Hengjane: The Farm Beneath the Waterfall in the Lysefjord

• Top choice Electric fjord cruise from US$75 Duration3.5 hours^[16]Hengjanefossen stopListed stop^[16]Audio guideEnglish, Norwegian^[16]Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before^[16] Check availability
• Low-emission cruise from US$76 Duration2.5 hours^[19]Hengjanefossen stopListed stop^[19]Audio guideEnglish, French, German and more^[19]Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before^[19] See this tour
• RIB safari from US$126 Duration2 hours^[20]Hengjanefossen stopListed stop^[20]Audio guideEnglish, German and more^[20]Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before^[20] See this tour

Where Hengjane sits in the Lysefjord

Hengjane lies low on the northern shore of the Lysefjord, at the mouth of the waterfall that shares its name: a cluster of small buildings and green slopes pressed between rock and water. No road reaches it. You arrive from the fjord, which is how the old farm worked for generations, boat in and boat out, with the cliff wall rising steeply behind the roofs. The fjord itself is a long, narrow sleeve of dark water, roughly 40 kilometres from end to end and up to 422 metres deep, though it shallows to only 13 metres near Oanes and Forsand.^[23]

The whole landscape was carved during the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago, when colossal glaciers ground deep valleys into the bedrock and then melted away and let the sea in.^[24] What is left feels vertical rather than horizontal: rock faces dropping straight into green-black water, thin waterfalls threading down the cliffs, and a scale that makes a small boat look like a toy. Sit on the outside deck, keep your jacket zipped, and watch the walls close in as the boat heads inland. Distances on the map shrink once you are moving, because there is nowhere to go but forward along the water.

Hengjanefossen, the waterfall above the farm

Hengjanefossen drops down the mountainside beside the farm, and it is the reason most boats pause on this stretch. A user tip on Komoot puts the waterfall at an impressive height of around 400 meters.^[15] From the water the fall reads first as a bright thread, then a rope, then a full curtain of white as the boat closes in, with spray drifting across the deck when the wind is wrong. Photographers want the long lens first and the phone afterwards, because the wide shot is what shows how far the water falls before it reaches the fjord.

Snowmelt from the plateau above feeds the falls through spring and early summer, and they thin out later in the season, then come back with a roar after heavy rain. A boat will usually hold position for a few minutes, which is enough time for a few frames and a long look up at the cliff line. Waterfalls like this one are why a fjord feels alive in a way that still photographs struggle to carry: the sound arrives before the boat does, and it stays with you after the engine moves on. On a quiet boat, the waterfall becomes the loudest thing in the fjord.

Hengjanefossen falls into the Lysefjord beside the old farm at Hengjane

Hengjane Lysefjord farm: what you see from the water

The Hengjane Lysefjord farm sits on a shelf of ground where the stream meets the fjord: a handful of small structures and stone walls with meadow grass around them. There is no road and no car park. The practical way to see it is from the deck of a boat. Look for pale buildings against the green, a small landing place, and terraces of ground that show how hard-won every square metre of grazing was. It is a quiet, stubborn sort of place, and seeing it from the water explains a great deal about how people lived and worked on this fjord long before anyone came here for the view.

Guides tend to tell the Lysefjord smuggling stories on this stretch, when the boat slows near the falls and the fjord pinches in. What you hear depends on your skipper or your audio guide, but the geography makes the tales easy to picture: hidden coves, narrow channels and a shoreline with very few witnesses. Listen, look up at the cliff, and you already have most of the story in front of you. If you are travelling with children, this is usually the part of the trip they remember.

Boat trips that call at Hengjanefossen

Several fjord tours list Hengjanefossen Waterfall among their stops, and the electric cruise from Stavanger is one of them: from US$75, lasting 3.5 hours, with Fantahala, Pulpit Rock and Hengjanefossen on the route.^[16] It is wheelchair accessible and carries an audio guide in English and Norwegian.^[16] You can reserve now and pay later, and cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[16] For a first visit it is the easiest way to see the farm, the waterfall and Preikestolen in a single outing without any hiking.

Other boats cover the same ground at different speeds. The low-emission cruise lists Pulpit Rock, Fantahala and Hengjanefossen, from US$76 over 2.5 hours, also wheelchair accessible, with an audio guide and a driver in English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian and Spanish.^[19] The RIB tour from Stavanger lists Hengjanefossen too, from US$126 over 2 hours, with an audio guide and a live guide.^[20] RIBs sit low and move fast, so dress for wind and spray rather than for a comfortable cabin.

Preikestolen, seen from below and walked from above

Every cruise in the fjord turns to face Preikestolen, the flat-topped cliff that rises 604 metres above the Lysefjord in Ryfylke.^[17] From the water it is a clean horizontal line high on the rock, with a sheer drop below it and a line of tiny figures on top if you look closely. That view is the photograph most people come for, and it is worth stepping outside for rather than shooting through a window. Boats often come close enough that the cliff fills the frame and you lose all sense of its size. The same rock looks entirely different from above, which is why many travellers book a boat one day and a hike the next.

Walking it is a different sort of day out. The trail is less than 10km long with an elevation gain of just over 600m, and it takes about 3 or 4 hours to complete.^[25] It is open year-round, including during the winter off-season.^[26] A guided hike from Stavanger runs 6 hours and costs from US$168.^[27] Winter hikes are run in small groups limited to 8 participants.^[22] Whichever you choose, the cliff looks best from the water and feels biggest from the top, and plenty of visitors do both.

RIB, kayak, ferry and road: other ways onto the fjord

Not everyone wants a big boat. The Lysefjord RIB safari is a two-hour boat trip.^[28] Rødne's Lysefjord cruise from Stavanger lasts 3-3.5 hours.^[29] Brim Explorer runs a 3.5-hour silent, hybrid-electric fjord cruise from Stavanger to see Preikestolen from the water.^[30] Nordic Paddling organises private guided kayak tours on the Lysefjord for groups of up to 12 people.^[31] Choose by how much time you have and how close to the water you want to be, because every one of these options shows you the same cliffs from a different angle.

The local ferry is the workhorse of the fjord: the Kolumbus service through the Lysefjord to Lysebotn runs year-round.^[32] By road, Lysefjord is 41 miles (66 km) from Stavanger and the drive takes around an hour and a half.^[33] If you drive to Lysebotn, Lysevegen has 27 hairpin bends.^[34] A few more numbers for the list: the Flørli stairs consist of 4444 steps,^[35] and the Kjeragbolten hike is a strenuous 12 km trail to a boulder wedged 1,000 meters above Lysefjord.^[36] If you would rather sleep in the fjord than beside it, The Bolder offers architecturally unique cabins in Lysefjorden, designed to minimize environmental impact.^[37]

Planning your Hengjane day: harbour, timing and clothing

If you arrive by ship, you may step off almost into the middle of town: cruise ships berth at Skagenkaien, Strandkaien or Skansekaien in Vågen, Stavanger's city-centre inner harbour.^[18] A fjord cruise fits neatly around a port call. Check the listing for starting times, and pick a departure that leaves you a comfortable margin on either side of the ship's schedule. Reserve now and pay later is offered on the electric cruise, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[16]

Layers beat everything else. Fjord weather changes quickly, the wind on deck is colder than the forecast suggests, and even a summer crossing rewards a windproof shell, a hat and shoes with grip. Bring a power bank, because you will take more photographs than you expect, and something to drink for the ride back. Winter visitors should think about warm, waterproof boots for any walking ashore, and summer visitors should think about sunscreen, since the light bouncing off the water is strong. A small pair of binoculars turns a good trip into a great one.

How to see Hengjane

1. Book a fjord sailing

   Look for a departure that lists Hengjanefossen Waterfall among its stops, such as the electric cruise from Stavanger.^[16]

2. Get to the harbour

   Cruise ships berth at Skagenkaien, Strandkaien or Skansekaien in Vågen, so leave time to reach the boat.^[18]

3. Claim a spot outside

   Dress for wind, keep the camera ready and stay on deck as the fjord narrows towards the falls.

4. Watch for the waterfall

   Hengjanefossen is reported at an impressive height of around 400 meters and drops beside the farm.^[15]

5. Add the cliff

   Preikestolen rises 604 metres above the Lysefjord, and the boats turn to face it before heading home.^[17]

What people want to know