Langedrag Nature Park is a type of open farm that also acts as a kind of zoo, and it’s a great place to visit to get close to farm animals as well as some of the most interesting animals you will find in the Norwegian wilderness. You get to see wolves, lynxes, moose, as well as plenty of different farm animals.
One of the cool things about Langedrag Nature Park is that you get to interact with the farm animals. As you can see on the photo below, the main area is pretty big with a lot of different animals that roam the area, and you get to pet the horses, cows, highland cattle and goats if you want.
What makes Langedrag Nature Park worth a visit
The best part about Langedrag is how close you get to the animals. The lynx was coming up to greet us by the fence when we arrived, while the farm animals didn’t shy away from my kid at all. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere at the park, and it’s a great place to spend a day while the children get to experience this special farm.
The farm itself is made to look like a typical Norwegian mountain farm, and you get to experience some typical Norwegian architecture during your visit. It really has an authentic feel to it, and it almost feels like visiting a real mountain farm. While it kind of still operates as a farm, their main income is from tourism, so it’s obviously very catered towards tourism today.
Another great thing about Langedrag is that all the animals in the park are fed at certain times of the day, which means that you get to see it if you meet up at the expected time. This gives you a great opportunity to see the wolves or lynxes up close. As you can imagine, the animals love being fed, so you are guaranteed to see the animals at this time. This might be the best chance at seeing the wolves, which tend to hide away during most of the day.
Some of the animals that you can see at Langedrag are yaks, wolves, lynxes, horses, goats, arctic foxes, reindeer, moose, rabbits, roe deer, boars and more. There are some play areas for children, including a slide, swings and other stuff that children can have fun with.
If you really want to get close to the animals, there’s even guided tours inside the lynx or wolf enclosure, but you need to book this ahead of time (or when arriving at the park in the morning) to make sure there is room for it. So if you spend around 800 – 1,000 NOK per person, you get to do a guided tour inside the wolf or lynx enclosure! This is truly a unique experience you won’t get to see many other places.
And don’t worry, the wolves are socialized from an early age, and are more like big dogs than wild wolves. But you still get to capture some great photos of it, and get bragging rights few others will have.
Langedrag also offer plenty of other special experiences that you can book in addition to the park visit, like dog sledding, riding a horse, feeding of foxes, a climbing day or a day at a shieling (seterdag).
Spending the night at Langedrag Nature Park
Langedrag has several rooms for rent where you can spend the night. This cost 1350 NOK per adult and 990 NOK per child, but includes a place to stay for the night, a 3 course dinner, and of course entry to the park. As an overnight guest, you also get to partake in some extra farm activities if you want.
It’s far from the cheapest accommodation, but it does give you a truly unique experience, and there’s no better way to enjoy the park than to spend the night at it.
Day guests can also book dinner in Langedrag if they want to, and you typically get traditional Norwegian food. It’s a great place to experience a pretty unique Norwegian dinner that is much more authentic than what you get at most roadside restaurants and diners. Make sure to stop by the main dining hall to let them know that you want to book dinner early to make sure they make enough food for your group.
How to get to Langedrag Nature Park
Langedrag Nature Park is found in an area called Tunhovd, which is between the towns of Nesbyen and Rødberg. It’s actually only 2.5 hours away from Oslo, and you simply drive along Rv7 until you get to Nesbyen. From Nesbyen, follow the signs towards Rødberg, and after 15 minutes you will begin to see signs towards Langedrag.
The same goes for when you travel from Bergen, but it’s much further. Just stay on Rv7 until you get to Nesbyen, and you’re almost there.
It’s a bit of a hassle to get to Langedrag without a car, since the farm/park is located a bit away from everything. It’s not really possible to get there by public transport, and the only method is to ride a bus to Nesbyen, then ride a taxi from there. This is going to be very expensive!
Opening times and ticket price for Langedrag Nature Park
Langedrag Nature Park is open all year round, so you can visit it at any time you want. Some of the planned experiences might not be done in the off-season, so make sure to check the calendar at Langedrag’s website to see what is going to happen when you visit.
Generally speaking, a lot more stuff happens in the weekend and during public holidays. But you can still visit at any other point and get to experience most of the park by yourself. I find it to be nice to visit with my kids during the weekdays when we have the opportunity, since this means very few people in the park, so there’s plenty of room for us to enjoy ourselves without getting the feeling of it being crowded.
The park entrance fee is 390 NOK for adults and 290 NOK for children during the high season, and 340 / 240 during the off-season. Any activity like riding a horse, feeding the foxes, going inside the wolf enclosure, dog sledding cost extra.
