Inside these White Caves we give you a tour through Trolls and Mystery, through the deepest caves and then to the dawn of light and a beautiful sunset, before entering the big hall, where you can rest on reindeer skins, enjoy a little snack and visit the very special CaveBar. All to the sound of running and dripping water along with Grieg’s fantastic music and a delicate light show from the deepest blue to the brightest orange, coming and going, reflecting on the many small ponds. Here you find, second after the moon, the world’s largest deposit of Anorthositt, a type of marble, which contains both gold and aluminium.
The tour through the cave-labyrinth begins in a welcoming hall where helmets and jackets are given to those who wish. (The average temperature is approx. 8C all year round.) Thereafter guests continue through the cave tunnels in single file. The whole route is laid with carpet so it is easy to follow. The naturally white mountain walls, partly with running water and small lakes, gives quite incredible reflections and effects with the right use of lighting. We have chosen to start the tour with wandering shadows of the trolls to the sound of Grieg’s «Hall of the Mountain King», next to continue to a peaceful sequence as you go further in, with silence and thrilling light-settings in blue and green. Just the sound of dripping and running water interrupts the silence. The lights come and go, giving each individual their own special experience of the tour. Gradually the lights grow stronger, with glimpses of orange and red, before exploding in an overwhelming sunrise in an extended cave, set to Grieg’s «Morning».
The walk continues further towards the sun and at last through it in the form of a small passage. Out on ‘the other side’ it is at first dark for a moment, before the walk literally continues through the rainbow, step-by-step, colour-by-colour, till you discover that you are in a large mountain room with a little green lake, flickering and playful lights make you feel that you are in another world. Here there are seats to sit on, small candles to light and set on the water if you wish, or you can continue towards the stone bar where refreshments are served. Around the corner from the bar is a dining area with tables and benches covered with reindeer skins, and also more private sitting-areas to sit down and absorb the magic atmosphere.
The cave-labyrinth itself covers an area of 250 by 150 square metres, criss-crossing in nooks and crooks. The halls are of different sizes, but are generally 5-10 metres high by 4-8 metres high, with some larger halls and rooms. Innermost in the caves it is bored to a depth of approx. 300 metres to a water source where at all times runs the most clear and fresh water, thoroughly rinsed on its way down from the top through over a kilometre of Anorthositt. At the end of the round trip you come out into a larger hall where there is a tiny hole near the top of the wall where you can see daylight This gives the feeling of not being far from the way out after all, reducing the anxiety for anyone who may find it uncomfortable to be «inside the end of a tunnel». The carpeted path makes it also suitable for those with diminished health to follow. There is also along the path emergency lighting in case of a power cut outside, which will come on automatically. Toilets, which are mobile units, are discretely located outside.
On ordinary round trips the caves can welcome a bus every 10 minutes with a 45 minute stay. During special arrangements, you must allow 100 people approx. 20 minutes to be gathered in the big hall after the round-trip. The dining area can accommodate up to 300 people at a time, but the best feel of the «mountain atmosphere» is achieved with around 150-200 people. The excursion is mainly meant for groups, especially from cruise ships, and exhibitions/arrangements. The minimum size of a group to visit or hire the caves is set to 20 people.
The caves in Gudvangen are located about 6km. away from the Gudvangen ferry quay, right next to the E16 road to Voss. There is a bus parking area just outside the entrance. Since it is not open to the public, we have chosen to keep the outside as the original, without any signs or commercials.