Lysebotn Things to Do Tips by evaanna

Fjellvegen - the scenic road to Adneram

We approached Lysebotn, and first Adneram from the east passing Brokke along the seasonal road, part of which is called the Fjellvegen or the Mountain Road. Closed between November and June, it is indeed a mountain road. Extremely narrow - a single track road for the two-way traffic, it goes across a wild mountain terrain with nothing more but grass venturing to grow on the rocky ground and dotted with rough stones and boulders. At one place we passed a dam. A power plant must be located nearby. The only creatures you meet there are sheep grazing or waiting to be stroked by the occasional tourists. There are signs of hikers though - plenty of cairns built in gratitude for a successful hike. And indeed all the places on the campsite nearby and in the B&B had been pre-booked by prospective hikers. Just before Adneram the road drops sharply, offering a wonderful view of the lakes below.

Address: Road Brokke - Adneram

Preikestolen - the Pulpit Rock

This famous rock, 25 by 25 m in size and hanging 600 m above the Lysefjord is a well-known destination of hikers. Probably the best way to visit it is to stay at the Preikestolhytta nearby (see my accommodation tips) and start your hike from there. You may also treat it as a day trip from Stavanger, getting off the boat at Tau. The walk itself should take about 1.5 hour one way. The distance is only 3.8 km but the difference in heights you will have to negotiate is 330 m. You can join one of the organised tours with a guide both to Kjerag and Preikestolen. Information available on the campsites and from the Stavanger Tourist Office (see website below).If you don't have time or don't like hiking, see it at least from the boat on the Lysefjord, as we did. It had started raining, so we decided to give the hike a miss, but the view of Preikestolen from the fjord was breathtaking.

Website: http://www.regionstavanger.com

Kjerag and the Kjeragbolten

Driving down or up Lysebotnvegen you come across Oygardsstol, which is also called the Eagle's Nest. Situated on the steep rocky edge of the Lysefjord, it offers a great view of the fjord and the mountains. There is a cafe and a car park there, both very expensive, but from there you can go hiking on Kjerag and to the Kjeragbolten. Kjerag is a kind of rocky plateau 6 km away, well-known to skydivers who come there to dive off the cliffs. It is situated 1000 m above the fjord and getting there involves some steep climbing (there are chains at places), but the view (to make things clear, I only saw it in other people's photos) is said to be breathtaking. If you still have some courage to spare, you can get onto the Kjeragbolten, a large stone wedged in a crack in the mountains at the edge of the rocky cliff after the withdrawal of the ice about 10000 years ago. But remember you do it at your own risk, there are no safety arrangements there at all and the drop is 1000 m.
You will get a fantastic view of the fjord but just looking at those places from below, let alone climbing them, gave me a dizzy spell. Don't walk to Kjerag after rain, the path can be slippery. For more information, see Gard's page. He has been there - we only passed it in the car.

Visiting a King's palace

I had just gone down to the bar to get a drink on our boat trip on the Lysefjord when I heard music - Grieg's ' In the Grotto of the King of the Mountains'. My previous experience from other boat trips told me something unusual was going to happen so I ran up on deck as quickly as I could. And indeed this was something not to be missed. The boat was actually going into a crevice leading to a grotto, closer and closer. One would have thought it would crash against the rock any time now, but the crevice was bigger than it looked. We all stood there open-mouthed, hardly believing our eyes. The King of the Mountains did not come out to meet us in person but the visit to his grotto was an unforgettable experience.

Boat trip on the Lysefjord

This is an experience not to be missed if you are in the area of Stavanger. We went one way - from Lysebotn to Forsand only but it is said to be the most scenic part of the trip. Very expensive, at 505 NOK for two people and a car, it is worth every penny of it. The views are breathtaking from the start - the sheer rocks over the fjord seem to be hanging directly above you as the ferry steers its way between them. The fjord must be extremely deep - the ferry does not manoeuvre but moves straight on, sometimes very close to the rocks. It's a pity that for some reason I didn't understand parts of the guide's commentary. But I did understand it when a golden eagle was being pointed out to us, esp. when a friendly barmaid helped me trace it down on the rock. Even on a cloudy day the rocks seemed to have a strange silvery shine to them, as if they were made of steel. The picture with the mast shows this quite clearly. On the way, the boat called at a village on the fjord to take on some passengers.