Samnanger: Ski holidays with Eikedalen and regional cultural history

For a ski holiday in Samnanger, Eikedalen Skisenter is the main winter destination. It is located in the municipality at the entrance to Kvamskogen, the mountain plateau between Samnanger and Hardanger, and has Northern Europe’s tenth-longest chairlift. Samnanger’s mountain areas are also widely used for skiing; tourist traffic is especially high in the east, where the municipality extends as far as Kvamskogen. When looking for accommodation, you can use these winter destinations to guide your travel plans and compare the locations of specific places to stay with your planned day trips.

Guidance for finding accommodation

County Road 49 runs through Samnanger from Kvamskogen through Eikedalen, past Tysse and Haga, and via Gullbotn to the E16 at the border with Bergen. Tysse is the municipality’s administrative centre, with shops and a service centre. If you need specific items or services during your stay, check what is currently available in advance. When choosing accommodation, it helps to decide first whether Eikedalen or other destinations in the municipality will be the main focus of your trip; then compare the specific location with your planned day trips.

Hiking destinations around Prestakvilet

Hiking destinations are also useful points of reference in Samnanger. The Prestakvilet day-trip cabin is located by Kvernesvatnet, in an idyllic wooded area with several hiking destinations. The trail starts at the car park by Ådland Church, about 1.6 kilometres from the centre of Bjørkheim on FV7. From the car park, the route is about 2.3 kilometres each way; walking at an easy pace takes approximately one hour. You can also swim at Kvernesvatnet. Samnanger Turlag organises group hikes and makes it easier to explore the municipality’s natural surroundings independently. If you would like to join a group hike, check the specific dates.

Landscape and local history

Fossen Bratte is part of the landscape: a protected waterfall on the Eikedalselva in Eikedalen, with a free fall of about 80 metres. The Eikedalselva is part of the Samnangervassdraget watercourse and is permanently protected from hydropower development; this protection dates back to the 1986 Watercourse Protection Plan. At 1,299 metres, Tveitakvitingen is part of Samnanger’s highest mountain areas, on the border with Fusa. These local and landscape features add other notable destinations in the municipality to the winter focus.

Ådland Church was first mentioned in written sources in 1329. Ådland is an old church site and was formerly also a post and horse-changing station at a transport hub connecting sea and land travel. Prestakvilet is located along the old Prestavegen, which was built to make it easier for the priest travelling from Os to reach Ådland Church. This means the hiking trail can also be connected with the area’s recorded history.

Botnahytto is a protected cultural and wartime monument in Samnanger, by Botavatnet, and is associated with hunting and other outdoor recreation. From 1942 to 1945, the cabin served as a hideout for refugees and members of the Milorg and Saborg resistance groups from Os, Samnanger and Bergen. Notaholmen is near Bjørkheim: the old boathouse was used to store fishing gear and is now an important cultural monument in Samnanger.

The Hardingfele (Hardanger fiddle) is also part of the region’s cultural history. Samnanger has a rich tradition of making these instruments and has produced several respected fiddlers. The Samnangerfela is a Hardingfele made by Johannes Bårdson Tveit. Alongside ski and hiking destinations, these cultural traces offer another specific point of reference for your trip.

Discover more destinations: Tysse, Kvam, Ullensvang, Voss, Odda, Eidfjord, Radøy.

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