Anyone with experience hiking Pulpit Rock?

[Fergus]

My husband is interested in hiking Pulpit Rock on our port stop in Stavanger in mid June.  Has anyone used any type of group tour to do this?  Thanks in advance!

Edited March 29, 2022 by Fergus

[hallasm]

Here you have links to local tour providers with guides tours to Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen)

Book with local tour providers rather than the international tour providers.

https://www.guidecompaniet.no/turer/hike-to-the-pulpit-rock

https://www.lysefjordenadventure.no

https://lysefjorden.com/project/preikestolen-hikes/

[Scottishclover]

We hiked Pulpit Rock in July 2016. We love hiking  so this was a bucket list hike at the time. We travelled with our 2 daughters, one of whom was 11 and so we couldn’t join the ship excursion due to insurance age restrictions. We decided to DIY it and saved hundreds of dollars in the process. It is actually very easy to hike it independently. We bought a combined ferry and bus ticket before boarding the first ferry of the day from Stavanger to Tau. On arrival at Tau, the bus was waiting and after a short journey, dropped us off at the trail head. Originally, we had worries about timings and being back in time for the ship leaving but we needn’t have worried. We completed the hike in much less than the recommended time and we were back in Stavanger with lots of time to spare. It is good to have a back up plan though, like a local taxi number to get you to the ferry at Tau if you miss the bus. 

I’m not sure how beneficial going in a group would be. The hike is straightforward with a path all the way up so no way you can get lost. it is pretty much single file a lot of the way so would be difficult to chat to a tour leader. I would recommend going as early as possible as the trail was very busy when we were making our way down. In fact, we passed our ship’s excursion as they were just going up. Hiking boots are also a must - the rocks are slippery when wet. We enjoyed this hike and just got some lovely views from the top as the weather closed in. I would only do this hike in clear weather. Hope this helps.

[lorif]

My son and I hiked pulpit rock on a Holland America cruise in 2015. We chose to do it through the cruise line because it's a pretty full day, and we didn't want to risk missing the ship using a private tour if we had to wait for stragglers. Lori and my daughter chose a fjord cruise instead as they aren't hiking enthusiasts.

 

I was 53 at the time, a reasonably healthy male, no super athlete. It is a pretty strenuous hike, some places you are walking up steps with your hands on the steps above you, so quite steep. But there are also flat areas and less hilly parts. We did stop for a couple of breaks of maybe 5 minutes on the steep parts.

 

I have to say the views on the way up and at the top are definitely worth the effort! We lucked out with a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky. I've travelled lots and I would classify Pulpit Rock in the top 2 or 3 most beautiful places I have ever been. I'm not a lover of heights so I didn't go anywhere near the edge (there are no fences or barriers, just a verrrry long drop).

 

Bring lots of water and definitely your camera. Even a mediocre photographer like me got some great shots. Our pace up allowed us over an hour at the summit, and the ships guides told us when we should head back. In some ways walking down is tougher because you are more tired and you want to step carefully so you don't jar your knees.

 

I wouldn't pass up a chance to do this, everyone should do it at least once in their lifetime.

[vintagegarage]

I didn't make it to the top.  The route is well marked, and Norwegian kids are running up and down the trail with glee, laughing and jumping, no problems in an hour or less.   The advice from our tour guide was to expect that the trip down was harder than the trip up.  I was a fit 68 at the time, but a slow but steady walker.  There are meter posts every so often, so it is obvious when you pass the halfway point.  I was about at the 4/5 point, when I had used up half of the time for the climb.  Going on the advice of the guide, I turned back, even though it looked like the final 1/5 was easier than much of the earlier climb.  As it turned out, the walk back down was much easier than the climb up, and I arrived back at the bus with more than a half hour to spare.  I am sure if I had planned better, I could have made it to the top at the speed I was walking.  My advice is to start climbing as soon as you get off the bus, and don't dilly dally.  The ones on the tour who made it to the top, said they had about a half hour to spend at the top.  I may have been in the same group as lorif.

[Scottishclover]

Be aware that often the way down takes longer as you are constantly stepping aside to let those climbing up, pass. It is a very highly trafficked trail. I agree with other posters though, if you have the chance, definitely go for it. Amazing experience.  As an aside OP, if you are into hiking and your cruise goes to Alesund, you should try Sukkertoppen ( Sugarloaf Mountain) It’s an easy morning hike and the 360 degree views at the top were incredible. We hiked in every Norwegian port and Sukkertoppen was my favourite.

[Bulldogsoc]

Thank you so much.  My teenage son and I are going to be there the first week of July and really want to do it.  It will have to be a DIY as there is no hike offering on the Carnival Pride and a tour group will be too long.  We are in port between 9am and 6pm.  Scotishclover… is that enough time if we leave first thing?  We are both fit and outdoors people from Northern Ontario, Canada.  Many thanks.

[Scottishclover]

You will definitely have enough time. We were docked  between 8 and 4.We got the very first ferry to Tau at 8am. We were queued up ready to disembark asap and power walked/jogged to the ferry dock. We weren’t the only ones doing this 😂.  If I remember rightly we were back at the ship     at 2.30 pm and that was even with a wait for the ferry to come back to Stavanger. We were way ahead of our planned schedule. You do need to check your timetables. I have read that there is now a tunnel between Stavanger and Tau so you can actually bus it all the way to the trailhead. That would be a quicker option - 45 mins drive. Suggested time up and down with time at the top is 5 hours. We did it in an easy 3 hours and spent around 20 mins at the top as it was extremely windy. So you can see you would easily make it, if you are docked 9 to 6, especially as you are reasonably fit and used to the outdoors.  Just make sure you do your homework. With the advent of the tunnel, I’m sure there will be lots of options to get there and it actually sounds less hassle than when we did it in 2016. 

[Fergus]

Thank you all for the great information - will pass it along to my husband for his consideration!