World famous lights

Mysterious light phenomenon inspires “UFO camp” in Hessdalen

Despite having only 130 residents, the tiny mountain village Hessdalen gets millions of hits on Google every year.

If you search for “Hessdalen lights”, you get a number of images and videos, not to mention speculation about the mysterious flashes of light that have made the village famous.

Some people believe the lights are caused by extraterrestrial activity, and scientists have also shown interest in explaining the phenomena.

Now, large information boards and “lavvos” (traditional Sami tents) with glass ceilings are to tempt travellers to leave their screens and head to a place where they can actually experience the inexplicable phenomena for themselves.

“You are not just sitting in the lavvo for an hour or two, you spend the night here. In other words, you have the entire night to get a glimpse of the magical light”, Hilde Vårhus says.

👽👽👽 #hessdalsfenomenet #ufo #ufohessdalen #hessdalen #visittrøndelag #visithessdalen #holtålen #aliens #grønnemenn #karsk #vitenskap #energi 👽👽👽

Et bilde publisert av Marion Trøan (@suuupermarion) fredag 14. Okt.. 2016 PDT

Along with her husband, Bjørn Vik, she has opened a UFO camp in Hessdalen, located in the county of Sør-Trøndelag. The goal is to make the mystery more accessible for tourists.

“In the fall, we had a couple in the lavvo who saw light visions for two hours. That’s really rare, considering that one generally gets a few seconds. They described it as an intense experience”, says Vårhus.

Recently, the Norwegian national broadcasting corporation, NRK, spent the night in the lavvo. Afterwards, they could tell of orange light balls moving, extinguishing, and then being lit again.

“Such observations make many people curious about what’s going on”, Bjørn Vik told NRK (article in Norwegian only).

Pass opp for ufo hahah #hessdalen #ufodalen 👽👽👽

Et bilde publisert av Carina (@misantropiii) lørdag 08. Okt.. 2016 PDT

Professors and scholars from both Norway and abroad have visited Hessdalen. The theories of what causes the lights are many, but the puzzle is still considered to be unsolved.

The Norwegian Olav Thon Foundation has therefore allocated money to further research of the phenomenon, NRK writes.

In addition to glass lavvos and luminous information boards made out of concrete, the UFO camp also offers visits to the local UFO pub.

“Here you can taste the UFO burger and drink UFO beer. The burger is made out of my cows, and the beer is brewed locally”, Vårhus says.

#pub1hessdalen #visithessdalen #ufoøl #pubaften #hessdalen

Et bilde publisert av visithessdalen (@visithessdalen) lørdag 04. Juli. 2015 PDT

One can even join a “UFO safari”.

“Here, we ride for to days in beautiful nature in the mountains, scout for the light and spend the night in a mountain cabin.”

The mayor of the village, Jan Håvard Refsethås, believes that a growing interest from researchers and better facilities at the site will get even more people from home and abroad to visit Hessdalen.

“We’re planning to build several tourist cabins to accommodate those who want to experience the phenomenon with their own eyes. And who knows, eventually there might be a waiting list to stay here”, the mayor says to NRK.