Like a pilgrimage: Daniel Johansson on Jotunheimen and Norway's wild nature

Daniel Johansson, who runs Your Travel Radar, has been drawn to nature for as long as he can remember, and Norway is where he feels it most. I asked him what the mountains give him, what he packs, and why one place, Jotunheimen, means more to him than anywhere else.

Daniel answered my questions in Swedish; the quotes are translated.

"When I am in nature, I become myself"

There was no moment when it started, he says. "I have been completely fascinated by everything for as long as I can remember." The interest has had a very big effect on his life and on the way he runs his businesses, among them the hemp company Helsama, because for him everything rests on something deeper: the planet, its nature and the life on it. "You could say I have spent most of my time out in nature."

His interests change over time, he explains, and he has his ups and downs like everyone. "But when I am myself, I am in nature, and when I am in nature, I become myself. You find five minutes alone by the forest and you feel like yourself again."

Norway is special to him. "The nature there is so powerful, the mountains and everything around them. It is properly wild."

Summer, far from everything

Which season is best? "That is a very easy question. Summer."

Being far from cities and everyday stress is, in his words, the best thing there is. "It is calm and quiet, and you can breathe deeply, as long as you have what you need." He tries to stay out in the wilderness as much as he can, even if it can be nice to get back to civilisation afterwards.

The weather matters a lot. "If it is rainy and windy, it is not much fun. If it is sunny and still, you enjoy it enormously."

What he packs

"You do not need that much, really." Nutritious food, something to make a fire with, what you need to sleep safely, and dry clothes, which he calls the most important thing. A tent or something like it, and a phone.

He prefers company: "It is always more fun to share the experiences with someone." But travelling alone works too. "It can have its advantages. It is calmer, and you do not have to adjust to anyone else."

Jotunheimen

"Jotunheimen in Norway is the absolute coolest, up in the mountains. That's the place for me." All of Norway is fantastic, he says, but Jotunheimen is something extra.

There are many places he has not yet seen. Lofoten is one he would like to visit.

From the train window

When he travels by train through the valleys, he wants to get out and explore. "You just want to run out there and find out what is there. So much mystery, so many questions. Curiosity." He looks out of the window the whole time.

Is there a smell, a sound or a light he remembers from Norway? Not one that stands out from Sweden, he says. The air smells fresh, there is little sound apart from nature's own orchestra, and the summers are very light in both countries.

His advice for a first trip

"Go to Jotunheimen and be there. A few days is not enough, you will want to roam around there. Take a week or two."

His first trip to Jotunheimen is the one that meant most of all his journeys, because he made a connection with the place. "Just knowing that it exists, and having that feeling with me when I come home. It is like a pilgrimage. Go there, get a real feel for the place, and you will carry it with you for the rest of your life."

Getting close by train

The nearest night train stop to Jotunheimen on our map is Otta, on the line between Oslo and Trondheim. From there it is buses the rest of the way, and only in summer.

Innlandstrafikk runs line 143 from Otta to Vågåmo and Lom, timed to meet the trains from Oslo and Trondheim according to its timetable. From there its mountain routes go to Spiterstulen, Juvasshytta, Leirvassbu and Gjendesheim, the last one also stopping at Bessheim. In 2026 the mountain routes ran from 22 June to 16 August, so check next summer's dates before you plan. The buses leave from Otta skysstasjon, the bus station, not from the platform. In the 2026 timetable, Otta to Gjendesheim took about an hour and three quarters with a change at Vågåmo.

What we know about Otta station, with the date each fact was checked:

Been there? Add what you know

We cannot yet tell you how punctual the trains to Otta are: Norway does not publish past arrival times, so there is nothing for us to measure.

Read more: Oslo to Trondheim: the night train past the mountains