nature – Peaks to Palaces

September 20, 2025

Hiking to the Stunning Lake Above the Ocean

The desktop background that set me on an adventure to the Faroe Islands…. You might have seen this lake as a desktop background. Once I saw it, I knew I had to visit. The entire trip was planned with a hike to the Lake above the ocean as the primary focus.

Lake Sørvágsvatn, the largest lake in the Faroe Islands, covers an impressive 3.4 square kilometers and appears to hover enchantingly over the North Atlantic Ocean from the dramatic heights of Trælanípa Cliff. This optical illusion is caused by the elevation of the lake compared to the sea. At its end the stunning 30-meter-high Bøsdalafossur waterfall that cascades gracefully down into the ocean. This picturesque viewpoint not only showcases the waterfall, but it also offers an awe-inspiring view of the sea stack Geituskoradrangur.

* The lake is known by two names, Sørvágsvatn and Leitisvatn, due to local preferences. Sørvágsvatn is preferred by the people of Sørvágur, while Leitisvatn is favored by those in Miðvágur and Sandavágur.

Hiking guidelines and starting point

You need to pay to do this hike as the lake and the cliffs sit on private property. There is a dirt parking lot at the beginning and a reception hut. You can buy tickets as well as get snacks and souvenirs from this small shop. More information can be found at the landowners’ web page.

The gate is open 24/7. If you want to do an early morning sunrise or sunset hike, you can still do the hike and pay later. (Honor system). It’s an easy hike with minimal elevation gain. However, wear proper shoes as the muddy path can get slippery when it’s raining.

How to get to Sørvágsvatn/ Leitisvatn lake

Public Bus Travel from Tórshavn

The main bus terminal in Tórshavn is known as Farstøðin. It serves public blue buses. These buses run between Tórshavn and villages on Vágar Island (where the lake is located).
You can take a bus from Tórshavn to nearby villages such as Miðvágur or Sandavágur. These villages serve as common starting points for hikes to the lake.
The ride from Tórshavn to these villages generally takes around 40 minutes to an hour. This includes travel through the underwater tunnel that connects Streymoy (Tórshavn’s island) and Vágar Island.

Self Drive/ Car

You can drive to the dirt parking lot, pay the fee at the entrance, and hike on your own. It is a straightforward route that can be easily done on your own.

Private guided tour

You can hire a private guide for this tour. I took a guided hike with JH Tours, which is run by Johan and his family. I highly recommend JH tours for all tours around the Faroe Islands. You can reach him at Faroestours@gmail.com or (+298)28 28 00. They can plan 6-7-day tours that include all the highlights of the Faroes. You can book a local lunch cooked by Johan’s mother, Jona. This way, you can have an authentic Faroese culinary experience at their house.

This tour also includes visiting Múlafossur Waterfall and the village of Gásadalur. We also stopped at the village of Bøur and had a packed picnic lunch on the black sand beach with the views of Tindhólmur and the stacks Drangarnir.

Key Highlights on the hike

From the reception, the hike is pretty simple and straightforward. You can stop at various view points. Some of the most impressive view points include:

Trælanípa (Viewpoint 1 and 3)

Trælanípa is a magnificent perpendicular rock wall. It juts an impressive 142 meters upwards out of the vast expanse of the sea. This creates a breathtaking sight for all who visit. The name Trælanípa translates to Slave Cliff, a chilling reminder of its dark history. It derives its name from the Viking Age, a time when the harsh realities of survival dictated brutal outcomes. During this period, old and sick slaves who were no longer deemed useful to their masters were callously pushed off the mountain, offering a stark reflection of the values and harshness of that era.

If the cliffs look familiar, it has been used in the Peter Pan and Wendy movie. You can check out more locations in the Faroe Islands that have been shown in the film here.

Lake above the ocean (viewpoint 2)

Continuing on the path, you will take a set stairs to get to the view point of Lake above the ocean. There is a small sign that shows where the best point to stand for the best photos. It was a rainy and cloudy day, but still I managed to get a few decent shots.

Bøsdalafossur Waterfall (Viewpoint 4)

Continue down from the viewpoint of the lake above the ocean. You will have to do some rock scrambling to reach the Bøsdalafossur Waterfall viewpoint. Be careful, as the stones can be slippery especially after rain.

Bøsdalafossur Waterfall falls dramatically from Lake Leitisvatn into the North Atlantic Ocean. It flows from an impressive height of 30 metres (98 feet) above sea level. This creates a stunning visual spectacle that captivates nature lovers and adventurers alike.

From viewpoint 4, you can also see Geituskorardrangur is a free-standing rock wall. This rock formation towers 116 metres (380 feet) above sea level.

Other interesting things on the hike

The whole hike is next to the Lake. You will see waterfalls on the way, especially after the rain. These spring waters are safe to drink but make sure you will bottles from the flowing part and not the stagnant water. Our tour group empties our water bottles and fills them with refreshing spring water.

Final thoughts

Hike to Lake above the ocean is a very easy hike with tremendous rewards. This hike can be easily combined with nearby attractions. These include visiting the village of
Bøur, Múlafossur Waterfall, and Gásadalur. You can also combine this trip with the boat tour of Drangarnir & Múlafossur. Alternatively, consider the Drangarnir Hiking Tour, especially if you have a car, which gives you more flexibility to explore. Also, stop by the statue of Nix at the other end of the lake, close to the airport.

July 13, 2024June 14, 2025

Tales from Balkan- Blagaj Tekke-A peaceful oasis

Where is Blagaj

The village of Blagaj na buni is located about 10 km (6 miles) from Mostar that could be reached by bus or car. The main attraction of the village is the Tekke or Tekkja – a place of spiritual retreat and reflection for Dervish monks. The unique feature of this Tekke is that it is built on a solid rocky soil at the right side of the source of the Buna River. A very high cliff stretches above the Tekija (240 meters high). On top of the cliff, you can see the remains of Stjepan Vukcic-Kosaca’s fort-town from the Middle Ages. The Buna River that flows adjacent to the monastery emerges from under the massive Karst stone formation after traveling over 19 kms underground.

Blagaj Tekke the dervish retreat

The primary purpose of the structure was to serve as a dervish Zikr praise-chanting (praising God and His names) venue and a retreat, and it is still active religious complex with Zikir praise chanting happening 3 times a week. The tekke was built around 1520 and it features elements of both Ottoman architecture and Mediterranean style. The dervishes follow a mystical strand of Islam in which the peaceful contemplation of nature plays a part, hence the Tekke’s idyllic positioning next to the river.

You can go inside the building by paying 10 marks and there are several different rooms including a kitchen, guest house, hammam, a room for praying, tombs, and a courtyard. There are some interesting features including the perforated dome in the hammam and beautiful wooden ceiling of semahana, or the room used to perform zikr (religious chanting).

Best place to take photos of the Tekke

To get the iconic reflection of the Tekke in the water, you need to get the other side of the river. Cross-over the first bridge and walk behind the restaurants until you see a set of stairs that lead to the viewpoint.

Stairs leading to other side of the river to get the iconic photos

Entrance fee

There is an entrance fee to go inside the Tekke- It is 10 marks/ 4-5 euros. Women are expected to cover their head and arms as well as wear long skirts. These are provided free of cost at the entrance.

Other things to do around Blagaj

There are several restaurants around Blagaj and you can get traditional food and drinks and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

January 14, 2024October 9, 2024

Paradise found- A review of staying in Chachagua rainforest bungalow in Costa Rica

Chachagua Rainforest Hotel and Hot Springs located between the Children’s Eternal Rainforest and the Arenal Volcano National Park and is off the beaten path but still an amazing place to stay. We spent 4 nights during Christmas break and loved the room, the grounds, and over all ambience of the place.

Only con is that it is about 20 min from La Fortuna town and if you don’t have your own car, you are stuck eating in-house restaurant food for the length of your stay. The food is not bad but limited as they try to do as much farm to table type with the fresh fruits and vegetables grown in their farm. Unlike the hotels in the town, you can’t walk or Uber to a local Soda/ restaurant and taking a cab is bit on expensive side( $50-80).

The property has 28 bungalows and feels like a mix of rainforest and tropical garden, and I could not stop taking pictures of beautiful flowers and birds that fed on them. There is a river running through the middle of the property which adds to the serenity of the hotel. The hotel has about 3-4 small thermal pools fed by volcanic hot water an additional plus for the place. The thermal pools are not as hot as the pools near the volcano but warm enough to relax after a long day of hiking.

The hotel sits on 94 hectares of rainforest, and it is isolated and unspoiled. This hotel was featured in 1000 places to see before you die by Patricia Shultz, and we felt like it was one the best hotel we stayed. The hotel also has its own waterfall, and I spent every morning just admiring the calmness and setting of this waterfall. There are tons of hiking paths, and you can watch birds, monkeys, and sloths on the property.

The Bungalows: Most of the rooms are 1-bedroom bungalows with the porch in the front. The individual bungalows are surrounded by trees and bushes and connected by walking paths and are very private. The porch has a hammock, a sofa with coffee table, and built in wooden table and stools. If you decide to get a massage or facial, they bring the massage table to the porch, and you can get a massage in the tranquility of rain forest. We stayed in room 107 and felt like we were cocooned in our own rainforest. Some of the bigger bungalows have plunge pool and jacuzzi tubs.

Night walk and Bullet ants– We did nigh walk on the property where we were able to see various kinds of frogs, toads, turtles, sleeping hummingbird, but what we didn’t expect to see was Bullet ants. Bullet ants are named after its powerful and potent sting that feels like being shot, and they are also called “hormiga veinticuatro” or “24 (hour) ant” by the locals, referring to the 24 hours of pain that follow being stung by one of these ants. There were tons of these ants roaming around lake, on fences and our guide warned us not to lean on anything. Thankfully nobody was bit, but presence of these ants added to mystery of the night. Bullet ants are 4 times the size of regular ant and are nocturnal.

Birds and working farm – One of my favorite memories of this hotel is waking up in the morning and looking out of the window to see a hummingbird feeding on heliconia flower. This happened pretty much every day and the hotels has tons of hummingbirds that feed on the tropical flowers on the property. On my morning hike every day, I would spend some time watching birds including Toucans. The last day, we decided to check out the cocoa and coffee farm where they teach how to make coffee and cocoa. I wish I had ventured out to this place earlier on our stay. Since this is a working farm, there are tons of fruit trees and Toucans and Aracari’s hanging out here feeding on the fruits. It is few steps from the waterfall and definitely worth checking out both for the cooking class as well as for birds.

Ceiba Tree– Hiking within the property, there are signs for Ceiba tree which is well worth the visit. It’s a giant tree that stands tall among the rainforest trees and after visiting the tree, I did some research and found out that this tree is the national tree of Guatemala and has significant place in both Mayan and African cultures.

Called as the First Tree or Green Tree in Mayan language (Yax Che), according to Maya mythology, Ceiba tree the symbol of the universe. The tree signified a route of communication between the three levels of earth. Its roots were said to reach down into the underworld, its trunk represented the middle world where the humans live, and its canopy of branches arched high in the sky symbolized the upper world and the thirteen levels in which the Maya heaven was divided (Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/ceiba-pentandra-sacred-tree-maya-171615).

Food and Drinks – Since we didn’t rent a car, we ended up eating at the Colibri restaurant on site which was pretty decent albeit limited selection. There was live music every day and we enjoyed ordering Tikki drinks just to see how many different kinds of cups we get.

Final Thoughts:

All in all, staying at Chachagua Rainforest Hotel and Spa was an amazing experience. I loved the cozy, private bungalows, and numerous hiking trails as well as the river and waterfall. The staff was very pleasant and helpful, and organized all the acuities including ziplining, hike to Rio Celeste, and white-water rafting through the hotel and had a great time.

Some more random pictures taken from the hike on the property: