Are you someone who likes to do as much as possible when you’re on holiday? In Ryfylke, you can choose between a range of unique and exciting activities both on land and on water.
Just a ten-minute drive from Pulpit Rock, Fjordexpedition organises guided kayaking trips among islets and skerries off Jørpelandsvågen bay. You can learn about local history while admiring the birds, fish and the Solspeilet, Norwegian Stonehenge, art installation. Guides take you to hidden gems and ensure that you have a safe experience on the fjord.
A salmon safari is not a traditional safari where you admire the object from a safe distance. At Mo Laksegard, you are equipped with a wetsuit and directed to the currents of Suldalslågen, a popular salmon river. Qualified guides will provide a short course beforehand and accompany you in the water in a canoe. The currents take you around 2.5 km downstream, while you study trout and salmon at close range through your diving mask. Watching them in their natural element is an unforgettable experience.
Watching the sun rise behind the mountains along the Lysefjord is a unique experience. From Pulpit Rock, you can enjoy panoramic views and, if you’re lucky, you’ll have the iconic plateau, 604 metres above the fjord, almost to yourself.
Go on a guided tour of the old zinc mines at Allmannajuvet. You will be equipped with a helmet and a torch, and walk along the old gravel road and on 600 metres into the dark, cold and dank mines. You will hear the history of this successful mining site and get a taster of what life in the mines was like at the end of the 19th century.
You can experience the majestic scenery of the roughly 42-km-long Lysefjord on a Rødne Fjord Cruise. You will see the iconic Pulpit Rock towering 604 metres above you, and you also get up close to Fantahålå, Hengjanefossen waterfall and small islets.
Helgøy Skyssbåt organises fjord cruises 27 km up the fjord from Hjelmeland and Nesvik and in to Førrebotn. The mountains tower on both sides of the fjord and ascend to heights of more than 700 metres above sea level. The distinctive Skomakarnibbå is a majestic peak among the mountains. On the trip, you pass salmon and trout farms, far-flung farms and crofts, and, if you’re very lucky, you may even see an eagle gliding above the fjord.
Preikestolen golfklubb is in an idyllic setting beside the road to the Pulpit Rock car park. It offers a nine-hole course with 18 tee-markers, an interesting layout and wonderful views. Near the clubhouse, there is a driving range with ten covered booths, an outdoor grass range and a putting green.
The mild climate and unique soil of Ryfylke are ideal for growing fruit. OmCider, Apal Sideri and Eiane Gard at Hjelmeland produce apple juice and apple cider made from the apples grown at their farms. You can buy the unique products at the farms, and at OmCider and Apal Sideri you can join a guided tour with tasting.