This popular but very spectacular hike will take you from Miðvágur to Trælanípa cliff and Bøsdalafossur waterfall. The panorama of the lake and the dramatic sea cliffs are an awesome sight. It’s a fabulous optical illusion, since the lake is around 30 meters above sea level. Visiting this unique and beautiful place is a must when you come to the Faroe Islands. The Faroese word Trælanípa means slave cliff or rock. To punish disobedient slaves, the Vikings pushed them off the 142m high cliff towards certain oceanic death. When you stand on the edge of the huge cliff it will seem like a guesome punishment.
The hike is easy and relatively flat. It will take you around 30 to 40 minutes to reach the spectacular viewpoint at the Trælanípa sea cliff, where the narrow lake appears to be perched high above the Atlantic Ocean. From the first viewpoint at the cliff you can choose to go a couple of ways. 2 paths will lead up 2 seperate cliffs and 1 path will lead to Bøsdalafossur waterfall. This waterfall is the outlet of the lake where the water flows into the Atlantic. I would recommend hiking all three of them. Be careful though when there’s fog or high winds.
Difficulty: easy, some parts near the cliffs are moderate.
Length and duration: The hike is around 8 kilometer in total (4 kilometer one way) and will take around 2 hours.
Costs: Starting April 2019, foreign visitors must pay a fee of DKK 200 for hiking to Trælanípa. The fee is collected at a booth at the parking at the start of the hike. We think it’s fair to ask for an entry fee, but we feel DKK 200 is way too much for this hike. If you start really early however (before 9 a.m. as we did) you might be able to skip the fee. We found this out by accident.
Starting point and parking: The trail starts in the outskirts of Miðvágur where there is a small parking (coordinates: 62°02’31.3″N 7°11’58.1″W). 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. There is an alternative starting point at the main road, but it’s been closed off since 2018 to let the nature recover. You can’t use this starting point and the path closer to lake at this moment (update: 2022).
