Nærøyfjord

Norway's narrowest, most dramatic fjord

The Nærøyfjord is a fjord in Aurland, in Vestland county, western Norway. About 17 kilometres long, it is an arm of the Aurlandsfjord, which is itself an arm of the mighty Sognefjord. Reaching inland to the village of Gudvangen, it is one of the narrowest and most spectacular fjords in the world.

A gorge cut by ice

At its tightest point, by the hamlet of Bakka, the fjord is barely 250 metres wide, while the surrounding mountains rise as high as 1,761 metres above the sea. There the water is only about 11 metres deep over a threshold of moraine and rockfall, before the fjord widens and deepens again inland. In cold winters — as in the 1920s and in 1962 — the fjord could freeze over so completely that the scheduled boat could not get through. Small villages such as Bakka, Dyrdal and the farm of Styvi cling to its shores.

West Norwegian Fjords

On 14 July 2005 the Nærøyfjord area, together with the Geirangerfjord, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the West Norwegian Fjords. The listing covers a broad protected landscape around the Nærøyfjord and parts of the Aurlandsfjord, including the 576 km² Nærøyfjorden landscape protection area and several nature reserves.

A fjord on the screen

The fjord's soaring walls have made it world-famous: in 2013 it served as an inspiration for the kingdom of Arendelle in Disney's film Frozen. It is best experienced from the water, on the sightseeing boats that run between Gudvangen and Kaupanger or Flåm.

• Location: Aurland, Vestland, western Norway (arm of the Sognefjord)

• Dimensions: c. 17 km long; only 250 m wide at Bakka; peaks to 1,761 m

• Status: UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005 (West Norwegian Fjords)

• Highlights: Dramatic scenery; villages of Gudvangen, Bakka, Dyrdal

• Visiting: Sightseeing boats and fjord cruises from Gudvangen and Flåm