Hike to the Lake above the Ocean | Faroe Islands

Lake above the Ocean

I found out about the Faroe Islands this year and booked my plane ticket almost immediately. These Islands make for one of those magical places in Europe. Tourists haven’t overrun it yet because it’s still quite remote. However, I’m not sure for how much longer. It gets more and more popular everyday. Sørvágsvatn, perhaps the most famous spot, draws people to this destination. The hike to the lake above the ocean takes forty-five minutes to an hour each way. They just started charging to hike to Sørvágsvatn, and you may be required to hire a guide to take you. If you need a guide, I recommend the hiking company we joined on a trip to Kalsoy called MM Tours. They offer cool tour options and gave us really good advice on how to find the best spots in the Faroe Islands.

This time we hiked without a guide, and it wasn’t too crowded, as early spring is a good time to avoid the crowd. The weather in the Faroe Islands will keep you on your toes. We lucked out avoiding rain and only dealt with minimal wind. Karita and Jogvan are a local couple, and they told us that having that little wind was rare. I went back another day to enjoy the view once more, and the wind was 10x stronger, plus it started hailing. So they weren’t wrong! They were such a fun-loving couple, and I can’t think of anyone better to adventure out there with for a first time!

Hike to Sørvágsvatn

To hike to Sørvágsvatn, first you have to find the parking lot. Drive through the town Miôvágur, and take the road by the church. Just put Bøsdalafossur trail head in your GPS. The entrance to the trail is right there, and it’s easy to follow the path from there. Hike all the way to Trælanípa to get the view of the lake with the ocean. If you don’t go far enough up, you’ll be disappointed. Trælanípa is the farthest cliff, and you have to go up towards the ocean after the trail ends.

Tips for hiking to Trælanípa at Sørvágsvatn

• Bring a raincoat and waterproof boots.
• Find the dirty patch (where the grass has been eroded from hundreds of people standing exactly there) at the edge of Trælanípa to get the best view.
• Go straight from the airport. It’s close, and a great way to start your trip!
• In addition, keep going past Trælanípa, around the edge of the lake for lesser known views of the cliff-side.*

*Note: We didn’t get to do this since it hailed that day, and we didn’t have water-proof shoes. You have to cross flowing water via rocks, and the rain that week made the water rise as a result. So we couldn’t go without getting soaked. Karita and Jogvan recommended it, and I put it on my list for my next visit!

Lastly, if you want more recommendations of where to go, reach out to me here! I love sharing my travels.