Værøy & Røst

Introducing Værøy & Røst

Lofoten’s southern islands of Værøy and Røst have some of the finest bird watching in Norway, with large colonies of fulmars, guillemots, kittiwakes and terns. There are puffins as well, but the population has dropped by more than 50% in the past decade as a result of dwindling stocks of herring, the main food source for puffin chicks.

Craggy high and rugged, Værøy has only 775 people, but 100,000 nesting sea birds. Hiking trails take in some of the more spectacular sea-bird rookeries. The main trail goes along the west coast, beginning about 300m past the island’s airstrip, and continues south all the way to the virtually deserted fishing village of Mostad, passing by steep cliffs, sandy beaches and isolated settlements. This 10km hike makes for a full day’s outing and is not too strenuous, but it’s exposed to the elements, so is best done in fair weather.

Røst, south of Værøy, enjoys one of the mildest climates in northern Norway, thanks to its location in the middle of the Gulf Stream. Access to the best bird-watching requires a boat, as the largest rookeries are on offshore islands. Kårøy Sjøhus (76 09 62 38; rt-finni@online.no) can arrange all-day boat trips (Nkr250) that cruise past major sea-bird colonies and stop at an 1887 lighthouse and a vista point. En route it’s common to see seals and there are occasional sightings of orcas. Røst itself is pancake flat and, other than the boat trip, there’s not much to do.

The tourist office (76 09 52 10; 10am-3pm Mon-Sat mid-Jun–mid-Aug) is 200m from the ferry landing at Sørland.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009