The main island is Finnøy where the centre of the island is called Judaberg. Other islands are Talgje, Fogn, Fisterøyene, Sjernarøyane and Ombo. Finnøy has long traditions in agriculture. Mainly livestock and greenhouses are dominant, and especially tomatoes, close to 40 % of the country's tomato production takes place at Finnøy.
Varied experiences
At Ombo, you will find a petroglyph field from the Bronze Age. At Løland, five ships are carved into the rock. As mentioned above, tomatoes are the most important product of the islands. Most of the greenhouses are located on Talgje, Fogn and Finnøy. Finnøy is known, among other things, for its tomato festival, which has been held here since 2002 and has attracted around 4000 visitors each of the last few years. Of course, the focus is on tomatoes, but there are also various activities and entertainment for young and old.
The Ryfylke islands is also an Eldorado for boat tourists. There are many sheltered bays where boats can safely anchor, as well as several guest harbors with service buildings. There are many opportunities for an exciting vacation exploring the islands. In addition, sea fishing can be done anywhere in the area, which is very popular.
Cultural history
There are also many valuable historical churches on the islands - as an example, the medieval churches on Hesby and Talgje and the Renaissance church on Kyrkjøy (church island) can be mentioned. Cleng Peerson, who called himself the "father of Norwegian emigration", moved to Finnøy when he married the Swedish widow Ane Cathrine Sælinger. Together they lived in Kindingstad. The Cleng Peerson house is here to this day. It is privately owned and used as a vacation home, but parts of the interior still date from Cleng Peerson's time.
There are numerous hiking trails and paths on Finnøy, Talgje, Fogn, Rossøy, Halsnøy, Ombo, Bjergøy and North Talgje. The islands are also good for cycling due to the low traffic, easy terrain and beautiful nature.
