A Week of Living with the Land
Sometimes, what we need most is to slow down, to feel the earth under our feet, the warmth of a fire, and the rhythm of days shaped not by the ticking of the clock, but by sun, weather, and the land around us.
This 6-day Summer Wilderness Course invites you to step out of everyday life and into a simpler way of being. Together, in a small group, we live by the wild Sjoa River at the edge of Jotunheimen National Park. Far from busy trails and noise, we learn how to be outdoors in a respectful, grounded, and practical way.
Over the week, we explore traditional bushcraft skills; lighting fires without matches, building shelters from what’s around us, carving, preparing food over the fire, and learning what plants and fish the land offers. More than anything, we practice being in the forest – not just passing through.
This course is as much about connection as it is about skills. Around the fire, through shared tasks, and in quiet moments in the woods, a deep sense of community often arises – among ourselves and with the wild world around us. Whether you come with curiosity, a longing for stillness, or a love for hands-on learning, this journey offers a space to breathe, belong, and remember what it feels like to be part of nature.
■ TIMELESS ■ OFFLINE ■ COMMUNAL ■ NATURE RESPECTING ■ AUTHENTIC ■ PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
Get to know us
Do you have a question or just want to get a better impression of the course and us before making a decision?
Fill out the form and we reach out to you for a non-binding info call.
★★★★★
“Manuel has the ability to teach all his knowledge in a very humble way , this creates an excellent atmosphere to learn.”
The Practicalities & Details
What is included
Pre-Course
✓ Preparation video call with group upfront
✓ Detailed packing & gear list, tips & tricks
✓ Document on arrival & tips on the area
✓ Availability for questions on gear & arrival
During the Course
✓ Full board: breakfast, lunch, dinner
✓ Local & organic food where possible
✓ Tarp & sleeping mat for each participant
✓ Group gear; tarps, axes, cooking gear, etc
✓ Licenses and permits, e.g. wood & fishing
✓ Two experienced nature mentors/ leaders
After the Course
✓ We send you the pictures/ videos we took
What is not included/ extra:
✗ Travel to and from Vinstra, Norway
✗ Individual gear, e.g. sleeping bag
✗ Personal insurance, e.g. health, cancellation, etc.
✗ Special rental options, e.g. reindeer hide
Itinerary of the 6-Day Summer Wilderness Course
Questions and Answers on the Details:
Course Prerequisites and Requirements
If you’re interested in this course, be prepared to spend 6 days immersed in wild nature.
You’ll need to carry your own backpack and some group gear to the campsite and take part in a two-day hike, moving with all your gear to a new location during the course. No previous outdoor experience or special skills are required, and you don’t need to be super fit to join—just bring a willingness to engage and explore!
How you will sleep
You will sleep under a tarp, which we will provide, along with instructions on how to set it up for yourself. You can bring your own sleeping mat or rent a reindeer hide from us to sleep on. We will set up a big tarp for the whole group, where we will gather, cook, and stay dry and comfortable around the fire in case of wind & rain.
Travel & how to get to the meeting point
- The meeting point is in Vinstra (2640), Norway at the train station Vinstra stasjon
- Vinstra is located half way between Oslo and Trondheim. It takes about 3 hours from Oslo to get to the meeting point. There are limited connections, especially on weekends (entur / vy for timetables and tickets)
- For traveling by train check the following train providers: db.de / dsb.dk / sj.se
- There are overnight busses driving from Hamburg to Oslo: flixbus.de
- the closest Airport is Oslo-Gardermoen
- More detailed info will follow once you sign up
Price, Registration, Payment, Cancellation
- Pricing
Until the 1st of April we have a early bird discount for the course: 750 EUR.
The regular price is 850 EUR.
All prices stated include the MVA tax where applicable (VAT/ BTW/ MvSt).
Included is full board, shuttle, guiding and more: See the full list above.
Not included is travel to and from, personal equipment and extra options, see full list above. - Course Registration
You register for our courses by filling out the booking form.
Once we received your registration, we will send you a confirmation, if a place is available.
We will also send you more information (Documents on Arrival, Travel, Gear/ Equipment) and the Invoice, along with our General terms and conditions as well as a Liability waiver that we will ask you to sign.
Further, we will ask you for additional information in a questionnaire on health/ food preferences/ emergency contact/ allergies/ rental options and contact sharing consent for travel coordination. - Payment
Currently we only take payments by bank transfer to our Norwegian bank account. You will find all the details on the invoice. - Cancellation and Course Confirmation
The course will be confirmed when at least 4 participants are signed up or latest 6 weeks before the course starts. Should we cancel the course due to a lack of participants, you will get a full refund. For the detailed cancellation terms (what happens if you cancel your participation), see our general terms and conditions. We recommend you to take out a cancellation/ travel insurance.
On the food, Diets and Menu
- Menu & Meals & Cooking
We provide ingredients and recipes for the all meals during the course. The cooking/ preparing is with a few exceptions done by participants with our instructions upfront. (Everyone gets to cook, and never alone.)
A typical menu day could look like:
Breakfast: Oats with nuts, seeds and fruit toppings
Lunch: Home-baked sourdough bread with spreads, cheese, local salami, pickles, peanut butter
Dinner: Vegetable stew with dear or moose meat (or tofu) with rice - Food preferences and dietary requirements
Some meals we provide contain fish and meat. However, it is possible to eat vegetarian or even vegan (or/ and gluten free), please let us know well in advance and we make sure you are well taken care of.
In a questionnaire we send you upfront, we will also ask you about requirements and preferences around food. Please tell us any food allergies there too. - Local, Organic and Wild Foods
Where possible we buy local, organic ingredients. We will also collect wild foods during the course to supplement our meals and fish for trout. The meat we bring is from local hunters, usually deer, moose or reindeer. - Challenge
For one day we will only eat wild foods: what we have collected before hand, find on the way and fish. - First and Last Meal & Snacks
The first meal is Dinner on day one and the last one is breakfast.
We ask everyone to bring their own snacks for in between.
Due to the nature of our courses, meals might be at different times every day although we try to keep a routine in eating times. It’s good to always have some snacks on you, especially on (day)-trips.
What to Bring & Packing List
- We will send you a detailed packing list with tips and ideas after you register. The most important items are a good 3-season sleeping bag (it can be cold during the night in the mountains), hiking boots and a rain jacket.
Group Living & Phone Free Time
- In this course, we will all pitch in together, whether it’s cooking, transporting equipment, keeping watch over the fire or collecting wood. We work together as a team.
Of course, there will also be time to rest and enjoy the enchanting landscape. - You should be willing to actively contribute to daily tasks in the camp. You should also be ready to face challenges together with your group and support each other.
- We invite you to a media- and clock-free time. We want to do without phones during these days together, even though they will be with us in our luggage for safety reasons. Course leaders carry phones and satellite emergency transmitter, and take care of photography.
- On the first day everyone will be invited to seal their phones and watches turned off in seal bags.
Sunset
Time until the next course starts:
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Course Location & Area
★★★★★
“Great mentoring! You listened, built confidence, and motivated us to surpass our own perceived limits. We learned a lot from you, especially when you sensed our eagerness to learn and showed us new things. I believe I could have learned even more, but even with the 14-day period, time still felt too short.”
★★★★★
“Manu allowed us to learn by ourselves through trial and error, encouraging us not to be afraid of making mistakes and fostering self-confidence while connecting with nature. He also assisted us in uncovering our creativity.”
Meet the Main Course Leaders
Marie Eckart
Guide in Natural Outdoor Life, Crafts & Leadership
Marie has a degree in Natural outdoor living, craft and leadership and has additional training in primitive survival skills all year round. Additionally she is a NOLS Wilderness First Responder. Marie has been hosting wilderness courses in Scandinavia since 2020.
She loves to create things herself such as wooden skis, canoes, her winter sleeping bags and winter tent. She also has been working for a traditional leather tannery sewing high end outdoor clothing from reindeer leather.
She lives in Norway in a small log cabin and is also a mother of a child.
Marie speaks German, English, Swedish, Norwegian and Spanish.
Manuel Sturm
Guide in Natural Outdoor Life, Crafts & Leadership
Manuel has a degree in Natural Outdoor Living, Crafts and Leadership and has done additional courses in primitive outdoor living. He is also a NOLS Wilderness First Responder.
During his studies, Manuel has been living outside for two years, one year in a Tipi tent on an island in a lake, and the other year in a treehouse.
Manuel has been hosting wilderness courses and been guiding groups since 2019 in Scandinavia. He is the founder of wildernessvision.no and lives in Norway in a small log cabin with his family.
Manuel speaks German, English, Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian.
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