Tyssestrengene

The waterfall Tyssestrengene is with a free fall of 300 meters and a total height of 851 meters one of the highest waterfall in the world. But today the Tyssestrengene is regulated and can only be seen when there is overflow in the reservoirs above. Only picture I have seen of the Tyssenstrengene are very old ones.

Nearby is also a regulated waterfall, the Ringedalsfossen and is situated at the end of the Ringedalsvatnet near the small village of Tyssedal, municipality Odda/Horaland. From Odda it is a 6km drive to the north, over road 13 before you reach Tyssedal. From Tyssedal there is a trail to the Ringedalsdammen from where you have to follow the north shore of the Ringedalsvatnet. At the end you should have a good view in the fall in the distance. It is a 2,5-3 hour hike to the end of the trail. I have also seen pictures from a height looking down to the lake and the fall.

The Tyssestrengene is a waterfall that doesn’t flow anymore, but….occasionally (after heavy rainfall) there is a chance the floodgates will open. November 11th, 2022 this happened and Åsgeir, who was hiking in the Ringedalen made some footage and some pictures (rare material). He wrote a travel report and I wanted to share his story with you:
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I’ve been going on regular walks in Ringedalen since I moved to the area a few years back. mainly to see If I could catch a lucky glimpse of Ringedalsfossen, as during periods of heavy downpours it sometimes overflows the dam. Tyssestrengene almost never does, and the chance of it being let loose is extremely slim.

On November 11th, the entirety of western Norway had the most severe flooding in years, so when the sun broke through the next day I thought this was the best chance I had had yet of seeing Ringedalsfossen. Walking in the wally it quickly became apparent that Ringedalsfossen was unfortunately not flowing, but from a distance, I could see water in Tysso, the river from Tyssestrengene, prompting me to continue. On my way there, the river/waterfall Endåna was flooding to the point it nearly took the bridge with it, which raised my hopes. When I reach the bridge over Tysso the river was roaring, and the lower portion of the falls soaked everything and everyone in the area in mist. I left the trail and quickly scaled the 300 or so vertical meters up the steep, slippery, and forested slope adjacent to the lower falls. There are ropes to hold on to since this also is the way to reach the zipline over the lower falls. Reaching the top I had a full view of Tyssbotn, and most importantly, the giant waterfall of Tyssestrengene. I stayed for about 40 minutes as the sun set, taking pictures and taking in the sight. Had it not been for the fact that
daylight was fading quickly I would have gone even closer to the falls, but I wouldn’t risk the steep slopes back to the track in darkness.

On my way back, Endaåna was a shadow of what it was on the way in, and the sound of a helicopter proved that workers had been up to the dam to close the gates once more. This, and the fact that there was no one else on the trail that day leads me to believe that I quite possibly was the only one lucky enough to experience Tyssestrengene this time. That was quite an experience. 
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If it is a dry period, don’t worry, there are dozen of huge waterfalls in the area of Odda: LåtefossenEspelandsfossen, Langfoss, Vidfoss, Aednafossen,StrondsfossenTjørnadalsfossen, SkrikjofossenNyastølfossenNykkjesøyfossen, Tveitafossen and the Søtefossen.

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About Tyssestrengene

CountryNorway
RegionHordaland
LocationTyssedal-Odda
RiverTysso-Ringedalsvatnet
Height851m
Latitude60.135927
Longitude6.751804
Best visitOverflow of the reservoir
Rating

Most nearby waterfalls

WaterfallDistance (linear)Rating
Ringedalsfossen 4 km
Skrikjofossen 20 km
Rjukandefoss 20 km
Sotefossen 22 km
Nykkjesoyfossen 23 km