Lake Sørvágsvatn

Try an image search with the keywords Faroe Islands and one of the top results will be a photo of Lake Sørvágsvatn. The panorama of the lake and the dramatic sea cliffs is a contender for the title as the most awesome sight in the Faroe Islands.

From the viewpoint at the Trælanípa sea cliff, the narrow lake appears to be perched high above the Atlantic Ocean. This is an optical illusion, the lake is only around 30m (98ft) above sea level.

Panorama of the lake and the sea cliffs from Trælanípa.

Visiting this unique and beautiful place is a must when you come to the Faroe Islands. It takes a hike to reach Trælanípa, but it’s an easy one and I recommend doing it even if you are not usually keen on hiking.

Looking back over the lake towards Miðvágur.

Sørvágsvatn or Leitisvatn?

The locals use two different names for the lake depending on where they live on the islands. Some call it Sørvágsvatn and others prefer Leitisvatn. The lake itself is on the island of Vágar and it’s the largest lake in the Faroe Islands.

The fjord-like lake is around 6km long, stretching from Vágar Airport in the north to Bøsdalafossur waterfall in the south. Bøsdalafossur is the outlet of the lake where the water flows into the Atlantic.

The southern tip of the lake just before Bøsdalafossur.

Trælanípa

The best view of the lake and the sea cliffs is from Trælanípa. The Faroese word Trælanípa means slave cliff or slave rock. To trace the origin of the name, we must go back to the Viking Age. To punish disobedient slaves, the Vikings pushed them off the 142m (466ft) high cliff towards certain death in the ocean.

Trælanípa from the hiking trail.

The hike to Trælanípa and Bøsdalafossur

The hike to Trælanípa and Bøsdalafossur is about 3km one-way and it’s one of the easier hikes you are likely to do in the Faroe Islands. For most of the hike the path goes through flat terrain with only moderate changes in elevation. The path crosses a few rivulets, but they are easy to pass by stepping on stones.

It’s impossible to get lost, the trail runs parallel to the eastern shore of the lake. The hike takes around 45-60 minutes one-way and you walk the same way back.

The path to Trælanípa and Bøsdalafossur.

A good pair of shoes is recommended as the path can get wet and muddy if it’s raining. This is the Faroe Islands and sudden shifts in the weather are common. Prepare for rain even if it’s sunny when you set out on the hike.

We did the hike in early July on the day we arrived to the Faroe Islands. That’s in high season but it wasn’t exactly crowded around the lake, we only met a dozen or so of other tourists.

A sign at the start of the trail.

The start of the trail in Miðvágur

The trail starts in the outskirts of Miðvágur where there is a small parking. Two bumpy gravel roads lead to the parking and you can take any of them. If you don’t have a car, bus 300 from Tórshavn stops in Miðvágur on its way to the airport.

The trail to Trælanípa and Bøsdalafossur is marked on Google Maps. Move the map or open it in a larger window to see the whole path.

An information board at the trailhead has a map of the area and the hiking trail. There is a single trail for most of the hike, but in the end it forks into two paths, one to Trælanípa and one to Bøsdalafossur.

The path to Trælanípa and Bøsdalafossur on a board at the trailhead.

An alternative path

I’ve seen recommendations to start the hike from the main road (Road 11) and follow a path closer to the lake than the one we walked. There is a turnout from the road used for parking (coordinates 62.045206, -7.216357). We didn’t walk this path so I don’t know how it is, but I read one hike report saying the path was closed during the summer of 2018 to let the nature recover. It’s probably best to stick to the path described in this post.

2019 hiking fee and guided hikes

When we did this hike in July 2018, there were no restrictions on hiking around the lake. Starting April 2019, foreign visitors must pay a fee of DKK 200 for hiking to Trælanípa. According to reviews at Tripadvisor, the fee is collected at the parking at the start of the hike.

This is yet another hike in the Faroe Islands you must pay for. I think that’s fair, with an increasing number of tourists, the landowners have higher maintenance costs so I understand they charge a fee. What I don’t like is when they require you to walk with a guide if it’s an easy hike. It’s still allowed to hike to Trælanípa and Bøsdalafossur on your own, but for those of you who want a guide, there is a tour available for DKK 450.

For more information about the hiking restrictions, see visitfaroeislands.com. For booking a guided tour see tralanipan.fo or the Tours to Lake Sørvágsvatn section below for tours covering not only the hike, but also other top sights on Vágar.

The best time to visit Sørvágsvatn/Leitisvatn

Summer is naturally a good time to visit the lake, with the best chance of good weather and maybe even some warming sun. I would also like to see the lake in the autumn when the color of the grass has shifted from green to different shades of yellow and brown. During autumn and winter, the sea can be rough and the view from Trælanípa is dramatic with the waves hitting the sea cliffs. I would say the lake is great to visit all year around, with a different experience each season.

Hike description

After driving the short, bumpy gravel road to the small parking at the trailhead, it’s time to start the walk to Trælanípa. It is cloudy when we start walking, but no rain yet.

One of the gravel roads to the parking.

An iron gate marks the start of the path and here is also the information board with a map of the area. A sign urges you to stay on the footpath to protect the wildlife.

The gate at the start of the hike.

If the weather is decent, it’s easy walking. The scenery isn’t spectacular early on, but it’s a pleasant and peaceful walk. There are birds and sheep around of course, we are in the Faroe Islands after all.

Sheep along the trail.

Bring your swimsuit if you happen to be at the lake on a sunny, warm day (yeah, right). There is a beach waiting for you!

The beach. If we only had some nice weather...

After a nice walk we are approaching the point where the trail forks and we have Trælanípa to the left and Bøsdalafossur to the right. Whatever you do, don’t miss walking up to the viewpoint at Trælanípa.

Trælanípa and the southern tip of the lake.

When we did the hike, they had marked the path with big white plastic bags making the already clear path even easier to follow. The photo below shows the section of the path just before the ascent to Trælanípa. There is no obvious path to the top of the cliff, just walk up the slope to arrive at the viewpoint.

The last part of the path to Trælanípa.

The view from Trælanípa is amazing. We got lucky, the sky suddenly cleared, and the sun lit up the lake and the cliffs for a while before disappearing again. We stayed here quite some time to take in the incredible scenery.

Lake Sørvágsvatn from Trælanípa.

The lake looks more like a river as it bends around the mountain on the far side.

Panorama over the lake.

After Trælanípa, we went down to see Bøsdalafossur and the Geituskoradrangur sea stack which you can see the tip of in the photo below.

On the way to Bøsdalafossur and Geituskoradrangur.

Due to a malfunctioning memory card, I lost some photos from the day at the lake, among them all captures of Bøsdalafossur. Here is a link to an image search of the waterfall.

Other sights on Vágar

It’s only a 10 minute drive from the airport to the start of the hike and you can plan this activity on the day of arrival if you have an early incoming flight. A couple of other sights on Vágar you can combine with Sørvágsvatn are the Múlafossur waterfall in Gásadalur and the Trøllkonufingur viewpoint close to Sandavágur.

From the scenic road between Bøur and Gasadalur you see the Drangarnir sea stacks and the Tindhólmur islet in a distance. To see Drangarnir close, you must do a hike. Another popular activity is to make a day trip to Mykines to see puffins and hike to a lighthouse. Both Drangarnir and Mykines are activities taking the better part of a day, but you can do one of them together with Sørvágsvatn if you are on a tight schedule and do it on a long summer day.

Tours to Lake Sørvágsvatn

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If you are considering a guided tour for your visit to Lake Sørvágsvatn, I recommend checking out Guide to Faroe Islands. They offer a wide selection of tours.

A tour of Lake Sørvágsvatn with the Trælanípa sea cliff and the Bøsdalafossur waterfall is usually part of a larger itinerary, also including several other locations. It is popular to do a half or full-day tour covering the highlights on the island of Vágar.

Consider staying a night or two on Vágar, because there is so much to do on the island. On a typical tour around Vágar, you will do the hike at Lake Sørvágsvatn to see Trælanípa and Bøsdalafossur. Then continue to see the Drangarnir sea stacks across the fjord from the village of Bøur. Finally, you visit Gásadalur and the picturesque Múlafossur waterfall.

There are several tours covering the top Vágar sights to choose from. If you are based on the island, the Classic 4 Hour Tour of Vágar Island might be a good choice, because it does not include any bus transfer to the start of the tour. You meet with the guide in Miðvágur, and transport is included from then on.

If you are based in Tórshavn, the Highlights of Vágar Island - Day tour from Tórshavn might be a better choice. It cost more, but it includes hotel pickup in Tórshavn and all transfers between sights. When going from Tórshavn to Vágar, the bus takes the scenic Oyggjarvegur mountain road with some nice photo spots along the way.

A different take on the classic tour is The Photography Tour - Vágar Island, lead by a local photographer. You will see the same sights as on the other tours, but from a photographer’s perspective. Note that the tour starts in Miðvágur, and you have to get there by your own accord.

If you prefer a private tour of Vágar, check out Wonders of Vágar Island - Private Tour with pickup and transfer from Tórshavn.

For travelers who prefer kayaking instead of hiking at Lake Sørvágsvatn, the Affordable 3 Hour Kayaking on Lake Above the Ocean might be interesting. The basic version of this tour includes a 3h kayak rental, but the duration can be extended, and it can also be done with a guide.