Sel
Municipality · Innlandet
About Sel
Rafting on the Sjoa, hikes into Rondane, Norway's first national park, and Jørundgard, the medieval farm built for the Kristin Lavransdatter film.
What to do and where to stay in Sel
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Rondvassbu and Rondane from MysuseterHike
From Spranget above Mysuseter a 7 km gravel road, walked or cycled, leads into Rondane, Norway's first national park, to DNT Rondvassbu, base for Storronden (2,138 m).
Mysuseter/Spranget, 13 km from Otta · Half day (walk/bike to Rondvassbu, 6–7 km each way) to full day with a summit · Late June–September
2Kvitskriuprestin earth pyramidsNature
Pillars of moraine gravel left standing on the eroding slope of Uladalen, midway between Otta and Mysuseter, said to be the only earth pyramids of their kind in Norway.
Uladalen, road Otta–Mysuseter · 45 min (about 1 km) · May–October
3Sjoa river and HeidalActivity
A 98 km river from Gjende through Heidal to Sjoa village, known for rafting and kayaking – and for dangerous sections that local operators call 'death traps'.
Heidal valley, Rv257 from Sjoa (E6) · Half to full day · June–August (rafting season)
4Jørundgard medieval centreHistory & culture
A medieval-style farm of 15 buildings with its own stave church, built as the set for the 1995 Kristin Lavransdatter film, open daily May–September with guided walks.
Jørundgardvegen 18, Nord-Sel, about 10 km north of Otta by the E6 · 1–2 h · 8 May – 30 September, 11–17
5Heidal church and Bjølstad chapelHistory & culture
A 1941 copy of the 1754 church that lightning burnt in 1933, with carved acanthus inside; 40 m away, Bjølstad chapel has doorposts carved in the 1000s.
Bjølstad, Heidal (Rv257) · 30–45 min · All year outside; inside summer/by arrangement
6HøvringenHike
An old summer-farm village at the edge of Rondane on the E6 side, a main gateway to the park with marked paths to Smuksjøen and Anaripigg.
Høvringen, above Nord-Sel/E6 · 2–5 h · June–September; ski trails in winter
7Kringen and the Sinclair monumentHistory & culture
A roadside memorial by the E6 south of Otta to 26 August 1612, when local farmers ambushed Scottish mercenaries marching to Sweden; legend says Pillarguri warned them.
E6, a couple of km south of Otta · 15–30 min · All year
8Pillarguri statue and PillarguritoppenViewpoint
A statue of Pillarguri, the girl who warned the farmers with her horn in 1612, on the hillside above Otta, on a 7.5 km loop walk from the railway park.
Otta, south-west side · about 2.5 h (7.5 km loop) · May–October
9Sel church at SelsverketHistory & culture
A 1742 log cross church with a medieval soapstone font at Selsverket, the old works site whose houses were swept away by an Ula debris flow in 1789.
Selsverket, E6 just north of Otta · 30 min · All year outside; inside in summer (check)
10Otta blue-plaque town walkLocal oddity
Blue plaques with QR codes on over 20 buildings in Otta tell stories such as the locomotive Dovregubben smashing into its shed in 1936 and the Grand Hotel as German HQ.
Otta centre · 1 h · All year