Gjende

Gjende lies in a trough eighteen kilometres long between the ridges of central Jotunheimen, and its colour is its signature: a strong opaque green from the rock flour carried in by the Muru river, which the poet Aasmund Olavsson Vinje described in the nineteenth century and which still surprises people arriving at the shore. The DNT lodges at Gjendesheim, Memurubu and Gjendebu sit at intervals along it, connected by a passenger boat that has run since 1893, and that service is what makes the area work: most walkers take the boat out and walk back. The Besseggen ridge, Norway's most-walked mountain route, runs along the northern side between Memurubu and Gjendesheim.

What you actually see

• The green water - opaque colour from suspended glacial rock flour.
• The lake boat - a passenger service linking the three lodges.
• Besseggen - the ridge running above the northern shore.
• The DNT lodges - Gjendesheim, Memurubu and Gjendebu along the water.

When to go

July to September, when the boat runs and the ridges are clear of snow; the season is short and the first boats start in late June. Besseggen is extremely busy in July and August, with the early boats booked out.

Honest expectations

Parking at Gjendesheim fills early on summer mornings and boats sell out, so both need booking. Lodges must be reserved. The weather changes fast at 1,000 metres and the exposed ridges are dangerous in wind or fog.

Nearby

Besseggen and Knutshoe rise on either side; Bessheim and the Sjodalen valley lie east.