The 6 Best Nature & Parks in Flora Municipality, Western Norway

The Norwegian Red Deer Centre is a national centre of knowledge for developing deer as a resource. The Centre is organized as an idealistic foundation, and the accumulation and distribution of knowledge about wild and farmed deer are among the main tasks. The Norwegian Deer Centre is an important link between central Norwegian authorities, local management- and resource groups, landowners and the public in general. The Centre is located on Svanoy, a beautiful island also known as the “gem of Sunnfjord” in Flora municipality. At the centre you’ll find a group of deer specialists, a deer park and an information centre. The centre is acknowledged by Norwegian authorities as a Research & Development centre, and is collaborating with other institutions on a wide range of topics. In the deer park you may come in close contact with reed deer, and will learn more about them by taking part on our guided tour. You may also study the beautiful fallow deer, and on the odd occasion also other deer species. In the information centre you may attend a course and learn more about wild deer management, slaughtering techniques, deer farming and more. At the centre there is a small scale abattoir, a gourmet kitchen and unique dining and conference facilities. The enterprise is organized with a staff of employees at Svanoy, collaborating closely with groups of deer specialists all over Norway. The Norwegian Deer centre is the place to learn more about deer, night and day – all year around! Join a guided tour from the 1st of June til the 31st of August from Tuesday to Friday at 11 am. Take the boat from Floro: Tuesday and Thursday: 9 am Wednesday and Friday: 7 am You can take a bus on the island to the Norwegian Deer Centre.

Hiking up this sea cliff outside Floro will give you an amazing view of the islands and the archipelago! Store Batalden rises 492 m straight out of the sea, and it is the highest peak on the islands surrounding Floro. Here you can enjoy the beautiful nature that makes this archipelago entirely unique! How to get there? Floro is easy accessible from both Oslo and Bergen by airplane. You can also take the Express boat from Bergen or Selje, which both stops in Floro. When you get to Floro you take a local boat to Store Batalden. By car from Bergen: Follow road E39 north towards alesund/Forde/Lavik. When you get to Oppedal you need to take the ferry to Lavik. From Lavik follow road E39 to Forde. From here on you follow road 5 (Naustdalsvegen) to Floro. Driving from Bergen to Floro takes approximately 3,5 hours. Tour description: Duration: 2,5hrs. Altitude: 492 meters above sea level. The trail starts at the dock on the island. You cross the beach and turn left by the houses. Walk on the left side when you get to the water. The first part of the trail is rather flat before it gets steeper until you are half way up. From here on to the top the terrain gets less steep. On the top you can enjoy the amazing view of the archipelago! The duration of the hike is estimated to 2,5hrs. Part of the trail is quite steep, but the hike is graded as moderate for people who are used to walking in terrain. If you want a easier hike you can go north from the dock, and walk on the eastern side of the island. You will then walk up to the top from a north-eastern direction. This trail is less steep, but takes a bit longer. During the hike you should look for eagles, which are often seen in the area. If you are lucky, you might even spot a deer! Sometimes they come swimming across the sea from the mainland, and they like to stay on the hillside of the islands where there is a lot of vegetation.

You'll have toilets, showers, washing machine, tumble dryer, WI-FI, electricity and water. Free to stay for a few hours. Staying the night: boats under 30ft: Kr100 - boats 30ft to 40ft: Kr120 - boats over 40ft: Kr150 - electricity: Kr30