The 98-kilometre (61 mi) long river runs through the municipalities of Vågå and Sel and it provides the outlet from lake Gjende at Gjendesheim in the Jotunheimen mountains of Norway's Jotunheim National Park.

[1] South of the village of Randsverk, the river flows through Ridderspranget which is a ravine named after a Norwegian myth.

[2][3] There are several companies offering rafting, kayaking, riverboarding and other activities in Sjoa and the surrounding area.

[citation needed] Some parts are blocked by large rocks which the river flows underneath.

These areas are considered "death traps" by the local commercial rafting providers.