Faroe islands are an island group consisting of 18 major islands and are an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is also infamous for its whaling hunt - a very controversial cultural aspect of the Faroes tradition.
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| Random pitstop |
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| How many waterfalls can you count? |
On the other hand, the islands are an amazing sight to behold - with mountains, valleys and waterfalls - basically a nature lovers' haven. However, it is not too popular with travellers - probably due to its remoteness, cost of living and I guess less commercialized (hardly any advertisement on Faroe Islands). What better place to practice social distancing during the pandemic! So we decided to tag a week in Faroe Islands back in September 2020 - a drastic change in climate from warm sunny Madeira to cold windy Faroe Islands.
Travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic is never easy - you have to navigate the many different countries' entry restrictions and monitor the weekly/fortnightly changes (back in 2020). To enter Faroe Islands back in 2020, you had to check that your country is allowed into Denmark, and then you will have to take a PCR test on arrival at the Faroe Islands airport (it was free in 2020. I believe travellers have to pay for the on arrival PCR test now. But please check as the COVID rules are always changing). They have an internal border control where you have to show your passport to enter (no stamp).
There were only 2 airlines that operate flights into Vagar Airport and at that time, they were either from Denmark or Iceland. In normal times, I believe flights also operate out of Scotland. The flights include check in bag and was about GBP250 return each. This way of entering also provides for a dramatic and scenic entry into the islands.
The best way to move around Faroe Islands is rent a car - we rented with a local company from the airport and started our journey straight away. The rules of arrival is to stay away from crowds while waiting for your PCR test (which can take up to 12 Hours). So as long as you are away from people, you can drive your car around the island and make stops while waiting. And that was what we did.
The drive itself is worth the flight over - it almost feels like we are back in Iceland, except it is not volcanic in Faroe and the landscape doesn't change as much as in Iceland. All around us was greenery, waterfall and basically dramatic cliffs.
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| Sights along the drive |
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| Another random pitstop |
We visited a couple of the famous sights - and all along we barely saw another soul! Even if we did, it was only in passing.
We booked a room in Torshavn where we based ourselves for the next 5 days - accommodation does not come cheap in Faroe Islands. Our small little room approximately 18m2 (shared bathroom and shared kitchen) was USD76/night. The location wasn't bad - not directly in the town center but walkable distance (25-30min walk).
We were pretty lucky with the weather - had 1 day of rain where we just drove around and took in the scenery, but the other days were dry and even had a day or two of spring weather! Pretty rare in Faroe Islands in September. The weather was around 10-15 degrees Celsius most of the time, but mostly felt colder due to the wind.
As we were there after the summer holiday season, a lot of tourist sights were not easily accessible - Mykines island was off limits, less ferries were running between islands - which meant we were not able to see/visit a few sights. Nonetheless, we took in quite a bit in our short time there. Driving was easy as the roads were in very good condition and there were very few cars on the road. There are 3 sub-sea tunnels when you drive in Faroe Islands which you most definitely will use (at least once as you drive from the airport to Torshavn). You will need to pay the toll fees on line after you use the tunnels (DKK100 each time you use it - return). Do check with your rental company if they will be paying the toll for you - we found out after we returned the car that they deducted the toll fees from our deposit. Managed to get a refund after but would be great to have known it before we started driving.
There are also helicopter rides you can take as a means of transport - mostly for locals to move from one place to another, but tourists are allowed to take it one way. Which means you will either have to bus/ferry it back or stay overnight and wait for the next helicopter ride back. It costs DKK125 per pax per way which is pretty cheap for a helicopter ride. We didn't get to take them as it didn't fit our schedule.
Most of the activities can be done on your own, although there are some hikes which require a guide to be present. For us, all our activities were arranged by ourselves. A good source of information is Visitfaroeislands website. Most of the activities/hikes are also free, with some requiring a fee for maintenance and upkeep.
The first stop for everyone coming by plane would be Múlafossur, one of the prettiest waterfalls. It is on the same island as the airport and only a 15 minute drive away.
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| Múlafossur |
Next up, a must visit is to hike along Sørvágsvatn (only a 5 minute drive from the airport) to Trælanípa and Bøsdalafossur waterfall. It is a 45 minute hike to get to the view point (amazing by the way). To hike by yourself, you have to pay DKK 200/ person at the gate. It is an easy hike and very well sign posted. You will not regret coming here!
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| Trælanípa |
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| Trælanípa |
There are a lot of good hikes to be done in Faroe Islands. If you are well-prepared and have days to spare, you can fill it up with so many hikes around the Islands. We chose to hike the highest mountain in Faroe Islands - Slættaratindur at 880m. It is very steep going up (locals don't take short cut) but the view up from the top was worth it all. It is not a technical climb, though you should be physically fit to make the summit. So amazing. At this point, we were still in awe of how beautiful Faroe Islands are! Every single stop and point is a profile picture by itself.
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| Way up Slættaratindur |
Make sure to stop at this cute little village/town Gjogv. It is so worth a stop, walking around the town and stopping for a cup of tea or coffee. Along the drive, we made a pitstop at Fossa , the tallest waterfall in Faroe Islands). You can walk behind the waterfall and feel the might of the water!
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| Gjogv |
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| Gjogv |
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| Gjogv |
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| Fossa |
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| Fossa |
Behind Fossa
Another stop we made was to Kirkjubøur, the southernmost village on Streymoy island. It's a nice village to stop and take a short walk around.
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| Kirkjubøur |
We did another hike to the third highest mountain Villingadalsfjall at 841m. This is the longest drive we made during our week stay to the northern tip where the climb starts. It is DKK200/ person to hike the mountain. A box is placed at the start of the climb where you deposit the money. Again it is a steep uphill climb but nothing technical. It took us a good half day to go up and down. We had great spring weather when we started the climb up, and close to the summit, it was snowed covered and felt like winter. It is also possible to continue the hike to Cape Enniberg, where you'll on top of one of the highest promontory in the world though it is recommended to do this part with a guide as the route can be quite dangerous. We did not continue as the weather started to turn a little when we got to the top.
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| Started the hike in tropical spring weather |
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| Hiking up Villingadalsfjall - half snow half spring |
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| Snowy mountain top |
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| View from Villingadalsfjall |
Another stop we made was to Saksun to visit the black sand lagoon. This was the place where we met the most people! A tour bus arrived at the same time and for the first time in days, we saw more than 4 people at a location! A fee of DKK75/person has to be paid at the turning gate and the best time to visit is low tide so you can walk the length of the lagoon.
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| Walking to the black sand lagoon |
Of course not to forget Torshavn itself. It is a cute little town by itself, walking along the harbour and the old town with all the typical thatched houses. This is also where you'll find restaurants and supermarkets, and a burger king to boost! There's even a hilton hotel in Torshavn (was not open when we went but is now open).
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| Torshavn harbour |
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| Lunch at Etika - this came up to about EUR94 total |
I would say Faroe Islands are worth a visit if you love to be with nature, in nature, and away from crowds. It feels very remote even when we stayed in town, probably because pandemic took away most tourists. But I don't think even during normal times, it is on the top of travellers' list. It is expensive but you also don't have to spend a lot to enjoy the islands. Quite a few things can be done for free. As to when is the best time to visit, probably spring/summer when more things are open/available (diving and kayaking are possible on the islands). Or maybe because of pandemic, quite a lot of activities are shut. Do check when the Mykines island is open as that would be worth a few days and a great destination to try out the helicopter ride.
We were told the latest James Bond came to Faroe Islands to shoot some scenes - I think it was at the Kallur Lighthouse. We did not make it there as the ferry timing and connections did not fit our schedule, but from the photos it's worth a visit.
