Pre-Trip Notes Booklet
Here is an electronic copy of the booklet that was mailed mid June.
Itinerary
Get all the tour details including day-by-day itinerary and tour fees.
WhatsApp Group
Download WhatsApp in the App Store and use this link, on your smartphone, to join the IFTA group.
Pre Travel Survey
Please complete this Pre Travel Questionnaire, one for each traveler.
Picturesque Orchards
The fjords are lined with small family owned orchards. They are so interesting to see and we'll visit a few farms, too, to learn about the local industry.
Notable Research
We will visit the Ullensvang research station, where scientists focus on the research of fruit and berries. The site is of architectural interest, too.
Fresh Juice & Hard Cider
The juices in Norway are extraordinary! From ciderhuset to the many Handanger cider farms, we'll explore the fermented product, too.
Tour Overview
Following the IFTA Summer Study Tour in Nova Scotia taking place July 23—25, travel to Bergen, Norway, to begin this tour on July 27.
Bergen, Norway
July 27—29 (2 Nights)
Arrive in Bergen, gateway to the fjords. We'll have a festive welcome dinner and a full day of sightseeing including the historic wharf and food market, Fløibanen funicular railway up Mount Fløyen for panoramic views, and much more.
Ballestrand/Sognefjord
July 29—August 1 (3 Nights)
This part of the tour will be based in Balestrand, on the Sognefjorden, Norway’s deepest and longest fjord. It is a small, lush village with hiking and amazing views. We’ll tour the town’s tiny orchards and Ciderhuset, a 5th gen business where they make ciders, juices, wine, and more. We’ll visit Solvern further up the fjord and ferry across to Urnes Stave Church in Ørnes. Enjoy an afternoon for optional activities like RIB boat on the fjord, biking, or kayaking.
Lodging - Kviknes Hotel
Ullensvang/Hardangerfjord
August 1—4 (3 Nights)
The next 3 days will be spent in Hardanger the “fruit bowl of Norway.” Here you can trace the traditions of fruit growing back to the Middle Ages. But first, we have to get there, and we’ll cruise the narrow and breathtaking Naeroyfjord. Eventually we’ll arrive at our homebase, Ullensvang, home to the research center. We’ll tour orchards, a juice factory, a fish farm, and really get to know Norway’s primary fruit-growing region.
Lodging - Ullensvang Hotel
Departures
August 5
We'll spend the last night at Thon Hotel Bergen Airport. Travelers should book flights back to North America on Saturday August 5, or extend their travels in Oslo or Bergen. Those participating in the Oslo Extension will depart on an 8am train to Oslo on August 5.
Tour hosts
Greg Lang
IFTA Education Director
Greg Lang is a professor at Michigan State University, where he conducts stone fruit research, teaches a wine education course, and travels the world to speak on fruit production science.
Molly Crist
Onward Travel
Molly's home base is Crist Bros Orchards in NY's Hudson Valley where her husband is a 5th generation apple grower. She has been co-owner of Onward Travel, a group travel agency, for 10 years, and is pictured above in Norway in 2017.
AIRFARE booking
When you book flights, please forward the booking details to kaitlin@onwardtravel.co.
If you'd like help booking, please fill out form linked below and Kaitlin from Onward Travel will be in touch.
There are air travel notes on the itinerary PDF here, page 8.
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