Now that you are in Kristiansand, I would strongly recommend you to start on the few weeks before the snow starts to hike around this beautiful area. Just outside the campus at UiA Kristiansand there is Jegersberg, a former training center for the military for running, shooting, and now is a must for your start to explore around and view the soothing lakes which you can also take a nice swimming time and after that maybe have a picnic to dry out and just relax your eyes on the soothing view. This hike can be short or long. It all depends on your needs. Personally, I use it to take a 15-minute walk to take a break from my studies and then return to my daily activities. Yet, you can also enter from a different area near to go for a longer hike, at the “boat with the bottom up” (Den omvendte båt) that could give you marvelous views and can take a little bit longer, around 2 to 3 hours.
Baneheia and Ravnedalen are also just a few steps away from the city center. If you follow your way from the center towards the mountain in Festningsgata you will encounter at the very end the entrance to Baneheia, a soothing and relaxing environment, where you will find probably some hungry ducks who will pursue you to get some food. There are many paths you can take, and you can also choose for a short or long walk with huge rocks around, nice lakes and a small, cute beach in a lake that you can take a bath in if you feel up to it, and then chill out on the sandy beach afterwards. At the same place but in a different entrance through the General Café, which is only open during the summers, and it is worth trying the hamburger, by far the best one I have tried here in Kristiansand. You will see from there the statue of a famous General Oscar Wergeland who was the brother of Camilla Collet, a famous feminist writer who fought for love despite her family not supporting her decisions and Henrik Wergeland, a famous poet. Ravnedalen is full of trees that are out of the region due to Oscar´s travels around Europe. He would bring seeds and plant them around and that is why this park is full of beautiful and diverse vegetation as well as nice cascades and lakes. I personally love water and swimming, so the best prize out of your hike is to take a middle break for a nice swim and then continue your way back.
There is another easy hike, but with steep hills that will help your bum in the Kristiansand Golf Club loop which can be an hour or two depending on how you want to enjoy it and you can take a break in the amazing views. If you wander around, you can see a nice area where the kids can enjoy themselves and if you are curious enough, take a look at the outside toilet where you can see the picture of the King as it is a traditional curious thing that they place the picture of him there. Odderoya is also a popular hike you can easily take near the city center and cross the bridge towards this artsy and popular place that you can see the German Nazi bunkers and take breathless views towards the sea. Another place near the University which I love to wander around is the Botanic Garden surroundings. This hike you can take this hike after your lunch at the university before going back to your activities. I think this is even a romantic place to wander around. If you do your hiking be sure to leave it clean and bring your trash with you so that the place keeps being nice for everyone to enjoy. These are just a few places near Kristiansand you can hike around nearby without such a hassle and just immerse yourself and connect with nature and be grateful for the beautiful surroundings that are taken care of by nature itself.
