Do you have hiking experience and love guiding others to great outdoor experiences? Do you work well with diverse groups and manage to keep a cool head when needed? Then you should consider DNT's tour leader education!
Language Note: Please note that these courses are conducted in Norwegian.
How Do I Become a Tour Leader?
DNT's tour leader program is structured as a progressive ladder, where each step builds upon the previous one. The ladder consists of one digital introductory module and three practical, field-based courses. You choose how far up the ladder you want to go.
The Tour Leader Ladder
Step 1: DNT Ambassador
DNT Ambassador: Overview: The foundational step on the ladder, which is mandatory for all future tour leaders. It provides a thorough introduction to DNT’s history, core offerings, and organizational values.
Step 2: Basic Tour Leader (Grunnleggende turleder)
Basic tour leader: This step qualifies you to lead summer day trips and hikes along established paths and roads in lowland terrain and forests.
Step 3: Summer Mountain Tour Leader (Sommerturleder)
Summer tour leader: This certification qualifies you to lead groups into the high mountains during the summer season, even through demanding and rugged terrain. These treks typically involve overnight stays at DNT cabins.
Step 4: Winter Mountain Tour Leader (Vinterturleder)
Winter tour leader : The highest step on the ladder. It qualifies you to safely lead groups through the high mountains during winter, navigating demanding snow and alpine conditions.
What is the Education About?
The program focuses on equipping you with the skills needed to ensure the safety, well-being, and enjoyment of your tour participants. It promotes a simple, active, and environmentally friendly outdoor lifestyle in line with Norwegian traditions.
The training ensures high-quality trip management across a wide variety of groups, environments, and terrains. Key topics covered include:
Navigation and route finding
Risk assessment and decision-making
Group leadership and communication
Outdoor ethics and educational skills
Become a tour leader in DNT and show others the way out into outdoor life.
How to Apply
Start with your local member association
Your local DNT association is your gateway to becoming a volunteer tour leader. They manage new volunteers, facilitate courses, organize internships, and assign trip duties. Always start by contacting the specific member association you wish to volunteer for.
Find your association: Enter your postcode to locate your regional DNT branch.
While many associations publish their upcoming tour leader courses in the main DNT activity calendar, some do not. Contacting your local branch directly is therefore highly recommended. Please note that application forms are required for the Summer and Winter Mountain Tour Leader courses, as specified in their respective registration details. The application form is filled out and sent to the member association that organizes the course.
The Tour Guide Book (Turlederboka)
This textbook is essential reading for anyone wanting to lead others into the woods, fields, and mountains. It provides a comprehensive introduction to trip management and is mandatory literature for the course.
To maintain active status, DNT tour leaders are expected to regularly update their skills and participate in continuing education. If a certified tour leader has not led a trip for DNT within the last 5 years, they must undergo a skills update and a practical review before their approval can be renewed.
Course Structure
DNT tour leader courses are highly practical and conducted entirely in the field. Participants hike between locations and stay overnight at DNT cabins. Most of the training takes place outdoors, where participants alternate roles between being the "tour leader" and a "participant" (roleplay scenarios). Evenings are spent preparing, reviewing theory, and discussing leadership challenges.
Alternative Specialized Courses
After completing the introductory DNT Ambassador module, you can also choose these shorter, specialized paths:
Activity Leader Course (Aktivitetslederkurs): A 3-hour course providing basic skills for organizing outdoor activities for children and families within local communities.
Local Tour Leader Course (Nærturlederkurs): A 4-hour course qualifying you to lead short day trips (up to 5 hours) in familiar, local recreational areas.
Other courses
In addition to the tour leader courses described above, you can take an activity leader course or a local tour leader course after completing the ambassador course.
Activity leader course The course has a duration of 3 hours , provides basic knowledge of tour management for children and families with children and qualifies to lead family trips/events in the localenvironment.
Local tour leader course The course has a duration of 4 hours andis a course that qualifies you to lead shorter day trips, up to five hours, in areas where the local tour leader is locally known.
Our partner Devold supports DNT's tour leader education
