A walk along Leitisvatn, the most popular hike on the Faroe Islands

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On our second day in Sandavágur, we decided to go to a place that I’ve wanted to see for ages. Ever since my friends Elien and Liam got engaged there in March 2015 and showed me pictures from this wonderful place, I’ve been dying to go there. The place that I’m talking about is Lake Leitisvatn – or Sørvágsvatn, depending on which side of the lake you’re from -, the largest lake in the Faroe Islands and the only one that falls directly into the Atlantic Ocean via the waterfall Bøsdalafossur.

The way that Elien and Liam describe the place in their blog makes it sound like the most magical place in the world. And it must’ve been for them. I was so excited to see it for myself and to feel that magical atmosphere that they had felt there 17 months earlier.

Read their amazing story here: A walk of love to Leitisvatn

Katrine, Andras, Andras’ nephew Liam and I took off in the early afternoon, ready for a beautiful and easy walk along the lake. I had a goal of seeing the dramatic cliffs of Trælanípa near the lake, only I didn’t know how to get there. Trælanípa, a 142 m. high vertical cliff, where vikings reportedly used to throw worn-out slaves over the edge in the Viking Age, is one of the most photographed places in the Faroe Islands, and I wanted to take that same picture.

In order to find the view of the cliffs, we decided to climb halfway up Ritubergsnøva, a 376 m. high mountain that hems Leitisvatn on one side and falls vertically into the ocean on the other side. The climb was quite easy, although it took us a while as Liam had started to get tired. It was understandable, but he did really well to make it up there.

We were rewarded with the most unreal view of Trælanípa and the surrounding cliffs. This was the view that I had been craving for so long – I had seen it in pictures all over Instagram and fallen in love. Now I fell in love in real life as well. It was just as beautiful as I had imagined, if not more.

We stayed up there for a while, taking in the amazing view, taking millions of pictures of the landscape and each other and just enjoying the sweet moment.

A hike usually has one highlight like getting to the top of a mountain or to a waterfall, but this one had two. First of all, we wanted to see the cliffs of Trælanípa and secondly, we wanted to see the waterfall Bøsdalafossur, which is the lake’s outlet into the ocean. It was just a short walk down the mountain to the rocky edge of the lake, and then our eyes were met with another outstanding view.

At the end of Lake Leitisvatn, Bøsdalafossur dramatically falls 35 metres directly into the open Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by high promontories and the free standing rock Geituskoradrangur. This view was just as breathtaking as the other one. Katrine and I sat on the rocks for ages, just staring out in wonder, while talking about this amazing adventure that we were on. Leitisvatn is truly a special place.

We walked back to the village of Miðvágur, where we had first started the hike, along the banks of the lake, while talking to our new friends from Denmark, who we had met while walking to Bøsdalafossur. During our hikes in the Faroe Islands, we met many interesting people from all over the world, including a lot from Denmark.

I always enjoy talking to people that travel to the Faroes, as it’s a special place and not a place that people would usually go for a summer holiday. For some strange reason, I feel pride whenever someone tell me that they just had to see it because of its beauty, and even more so when they tell me that it’s their favourite country, just like me.

The hike along Lake Leitisvatn to the cliffs of Trælanípa and the Bøsdalafossur waterfall was my favourite one to date in the Faroe Islands. It took us 5 hours to do this rather short hike, mainly because we kept stopping to take pictures or to simply stare at the majestic landscapes in awe. The hike had the most beautiful views in all of the Faroe Islands; I would even argue that this is the most beautiful place in the world. It’s definitely my all-time favourite place.

Katrine and I have already decided that we’re coming back to the Faroe Islands in December, and when we do, we hope to do this same hike again, but next time we also want to climb Trælanípa to see the amazing views in another angle, next time hopefully with it all covered in snow!

Want to explore Leitisvatn and Trælanípa with a guide?

Make sure you don’t miss any of the iconic views and choose a hike with a local guide. This will also give you an opportunity to learn about the history of the place!

If you prefer an alternative way of getting to Trælanípa, kayaking might be the right choice for you. It’s a lot of fun and it’s cheap, too!