Secrets of Vágar: Finding the Skarðsáfossur waterfall near Bøur

On a foggy day last summer on the Faroe Islands, my friend Lucie and I had planned for a 15-ish kilometre hike to the abandoned village of Slættanes, but the weather was too gloomy for such a long hike. Instead, we decided to return to a favourite place of ours, a place so low that it definitely wouldn’t be covered in fog. I’m talking about the Skarðsáfossur waterfall, located on the west side of the island of Vágar.

You might know Múlafossur, the famous waterfall beneath the village of Gásadalur on Vágar. But have you ever heard of Skarðsáfossur? The two are very close to each other, in fact they’re only separated by one mountain, the one the tunnel to Gásadalur goes through. But while Múlafossur is overrun with tourists, Skarðsáfossur is very rarely visited. And that’s a real shame, because it’s just as scenic as Múlafossur!

Lucie and I hitchhiked to the site, first with a taxi who took us to Sørvágur for free (yeah, the Faroese are exceptionally nice!), and then with a local who dropped us off shortly before the tunnel to Gásadalur where our short hike began.

Our plan was to climb down the rocks to the beach below the waterfall but when that proved impossible, we decided to explore the rocky coastline near the waterfall, hoping to get a good view of it. We had to climb down quite close to the ocean for the waterfall to come into view, dramatically falling onto a small rocky beach. A scenery like no other.

As we explored, we spotted several puffins chilling in the calm ocean, and soon a seal popped his head up as if to say hi.

We continued our hike along the rocky coastline, to get as close to the nearby Akranessker skerry as possible. We were hoping to be able to climb onto it, but a few metres of water separates it from ‘the mainland’.

We were surprised to discover a few tiny beaches along the coastline, which would be perfect for some very private sunbathing (if the Faroe Islands were tropical, that is!). A bit further along, we spotted a small gorge and as we got closer, we noticed that a rather large black sand beach was hidden below it! Someone had obviously been there recently as a perfect little fireplace had been left behind. We really wanted to go down on the beach but the rocks were slippery and steep, so we agreed we’d come back on a sunny and dry day. Or maybe we’ll just catch a boat out there someday!

How to find Skarðsáfossur waterfall and the hidden black sand beach

The short hike begins just before the tunnel to Gásadalur on Vágar. Start hiking down towards the ocean, and soon, you’ll be standing above a skerry known as Akranessker. Walk down as close to the skerry as possible and then go as far as possible to the right. Soon, the hidden waterfall will appear. If you’re as lucky as Lucie and I, you might spot seals and puffins!

If you want to see the secret beach as well, walk left along the shore past the skerry and you’ll soon see a small gorge. Beneath it is a black sand beach that can only be reached by boat – or a treacherous climb.