Vøringsfossen is the great waterfall of Norway, with a total drop of about 180 metres, of which around 145 are a clean, free fall into the Måbødalen gorge. The river Bjoreio runs across the Hardangervidda plateau and comes to the edge in a rush, and then it simply drops, with a roar you can hear long before you see it. The spray rises in a cloud and the rocks around it are wet and bright with moss. The viewing platforms on the edge give you a view straight down into the gorge, and it is worth taking your time, because the scale does not register at once.
The waterfall has been a famous sight since the nineteenth century, when the first tourists came, often by boat up the fjord and then on horseback and foot. A grand hotel was built at the edge of the gorge in the 1890s to receive them, and it is still there, a big old wooden building in the dragon style. Painters and composers came to look, and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany was among the visitors who made the journey. The waterfall was a marvel and a status symbol, and it appears in many old photographs and paintings.
The road to the falls is the Rv7, which at this point runs on the plateau edge before dropping into the valley, and it is a pleasant, easy ride. There are fast, long bends, a good surface and wide views over the mountains. The main trouble is crowds in summer, when buses and campervans fill the car park and the road, so aim for the morning or the evening. At the edge, take care: the rock is slippery, and the platforms are railed, but the drop is enormous.
Eidfjord is the nearest village, about fifteen minutes down the valley by road, and it has a pump and a few shops. At the fall there is a café and a shop. The best time is after rain or in the spring melt, when the flow is at its greatest, and the best light is in the middle of the day, when the sun reaches into the gorge and the spray is full of rainbows. Wear a waterproof, as the mist can soak you in minutes.