Faroe Islands
Introduction – The land of dancing clouds
The Faroe Islands are one of the few places where reality exceeds expectations. It’s a land of dancing clouds, where the sun weaves in and out, intermittently illuminating treeless windswept mountains and jagged coastlines pounded by the sea. For the first time visitor, this guide outlines the greatest highlights to see during five remarkable days on the Faroe Islands.
Day 1 – Arrival day – Torshavn
Torshavn is the capital city and is apparently covered in clouds over 300 days a year. Certainly, while we were there, we never saw the sun except on one day at sunset. Its harbour front is reminiscent of Nyhavn in Copenhagen, and like Copenhagen, has an (unexpectedly) excellent food scene. We especially loved the following restaurants that we tried over the course of the week:
- Katrina Christiansen – high-end tapas-style Faroese food
- Etika – eat all that Faroese salmon sushi/sashimi style
- Paname Cafe – the cutest cafe for tea and excellent carrot cake
- Gomagott – for fancier cakes and chocolate bons bons
- Cafe Umami – for an easy cafe by the harbour front
Pro tip: Catch a lavender sunset at the hilltop near Skanskin Lighthouse.
Day 2 – Golden Circle – Saksun, Tjørnuvík, Gjógv
If Iceland has its Golden Circle, so does the Faroe Islands. To maximize our time, we booked a day tour that visited the following iconic sights of the Faroe Islands:
- Gjógv
- Saksun
- Tjørnuvík
- Fossá Waterfall
- Bour
- Gásadalur / Múlafossur
Tour operator that we booked with: Elsa via the Guide to Faroe Islands Portal (approx USD $220 pp, 7-hours including pick-up from Torshavn and lunch). There were just four (including us) on the small group tour.
The first stop was Gjógv, a quintessential Faroese fishing village nestled in the elbow of two mountains. A mini gorge was carved out at one end of the village.
Saksun was a small hamlet featuring a handful of turf-roofed cottages with a tidal lagoon in their backyard. Tread very carefully here, respect all land boundary lines, as there is known to be an irascible farmer in the vicinity.
Tjørnuvík was our favourite little Faroese village, complete with a wide breadth of sandy beach.
Lunch in the countryside was included as part of the tour. It featured whale meat done two different ways. Let’s just say that whale meat is…an acquired taste.
Compared to the thundering power of waterfalls of Iceland, Fossá Waterfall was somewhat underwhelming.
Bour was a quick stop enroute to Gasadalur. One can see Drangarnir in the distance.
The village of Gásadalur was the last highlight stop of the day. Historically, it could only be reached by trekking along an old postal mountain route. Today, a tunnel has been burrowed through the mountain, and consequently, the world has discovered the village’s most tightly-held secret, Múlafossur Waterfall. Múlafossur was the sight that took our breath away when we first saw it in a travel magazine, and it still left us speechless when we finally visited in person.
We visited Múlafossur over two different days, and the mood created by the different cloud condition was unforgettable.
Day 3 – Kalsoy Island – Kallur Lighthouse and Mikladalur
For a guy who trotted around the world, it seems fitting that James Bond’s last step was taken at Kalsoy Island, a place that seems like it is at the end of the world. Getting there is not easy. It is located in the northern region of the Faroe Islands, and requires some driving, a ferry and then one of the most difficult but rewarding hikes we have ever done. That hike itself takes about 2 hours at a moderate pace.
Tour operator that we booked with : Experience Faroe Islands (approx USD $250 pp, 8-hours including pick-up from Torshavn, ferry fees, hiking fees, and lunch). It was just two of us and the guide.
Pro tip: If you have a fear of heights, bring a hiking pole to steady yourself as it gets very windy near the top. If you have weak ankles, be extra careful because you will be walking at an angle for part of the hike. Lastly, bring a rain jacket – we experienced all four seasons.
To get to Kalsoy Island from Torshavn, we (or more accurately, our tour guide) drove to Klaksvik. This drive took about 45 minutes. From Klaksvik, we boarded a 20 minute ferry to Kalsoy. Upon disembarking, we then drove to the village of Trollanes.
The trailhead is behind a farmhouse on the far western border of the village. For the first 15-20 minutes or so, you zig-zag through muddy farm land, ascending at what seems to be a 70-80s degrees angle.
After huffing and puffing to the top, the view of the land below is just… wow. From here, the terrain thankfully smooths out into a rolling hillside dotted with Faroese sheep. On the day we did this hike, each time the clouds danced with the sun, the mood changed entirely from one minute to the next. Sometimes, the landscape glowed in a sepia toned light, other times it was a dazzling green.
The hike to the Kallur Lighthouse is not really to see the lighthouse itself, which as far as lighthouses go, is an unimpressive short squat edifice. Rather, the hike is for the views, and as you near the lighthouse, there are two pathways to take.
In one direction, there is a ridge that from afar, looks like it will require walking on the edge of an elongated pyramid. That ridge is in fact, moderately wide and a great comfort to those with a fear of heights! It affords a broad landscape view of the peak, as pictured below.
The other path lies beyond the lighthouse, and is only for those with a strong heart, and good balance. It is an extremely narrow precipice with steep drop-offs. We didn’t see anyone brave enough to take this path, likely because it was very windy the day we visited. But, it is from this ledge that the iconic Kallur Lighthouse and Kalsoy peak can be captured in one frame.
A few minutes walk from the lighthouse, the tombstone of James Bond is perched on a sandy patch. With the sea stretching on and on, it really feels like you are at the end of the world here.
Enroute back to the ferry, we stopped at Mikladalur. Here, the rain rolled in over the statue of the Seal Woman, a sea creature who had a tragic romance with a human. The Faroese version of her story is a little sadder and more gothic than the Scottish/Irish version of the Selkie Woman that we have heard before.
Day 4 – Vestmanna Sea Cliffs
Having spent the last few days inland, we wanted to see what the Faroe Islands looked liked from the sea. What would the first Vikings have seen hundreds of years ago? So, we opted to take a boat tour from Vestmanna.
Tour operator that we booked with: Via the Guide to Faroe Islands Portal (approx USD $180 pp, 7 hours including pick-up from Torshavn and buffet lunch).
Pro tip: If you are prone to seasickness, we recommend bringing anti-nausea tablets because the boat is small and you will be on the open sea. If you are a bird watcher, bring binoculars and/or telescopic lens.
The boat passed by salmon fishing farms where you could see salmon splashing around and jumping into the air. For over the next hour or so, the boat then traced the rocky coastline of Streymoy Island.
The sea cliffs reminded us very much of the geology of the Hawaiian coastline — composed of a similar dark rock covered in moss in some places, etched by the wind and rain, and waterfalls trickling like tears down crevices. The boat occasionally slide in and out of deep grottoes, before returning to the open sea.
The cliffs are home to a multitude of sea birds, including a few puffin stragglers, that nest and swoop among the rocks. We also saw some seals basking, and some very adventurous spindly-legged sheep balancing themselves on the sheer cliff.
Day 5 – Norðadalur Valley Hike
For our last day, we debated for a long time between doing the famed Lake Above the Ocean Hike, or a more “local gem” hike. We ultimately decided on the latter because a heavy cloudy forecast in the vicinity of the Lake Above the Ocean would thwart any views.
The “local gem” hike took us to Norðadalur Valley. We highly recommend this under-the-radar hike for the diversity of terrain. It took about 4 hours at a moderate pace to finish the loop.
Tour operator that we booked with: We went with a private tour guide (approx USD $200 pp, 6 hours including pick-up from Torshavn). A similar tour is run by Heimdal Tours.
The hike started off at the boundary of a farm. We weaved our way through rolling hills before reaching a soaring cliff face and wondering how in heaven’s name are we supposed to scale that? But, our guide somehow knew that there was a path meandering through the rocks. We dutifully followed that path, to the point of crawling like Gollum in some parts ha!
After about 15-20 minutes of swearing at our “adventurous spirit,” we reached the zenith point. Down below, the farmhouses in the valley looked tiny and the sea stretched for aeons like a shimmering grey blue mirror. A second later, waves of clouds unfurled across the sky, only to quickly clear as the sun danced through it.
From the top of the mountain, we walked along the ridge, with the sea to our left and an ever changing geology to our right. The scenery shifted from a barren rocky moonscape to a swampy lowland carpeted in an autumnal-coloured moss. In the distance, we saw the domes of Sornfelli and also the sharp shards that make up the Troll Woman’s Finger or Trøllkonufingur. It was made all the more otherwordly by intermittent rolls of fog and mist. Towards the end of the loop, the scenery changed again to the more familiar treeless green mountain landscape we have seen all over the Faroe Islands.
Planning logistics
Getting there
I flew Atlantic Airways from Copenhagen. You can also fly direct with Atlantic Airways to the Faroe Islands from Iceland, Scotland and France. An alternative to Atlantic Airways is SAS. For being almost at the end of the world, the Faroe Islands are surprisingly accessible.
To get to/from Vagar Airport (FAE) and Torshvan, I pre-booked an Airport Taxi (USD $30) on the hotel’s recommendation. The journey from airport to city is about 30-40 minutes. Be prepared to be awed by the scenery enroute.
Hotel recommendation
I stayed at Hotel Hafnia in Torshvan. It is a 4 star hotel with clean furnishings. We snagged a traditional turf-roofed cottage! The hotel is conveniently located in the main town, with a number of restaurants and cafes surrounding it. Buffet breakfast was provided daily, and was excellent.
Safety and mobility
I visited the Faroe Islands with a friend. Locals were amiable and well-travelled. I would rate Faroe Islands similar to Iceland and Japan in terms of safety.
You need a moderate-high level of fitness to visit the Faroe Islands using the above itinerary. I would not recommend hiking for those travelling with young children or the elderly. The terrain can be unexpectedly tricky, and the weather will be unpredictable.
Best time to visit
I typically prefer to travel in the shoulder season, to avoid crowds and extreme temperature differences. The above itinerary is based on a visit in late August/early September which is the early autumn season in the Faroe Islands. The weather was mild, hovering at the 10 degrees (Celsius) / 50 degrees (Fahrenheit) mark. The Faroe Islands are well-known for unpredictable weather — it can start cloudy, fog up, rain and beam down sunshine in the space of minutes. This unpredictability occurs throughout the year.
If you want possibly more consistently clearer days, visit during the summer months of June-early August. You can also see the puffins on Mykines Islands too, before they migrate in mid August. However, the locals told us that it is very swamped with tourists then too. So the decision is: see puffins and crowds, vs. no puffins and no crowds. :S
Dreams for the next trip
If I was to re-do this trip, I would rent a car. The roads on the Faroe Islands are very well-maintained, more so than the roads in NYC haha! The tours, while convenient for first time visitors, were exceptionally expensive, averaging about USD $200 pp per day.