Preikestolen is a massive cliff in Norway that towers 604 meters (1982 feet) in near vertical drop over the ocean. When famous French writer Victor Hugo visited the fjords he referred to them as the most terrifying of the ocean reefs. Preikestolen is a natural rock formation that was carved by melting glaciers at the end of the Ice Age. The 25 square meters plateau on top of Preikestolen Pulpit Rock offers breathtaking views of the fjord and creates terrific photo opportunities. You have quite likely seen pictures of people standing on top of Preikestolen Pulpit Rock before and found them suspensfully bewildering. You probably didnt have them associate with the name of the place but now you know. The most spine-tingling cliff overlooking the magnificent ocean fjord is called Preikestolen and you can find it in Norway. Thanks to its near straight vertical properties Preikestolen is popular with BASE jumpers. BASE jumping is legal in Lysefjorden area but as it goes with extreme sports some BASE jumpers jumped to their deaths here.

How to Get to Preikestolen
Most travellers who visit Preikestolen start their tour in Stavanger – closest major town to Preikestolen in south-west Norway. Ferries leave Stavanger three times a day and will deliver you to small town called Tau in about 40 minutes. The cost for a boat ride is 50 Norwegian Krone. Bus service and taxis are synchronized with the ferries and will take you to the parking lot where trekking route leading up to Preikestolen begins for 65 Norwegian Krone. From there you are on your own.

The hike up the hill will take between 1 hour to 3 hours depending on your fitness level. The total length of the trail from the parking lot below up on top of Preikestolen is 3.8 km (2.4 miles) which is not that long – on flat terrain an average trekker could cover such distance in less than an hour. The elevation difference between the parking lot and Preikestolen is only 334 metres (1096 feet). This should not cause any issues to most hikers however do keep in mind that vertical sickness can affect anyone especially those who come from coastal areas or spent a long time close to the sea. Have enough water on you to avoid dehydration and pack in something to eat as well. Most of all make sure youre wearing proper trekking shoes with hard soles as terrain is rather uneven and you will often walk on rocks with sharp edges.

The entire hike is very scenic so you will be getting rewards for your uphill walk with each step. It gets especially magnificent as you start approaching the top and the first glimpses of Lysefjord from high elevation come to sight. Once you have reached the top of Preikestolen make sure you carefully approach the edge of the plateau and lay down on it so you can look straight down into the abyss below. more than 600 meters long drop will take your breath away and an adrenaline rush will evoke feelings you wont easily forget.Preikestolen Accommodation Options

You have several accommodation options if you wish to stay close to Preikestolen. Pulpit Rock Lodge is located on Rv 13 the main road that goes through the area. Recently rebuilt youth hostel Preikestolen Fjellstue is located in the Ryfylke hills close to Refsvatn Lake. Aside from stunning scenery and proximity to Pulpit Rock Preikestolen Fjellstue also offers great fishing opportunities and has several associated camping grounds for backpackers with tents.

Other Names of Preikestolen
The name Preikestolen is sometimes misspelled as Prekestolen. Translated from Norwegian to English Preikestolen means Pulpit Rock but is sometimes referred to as Preachers Pulpit. Before it was named Preikestolen the Pulpit Rock was known by its original name Hyvlatonna which means the tooth of a woodplane.