Standing on this rock is simultaneously the most exhilarating and terrifying experience I have ever had. The hike itself is a mission but there was no way that I was going to complete this hike and not embrace this opportunity and you shouldn’t either. I learned from this experience the power of courage and positive self-talk as I mustered up all my inner strength to get my wobbly legs to stand on this epic rock. 

Getting There:
Ferry: You will need to catch either the express or tourist ferry to the Lysebotn terminal which departs from Forsand, Lauvvik and Stavanger. To save disappointment we would highly recommend booking onto these ferries as they fill up quickly. If you are travelling by car it is an absolute must! However, you are passengers only can always take the risk, wait for the ferry and approach the staff to see if they can squeeze you on. This paid off for us which we are super grateful for.

You can book the Tourist Ferry here which takes approximately 3 hours from Forsand while the Express Ferry should take no longer than an hour. Book your Express Ferry tickets here or download the Kolumbus AS App. Check out the Express Ferry Travel Planner here to assist with your bookings and holiday plannings.

Drive: You can catch a bus or drive yourself to Øvre Sirdal, further on the “Lysevegen” Rd to Lysebotn. From Pulpit Rock the drive will take you approximately 3 hours.

From Flørin: We’d recommend booking the first ferry from Flørin at 6:45 in order to provide you with ample walking time. The ferry should only take around 25 minutes arriving at Lysebolten at approximately 8:10. In general, the earlier you get there the better, and the fewer people you have to wait to get your much-anticipated photos.

Once you get off the ferry at Lysebotn turn left, walk past Amy’s Base bar and cafe and about 100m up the road you’ll find SBK Base Shop where you catch the shuttle bus to the base of Kjerg rock.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

See below for the SBK Base shuttle times.

The shuttle will cost you 100 Kr/person and takes approximately 15 Minutes meandering around the 27 or so hairpins.

Track Notes

Total time including rest at the top – 3 hrs return
Total distance 5km (one way, 10km return)

There is no sugar coating this but the track is steep, slippery and challenging in parts. The start of the hike is the hardest so if you can switch on courage and perseverance from the get-go you’ll be fine. There are three major rises on the track which these track notes have broken down for you.

We personally wouldn’t recommend using hiking poles on this trip as you will use your hands for support more than other hikes in Norway.

Rise 1 – Activate positive self-talk and perseverance here.

The beginning of the hike would be considered the hardest as you start the journey with a huge ascent. Here you will notice your heart rate go from resting to extremes as you find yourself scrambling up the rocks but thankfully with the support of chains. Small water run-off areas make it extremely slippery in parts.

Eventually, you reach the peak and start a decent. This is not too steep although it has some slippery and muddy areas to be cautious of.

You cross a small stream and walk along a reasonably flat area. The next ascent comes gradually with some rock stairs before reaching another short rocky plateau.

Rise 2- Keep going you’re nearly halfway

From here you’ll be able to see the next ascent which you must descend to first before starting your next climb.

Both this decent and the coming ascent are quite steep and uses chains to get you to both the top and bottom. It creates quite a bottleneck as it is really one way only.

Once descending you’ll see the Larger stream which is a good spot for refilling your water or taking a rest to listen to the sheep.

2.9km to go!

This area is a semi- plateau which allows some fast hiking over the rocks. Shortly after you descend down another steep pathway.

Rise 3 – the final one, you’ve got this.

The largest ascents the hike begins here. This area becomes very steep and the section is long. This section uses chains where one is broken too but the path does go off course slightly with natural groves in the rock to help you up. However, this section may be steep it is not too slippery.

After ascending the path comes to a large plateau before slightly undulating to the Rocky summit.

You’re so close!

The last 100 metres to Kjerbolten take a right turn down between a rocky crevasse. Here you will scramble and hop your way across boulders and rocks of various sizes. There is a stream flowing (melting snow and ice) so be prepared to step in some water. If you’re wearing hiking boots this will be no problem.

Even in the summertime, you will find that snow and ice still cover the path for the final few metres. From the start of the icy path, you can see Kjerbolten rock in all its glory.

Continue down the ice, step to the left and up over two boulders to get to the photo line up point.

Congrats! You made it. Now get onto that rock, take that bucket list image and fast as lightning get back to land.

If there is one thing you take away from this hike is a new appreciation for that creative handstand and jumping shots you see branded on social media.

When exiting continue up to the right of Kjeragboltn to reach the summit of Kjerag.
Snoozing in Lysebotn:

There is limited accommodation available in Lysebotn and when searching on population accommodation booking sites, there was nothing available as of July 2017.

• White House hostel – Ample camping, small pub/bistro, single bed dorms, located very close to the ferry terminal by the fjord. The only place that I could find that you could book was Trip Advisor. See link above for booking.
• Lysebotn Youth and Family Hostel
• Lysefjorden tourist house – close to the ferry terminal. cafe.

We would love to hear from you. What was your experience with conquering Kjeragboltn? How did you find the hike? Have any information you would like to share?

Comment below or get in touch with us on Instagram  or Facebook