I had booked a RIB tour out of the port thinking that we would be docking in Stavanger and picking it up there. Alas it was not, causing a bit of a problem. As it turned out they were able to get us onto one that left from a dock near our ship, in Sandnes. It was a bit of a rush along with confusion to get it all at the last moment. Once on board (after suiting up and putting on snow googles) it was quite a long, long bouncy ride but wonderful experience seeing magnificent scenery. Lysefjord is 42 km long. 

First stop was to see the Vagabond Cave where the water is 50 metres deep. It is a safe harbour for fishermen when the weather gets too bad, they can sit it out. The story goes that all the vagabonds/thieves would steal whatever they could in the towns and hide out in the cave (not very big cave).

Next stop was to see a couple of mountain goats. They were beautiful. Our guide said that they are taken out to that place (where they cannot escape) in the spring and brought back in the fall. 

Whiskey Falls, a 75 metre drop.  The story goes that a man who worked on a farm, decided to supplement his income on his off time, by making moonshine.  The vagabonds down the fjord would warn the moonshine maker when the police were coming to bust him. They would do that because they were the ones selling his product in town. Story goes also that the maker of the moonshine, to check that the zip line used to send the bottles down to water level, sent his wife down first …. Finding it safe 🤣. 

The main reason for this trip today was to see Pulpit Rock, a rock ledge with no guardrails, is 604 metres above the water. You can hike up to it (from some other location) but for a time, in 2017, they closed the trail cuz it was becoming too treacherous. Instead they hired some Sherpas from Nepal to fixed the trail and reopened it. 

What a spectacular trip… wow!