How to organize a trip to Norway with your dog? How does a bivouac take place with your dog in Norway? Discover the adventures of Marion, Christophe and their three dogs!

 

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Norway… I'm a fan! It is a destination that makes me totally dream. I had the chance to go to Lapland in the winter. At the time I had not yet adopted Musher. So I'm not able to tell you if it's a dog-friendly destination or not. I had the chance to meet Marion a few weeks ago who had just returned from a month's vacation there with these 3 huskies. I interviewed her extensively and across to find out all about her journey. Just having discussed it with her, it makes me really want to plan my next vacation there with my beautiful Musher. I let you discover his interview: the team of “huskies on the go” tell us about their Norwegian adventures…

The complete team in Norway: 3 dogs and 2 humans

Our little pack is made up of Gupsie, 6 years old, a female Siberian husky. She's my first female dog, my first husky, she's the one who made me discover the breed and everything that revolved around huskies. Handicapped following an accident when she was 4 months old, this does not prevent her from enjoying hiking. It's just that you have to help her a little: carry her to prevent her from jumping off rocks, allow her to rest on very comfortable beds and above all don't forget to give her her food supplements for osteoarthritis.

Then there's Ishka, she's the sportswoman of the group, my little engine. Ishka is 3 years old, she is also a female Siberian husky and it is with her that I really discovered sled dog sports. It is also the one closest to us. A very strong bond was created thanks to the many sporting activities that we practice with her.

And then there is Nova, the youngest, 7 months to date, who continues to grow. Not super easy to travel with such a young dog, you have to pay attention to his joints and therefore always leave with an empty backpack in order to be able to carry it. And it's not always easy because she would really like to go galloping with the others.

In the “human” category, there is Christophe and me. Christophe is a mountain enthusiast. He is also the one who manages all the technical aspects during our travels because he is the Mc Gayver of our troupe. I, Marion, have been passionate about animals since my childhood. First a rider, I have always been more comfortable with animals than with humans. Christophe and I like to travel and we have already done a lot of things together. For example, we took part in the 4 2016l trophy, a student raid which enables school supplies to be sent to the poorest children in Morocco in 4L. So we crossed the Moroccan desert with a 4L that we had completely refurbished. If I am telling you about this project, it is because we financed it in part thanks to the organization of a Canimarche in the Tarn (81) which brought together more than 100 participants, and where of course the loulouttes were the stars 🙂 

The Huskies on the loose

Basically, " huskies on the loose », it was a simple Facebook page on which I put all the photos of the outings we did with our loulouttes. We are used to taking them everywhere with us, when traveling or on vacation. And then, as we like the challenges and to make discover our passion for the huskys and the sports activities that we practice with, we passed to the statute of association. It's very recent but it will allow us to organize events around canine sports again, and especially around traction sports.

Holidays with your dog in Norway

Going to Norway with a dog

This country has always fascinated us. Sometimes we have fun typing on Google “landscapes + name of a country” and seeing the landscapes of Norway it quickly made us want to. I also saw circulating some photos of friends or acquaintances who went there. It made me want so much that I decided to go there last winter, alone this time, to work in sled dogs. And there, flying over southern Norway before arriving in Oslo, I was captivated. I saw lots of Fjords, snow-capped mountains, desert landscapes, the sea… It was so magnificent that even before landing I said to myself “we absolutely have to go there with the dogs! ".

We hadn't really set a date and then the opportunity presented itself. Christophe could take a month's vacation and we really wanted to leave. We had already mentioned the idea of ​​going there a long time ago but had not pushed the research further after seeing the travel time, the budget and the ferries…. it seemed too complicated. And we had never had more than two cumulative weeks to spend on vacation. We knew it took three weeks minimum to see everything we wanted to see there. Finally, the fact of deciding one month before the departure, that does not leave much choice: it is necessary to act immediately!

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Camping with your dog

The main reason for choosing the Road Trip is to be free to travel on site and not have to depend on buses, trains, etc. It also allowed us to take a lot of things for our comfort and our budget. Indeed, we bought a lot of food in France before leaving because we knew that this country was very expensive. Same for the loulouttes croquettes: 3 huskies to feed for three weeks can't be improvised. We chose to bivouac because accommodation prices were much too high for us. For example, the only time we slept in a "Hytter" (a small typical cabin, without shower or toilet) we had it for 80€... While wild camping, which we mainly did (apart from 3 real campsites to take showers) it's free and above all it's allowed in this country. But we were well prepared. This is our primary mode of travel and accommodation when we leave. We have acquired all the necessary equipment over time. During our participation in the 4L trophy, we slept exclusively in tents for two weeks. Then, for the planning, as despite all the time we had to travel this great country, we selected everything we wanted to see and we placed markers on a map. Then we calculated the travel time between each point. Taking into account the time we wanted to stay on each stage, we started skimming through the stages… to finally retain only about ten. By creating this table, it also allowed us to calculate our budget. 

Take a plane with your dog

We did not leave by plane but by car, with our car from Toulouse. What I can tell you is that it took some ingenuity to fit everything into a classic sedan. I let you imagine what 2 people, 3 huskys, camping equipment (luxury camping I have to admit because we had chairs, a table, a big tent etc…), food for us and the dogs, our belongings, the dogs' belongings, the pharmacy (you can never be too careful) etc… We bought a second-hand roof box to help us fit everything in.

On site, we followed our itinerary but we sometimes changed plans at the last minute. For example, we had planned to spend only one day on the island of Vaeroy, and in the end it was so beautiful, we felt so good there that we decided to stay there for 1 more day. Well, I would have listened to myself, we would certainly still be there 🙂 In the end, we let ourselves be guided and we decided a lot of things at the time. We hadn't booked anything in advance which allowed us that flexibility. At the same time, we left in June and it's not the big period of tourist affluence. It was therefore not a problem to board the ferries. However, it seems that it's less obvious in July / August, to be confirmed. For the bivouacs, we did "pifometer" most of the time. We drove and took small roads until we found the ideal place. Sometimes we looked on a map of potential locations (by putting the satellite images, we tried to locate spaces). And other times, we just passed in front of a heavenly place and we said to ourselves “hey, we just have to pitch the tent here! ". That was great, freedom! Our main objectives for this trip were to seek out beautiful viewpoints. So we did a lot of hikes there, more or less easy. Our feet have become our second means of transport. 

Their memories of holidays in Norway

All in all, these three weeks will forever be etched as our best vacation ever. Going to the far north and seeing dream landscapes with our dogs: what more could you ask for. But obviously we had some problems:

  • let's start with number one: Gupsie and Ishka who fought… it only happened once and then it had to happen in Norway because of a bowl! Certainly frustrated by this promiscuity, I think that at times they would have liked to be quiet on their side. It earned us a little trip to the vet to do three nice stitches (and yes anyway…). Fortunately, this altercation did not taint the rest of the stay. But in the future, we will try to give them more space so that they can stay quiet and rest when they want.
  • number two: it's our little Nova who was only 6 months old… During the hikes we carried her a good many times to respect her need for activity, limited for her age. Our shoulders and our legs remembered it for a long time...
  • number three: it's the mosquito attack we suffered in Sweden (which we crossed on the way). We found ourselves in the middle of the forest, with rain that was literally eaten away by gnats and mosquitoes. And there we understood why most houses in Sweden had closed terraces 😉 – I add one for fun because it was funny (well, not too much at the time), it's the sheep: he they really are everywhere! so imagine many huskies hiking among the sheep. This earned us some frights since obviously, after having provoked the sheep which were in the middle of the path (and did not want to move) the loulouttes took refuge very quickly in our paws when the sheep rushed at us…. grrrr

The three positives:

  • the first: obviously it's the long days, the midnight sun. It's a crazy thing, it's to live. In the north, the sun doesn't even set anymore, so you have sunshine all the time (when the weather is nice, otherwise let's say it's bright all the time). Basically, you can live any time of the day. We left for a hike at 22:30 p.m. one evening. In France, anyone would have said “but they are crazy! but not at all actually. Sometimes, it happened to us to look at the time and see that it was 2am and that we still hadn't gone to bed, not tired.
  • second point, it was the discovery of the island of Vaeroy: a paradise. Very little frequented by tourists, we who love calm and nature, we were served. It was so calm and peaceful that we were able to release our huskys on the beach without disturbing anyone and above all without risk for them.
  • Obviously, breathtaking landscapes! At the start of our Road Trip we stopped so often to take photos of the landscapes that we were quite behind schedule!

Norway: ideal holiday destination with your dog?

Dogs are very generally welcome in Norway on the sites we visited. We have also met or simply seen quite a few travelers accompanied by their dog. To import a dog to Norway it must be:

  • over three months old
  • identified by electronic chip or legible tattoo made before 3/7/2011
  • up-to-date anti-rabies vaccination (post identification, valid for 21 days after the first injection) and a maximum of 21 days before entering the country
  • deworming against tapeworms (praziquantel, epsipantel) for dogs only, administered by a veterinarian (section VII of the Passport), between 24 and 120 hours before arrival (unless treatment is carried out regularly every 28 days and certified on the passport, with at least 2 treatments spaced less than 28 days before the trip).

I would also like to point out that in this large country, there are sometimes relatively desert areas where the first veterinarian is several hours away. It is essential to have a well-filled first aid kit with you. It is also necessary to think of the other countries crossed: in our case we crossed Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden, with controls at the borders of Denmark and Sweden. 

Most of the sites that are to be visited are sites accessible by hiking, in the middle of nature. That's why we're going there! It is therefore very easy to visit this country with dogs. There are sometimes a few signs asking that the dogs be attached since there are many flocks of sheep. It must be respected, dogs could scare them. On the other hand, we have not been in enough accommodation and restaurants to say that it is more or less easy than France. Only one restaurant in Trondheim failed us, but otherwise we were accepted everywhere. In total we slept in 4 campsites, including one in a hytter, a typical Norwegian cabin, and 2 restaurants, on the terrace each time. On the other hand, we have never brought our female dogs indoors. Otherwise, we took several ferries where dogs are accepted without supplements but on the other hand, they must be left in the car. It is therefore necessary to calculate its routes well so that the ferry is not too long. 

vacation in Norway with your dog

The main stages of their roadtrip in Norway

Our first base in Norway was the city of Oslo. We had decided to devote only one day to it in order to rest from the long journey we had spent so far. Then we headed towards Dovrefjell Park. Very very nice surprise! The road that leads to it is splendid! Initially, we wanted to go on an accompanied expedition to see wild musk oxen. Finally we saw on the spot that within 15 days, we were ahead of the opening of expeditions. To do from July therefore.

After the Dovrefjell park, we went well to the North, to the Lofoten islands, that was the main objective of this trip. The journey to get there was long but we did not regret it: the landscapes were of exceptional beauty! These islands are all more beautiful than the other and are full of magnificent white sand beaches and turquoise water. A few degrees higher and it almost feels like you are in the Pacific Islands!

We then descended towards the South Fjords, passing through the colorful city of Trondheim and the mountains of the center of the country. The roads were great and we even stopped to camp near a cross-country ski resort that was still open. So we pitched our tent in the middle of the snow, it was cold but the scenery was incredible. In the evening, the colors are pink and color the snow, it's beautiful. We then continued with the Fjords of Andalsnes, Geiranger and Fl°am, where we took short walks but where we mainly rested in anticipation of the last two big hikes to come: Trolltunga and Preikestolen.

Trolltunga was the hardest hike of the trip and challenged us. We did it over two days, in order to be at the viewpoint early in the morning and avoid the crowds. 23km, 11 hours of walking without counting the breaks and 1000m of elevation gain, so 400m of elevation on the first kilometer…. just to get you started! Arrived at the top, the point of view is fantastic: we find ourselves on a rock suspended several hundred meters above the void. Some leaned down to look down but honestly we didn't have the courage.

We then continued with Preikestolen, a large cliff overlooking the magnificent Lysefjord. 600 meters of emptiness below this cliff…. enough to give chills when approaching! This fjord marked the very last stage of our stay in Norway and it was with nostalgia that we boarded the last ferry which brought us a little closer to the end of the holidays…

traveling to Norway with a dog

A not very funny anecdote happened to us halfway through. Gupsie and Ishka fought because of the bowls… The fact of being so close to each other and being attached almost all the time made them develop a kind of frustration and the slightest misstep caused the situation to get out of hand. Moreover, our attention was not totally directed towards the Loulouttes because of the accumulated fatigue and we did not anticipate the situation at all. Result: a beautiful trace of fang for Gupsie and the right to go to be stitched up at a Norwegian veterinarian. In the more fun genre, or not (at the time it was not anyway), we were attacked by giant sheep. Yes yes you read well, huskies who are attacked by giant sheep, twice! They were everywhere and some planted themselves in the middle of the paths. Impossible to make them move and difficult to get around, so we approach cautiously. The darlings in a state not possible, bordering on trance at the approach of the sheep, they jumped and barked in all directions just to annoy them properly. But since there were little sheep, the mothers defended them. Well, I can tell you that when the roles are reversed, huskies aren't smart at all! They ended up hiding behind us when the sheep charged us! grrrrr… thanks girls!

The latest advice from Huskys on the go

To travel in such a big country, with so many things to see, I would tend to say that you have to organize your trip well. Knowing where you are going, how much time there is between each point, how much it will cost approximately are essential data to take into account. You should also not hesitate to spend several days in the same place, such as on the Lofoten Islands. It is much more relaxing for humans and for dogs. Also think that Norway has a particular climate: on the coast, the temperature remains on average at 10/15 degrees in summer on the northern half, but this is mainly because it is very humid. You must therefore be ready to accept more or less strong rainy episodes for several days in a row. We were lucky because the month of June is the most favorable weather-wise, but other people who left after us weren't so lucky at all... 

So, are we planning to go back, not right away, but we would like to, yes 🙂 In winter this time! And for the final word, I would tell you that we would like to go back there with a full team to go sledding with our dogs… To be continued!

 

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