike with the route out to the Løsta overlook. We were short on time and had to hurry, and in early June, this trail was extremely muddy. Since we were rushing, we ended up extremely filthy and probably scandalized some of the more polished Cunard passengers on the way back to our cabin later! It was well worth it to get a nice view of the dramatic fjord scenery from above.

On a later visit, I was traveling with my parents, who are older but still moderately active. They struggled a few times with the walk up to Westerås but didn't have any serious issues. Once there, we opted for the easy farm road out to the Vesteråsfjellet overlook. This was a simple walk and I think the view of the fjord was probably as good as the one from Løsta.

So, if the "Hiking Westeras" tour is the Storseter waterfall hike, I don't think I would recommend it. The draw of Geiranger is the fjord scenery, and that hike doesn't have much. However, if you're interested in hiking, it's easy to do this on your own. You can either download and print the hiking map from the tourist information website or pick up a copy for around 10 NOK at the tourist office.

 

So, if the "Hiking Westeras" tour is the Storseter waterfall hike, I don't think I would recommend it. The draw of Geiranger is the fjord scenery, and that hike doesn't have much. However, if you're interested in hiking, it's easy to do this on your own. You can either download and print the hiking map from the tourist information website or pick up a copy for around 10 NOK at the tourist office.

Thank you for the detailed response and the link to the hiking map. The hike you describe is exactly the one offered as shore excursion through HAL. If the weather is good, I will probably do one of the bus tours offered in order to see the Fjords. There are other ports that offer hiking too.

Ah, how nice still to be at the age/stage where hiking is a big part of the pleasure of cruising. We miss it!

I kind of need to choose in advance because popular excursions may be full if we don't get our dibs in early enough. I do understand, though, that Dalsnibba, handsome as it is, isn't a good idea if the weather isn't clear. Is that drive/views, etc. handsomer than the other route? And if we do choose Dalsnibba, should we choose the tour with the Fjord Center or the Lodge, I wonder.

Thanks to all responders.