Hike to the Preikestolen/ Pulpit Rock Norway

One of the most beautiful hikes I have done is the hike to the Pulpit Rock Norway. The landscapes and the entire trail is breath-takingly beautiful.

Did you know that Australia has its own Pulpit Rock? Yes, it is situated in the Grose Valley of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales (NSW) state.

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About Pulpit Rock Norway/Preikestolen

Pulpit Rock Norway is also known as Preikestolen or Prekestolen or Preacher’s Pulpit. It is a famous tourist attraction and hike in Ryfylke in Norway. Standing tall as a steep cliff rising 604 meters, Pulpit Rock has breath taking views of the fjord.

Details of the Pulpit Rock Norway

I was scheduled to do this hike on the second day of my arrival in Stavanger. Fortunately for me (as I had come under the weather), the hike got postponed to the third day as the weather was really bad on the scheduled day, and was risky to hike to the Pulpit Rock.

Logistics of the hike

• Total distance: Around 4 kilometres one way
• Total time taken: Approximately 2 hours one way
• Season: April to September
• Cost: NOK 300 for return transportation
• Website to book transportation: www.tidebuss.no

Day of hike

On the day of the hike, even though I had fever, running nose and headache in the morning, I decided to go ahead and do the hike. It was drizzling and freezing cold outside. I popped up some paracetamols and dressing up almost like a mummy (with just my eyes open) I dared to step out. 

The ferry ride from Stavanger to Tau was amazing and astounding. The ride was through the beautiful fjords and they looked like a magical place. After an hour or hour and a half, I along with the other fellow hikers, reached the starting point of the hike. At the starting point, there is a lake with pretty mountains at the background.

Terrain

The hike has many mini-peaks to reach the highest peak. The path started off as a steep hike and then became a flat surface. And then the path repeats itself with a steep hike and a flat surface.

The flat surfaces has spectacular landscapes. It was so beautiful that I forgot and hardly felt any body pains or tiredness that I had due to my fever.

The hike provided an ample opportunities for photography. Every corner and every bit of the hike is extraordinary and incredible. Any number of pictures taken is injustice to the beauty of the path, fjords and mountains.

At various points of the hike, there were boards providing information of how many kilometers we had completed and how many kilometers were remaining for the peak.

At the end of two hours, I reached the peak. Oh-My-God! The views from the peak was phenomenal and mind-boggling. They looked unbelievable. “Was I really on Earth?” was the first question that popped into my head.

I was awed by the beauty the hike provided that I feel short of words expressing the feeling and the happiness I felt during the hike.

After spending half a day at the peak I decided to head down to the bus stop where I was again picked up by the coach and dropped off at Tau. The ferry to Stavanger was waiting for us.

How to get to the base of the Pulpit Rock?

To get to the base of the Pulpit Rock Norway, you need to:

1. First take a ferry from Stavanger to Tau,
2. And then take a coach from Tau to the base of Pulpit Rock.

To reach the ferry terminal, I had to:

• Walk from the hotel to the nearest bus stop,
• Take a bus to the city center and
• Walk from the city center to the wharf.

Closing Notes

I am really proud of myself to have done this hike in spite of the low energy and fever I had. I have always believed in ‘no matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up, you will always enjoy!’ True that again. Loved the hike and the views it had to offer.