Hivjufossen

Hivjufossen, Hovet, BuskerudHivjufossen is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Buskerud located near Hovet (Hol) in the Hallingdal, Norway.

When driving  4 kilometer west of Hovet, on road Rv50, you see a sign “Hivjufossen” pointing to a big parking lot. There is a information board at the parking but still it is difficult to find the proper direction. You have to walk east (away from the bridge) along the river for a few minutes until you see a wooden sign at the other side of the road (on your right).

Here the trail to Hivjufossen begins with some steep parts in it. But you will be rewarded, after 30-40 minutes you arrive at a picnic spot with a clear view on the lower part of Hivjufossen (from a distance). The lower part has a single drop of 40 meter.

For the better views you have to continue. The trail goes further up (total ascend 350 m) with again some steep parts. After 30-40 minutes you can see the upper part. Walk a little bit further up where you have amazing views on the valley and to the other side into the Hivjudalen. There is no official trail, but you can ascend along the river to get a better view on Hivjufossen. But be careful, multiple accidents has happened with a deadly ending….!!!!

Hivjufossen - most upper part
Hivjufossen – most upper part by Remi Knutsen

At the upper part of Hivjufossen you can walk a little further to lake Hivjuvatnet but you also can choose to walk further upstream along the river until you reach the most upper waterfall.

Best period to visit Hivjufossen is late spring and early summer when a lot of melted snow ends in the Hivjuvatnet that feeds the waterfall. in autumn there is a lot of rainfall, always good for a powerful Hivjufossen.

I visited Hivjufossen July 2016 for the first time and I liked the waterfall very much. first 9 pictures are mine and the last 2 three pictures are taken by Franka van der Pluijm of Birkelund Camping, a nice camping which is the perfect base for hiking in the area and to visit Hivjufossen.


5 thoughts on “Hivjufossen

  • 4 September 2017 at 11:52
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    The article names just one accident, but there have been three deadly accidents:
    1. In 1991, a Norwegian woman of 44 years
    2. In 2007, a Dutch man, 50 years
    3. In 2016, an American, 52 years

    All died because of the same reason: they wanted to take water from the waterfall, because thirst, after a heavy hike of 40 minutes upward to the waterfall. At least 1 liter water per person should be in the backpack before starting the hike.

    Wiki in Dutch: https://www.wikiwand.com/nl/Hivjufossen with links to newspapers and a book, written by the widow of the Dutch victim.

    Reply
  • 27 April 2020 at 12:48
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    Hivjufossen is beautiful. The article only mention the lower 3 waterfalls. The most spectacular waterfall is located ca 2-3 km above the lower waterfalls, towards Hallingskarvet.
    Hivjufossen is easy accessed by a well marked trail along the waterfall. But as the article mention, ist not easy to find the trail, due to bad/ old sign on the parking area. So good news for all; from this season, there will be new signs, and guided tours in Hivjufossen.
    Guided tours can be booked by contacting Hallingskarvet Mountain Experiences. (www.hivju.no)
    All waterfalls can be lethal if one is careless! So stay clear of the edge on the top. Is very slippery when wet.

    Welcome to Hivjufossen

    Reply
    • 28 April 2020 at 15:27
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      Never knew that there was another waterfall upstream in the river but I found it after some research (gps 60.606074, 8.031856). Haven’t seen any pictures yet of the waterfall.. On the map it looks like a waterfall of 40-50 meter

      Reply
      • 4 May 2020 at 12:14
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        I have some pictures, but I’m not sure how to share them at this site?
        You can see one picture in this link; https://hivju.org/hivjufossen/ . This part of the webpage is not finished yet, so there is not much information. The picture was taken in 2017.
        Contact me if you need more pictures, or information: remi@hivju.no
        -Remi-

        Reply
        • 4 May 2020 at 15:23
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          Nice to receive a message from you again. I can use the picture from your website but I have you additional nice pictures you can send it to: info@europeanwaterfalls.com
          If the files are to big you can use wetransfer.com

          I hope you are well and healthy in these difficult times. I hope to come to Norway soon but it will probably next year…

          Reply

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About Hivjufossen

CountryNorway
RegionBuskerud
LocationHivjubakken-Hovet
RiverHivju(vatnet)/Storåne
Height40+50m
Latitude60.611128
Longitude8.073874
Best visitEarly summer-summer
Rating

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