The incredibly beautiful Preikestolen cliff in Norway is one of the most impressive natural attractions in the world. Every year, millions of lovers of beauty come here - to the ends of the world to admire this miracle. For lovers of extreme recreation, Norway, Mount Preikestolen in particular, is an ideal place. The one who sees her for the first time cannot hide admiration along with shock, because she is simply gigantic and strangely hangs over the picturesque fjord of Luse.
Norway, Preikestolen: description and origin of the name
The coastline of this northern country, which is known for its unique nature, is heavily indented and rocky. Narrow strips of land cut deep into the sea and form fjords. In the commune of Forasand there is a picturesque bay with the beautiful name Lysefjord. It is here that the Preikestolen rock, known throughout the world for its indescribable beauty, is located. Norway attracts whole streams of tourists precisely because of this natural phenomenon. The height of this cliff is about 600meters. Opposite it is the Kjerag Plateau. By the way, in ancient times this rock was known under a different name. In Norway, Preikestolen was called Hyvlatonnå in those distant times. Today it also has several names, such as Preacher's Pulpit ("Preacher's pulpit") or Pulpit Rock, which translates as "Pulpit Rock". This name is especially often used by tourists coming from Foggy Albion - Great Britain.
Kjerag
The mountain plateau has the shape of a regular quadrangle - a square. Its dimensions are 25 x 25 m. Once on this wide “observation” platform of natural origin, the most daring have the opportunity to observe the most beautiful views that Lysefjord is famous for from a bird's eye view and take pictures of them. Many who managed to visit here later say that they have not experienced such an emotional outburst anywhere in the world. The fjord itself is of great interest: it is deep, teeming with a variety of fish, has a color of a stunning blue hue. However, observation from above increases the impression of what you see at times. After that, you will be firmly convinced that you have visited one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
Luce Fjord
The shores of this bay are practically uninhabited, as a special relief interferes with the normal life of people. In a word, another advantage of the Luse fjord, which gives it a unique charm, is the virginity of nature. 10,000 years ago as a result of retreata giant glacier here on land formed a large narrow crack, the length of which was 42 kilometers. It immediately filled with water. Nothing has changed since then. The shores of the bay are protected by high sheer cliffs. The height of some of them is about 1000 meters. They almost completely hide the view of the fjord - the pearl of Norway - from prying eyes. The preikestolen, or, as it is otherwise called, the “Pulpit of the Preacher”, allows you to fully enjoy the beauties of Luce. By the way, there is another way to see the marvelous landscape - a boat trip, but the impressions from this will be completely different. But it has another plus - the opportunity to fish in the Lysefjord while on a tourist boat.
The most beautiful cliff in the world: Preikestolen (Norway)
Those who have visited this area at least once, then say that they were "on the edge" - in the truest sense of the word. From here, a truly fantastic landscape opens up, which cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. This place, of course, was chosen by photographers from all over the world, as the pictures from the observation deck are incredibly colorful.
Someone thinks that he seemed to have been transported by a time machine into the distant past, when no one has inhabited our Earth yet, and someone has the impression that he is generally on another planet. Speaking of Preikestolen, it is impossible to avoid using superlative adjectives in your speech. All tourists who dared to visit the “edge”, sharing their impressions, keep repeating the word"most". By the way, the most amazing thing that can be seen from the “observation” platform of natural origin is the clouds floating under your feet.
How to get there?
Unfortunately, not every tourist is given to be on the Preikestolen rock. And this is not at all because of the high cost of the ticket price or because of any restrictions. The thing is that the ascent is given only to physically prepared and strong people. Climbing the Pulpit is not easy.
As we have already noted, this place is in its original state, and there are no funiculars designed for comfortable climbing here. The only sign of civilization is car parking. Then there is a narrow path. Its length is 4 kilometers. That is, to get to the “observation deck”, tourists have to walk for about two hours. Of course, if the path ran on flat terrain, then no more than 1 hour could be spent on the path, but we are talking about a mountain path with a pile of huge stones that you need to climb. Constant drops, ups, downs - all this is very tiring.
If you still burn with the desire to see with your own eyes the most beautiful views that open from this plateau and came to Norway especially for this, Preikestolen, of course, can submit to you. However, you need to soberly assess your strengths so as not to let the group down or not to return halfway. By the way, the descent from the cliff is even more difficult for most, so it takes even more time to go back. In a word, you will have to spend 4-5 hours to spend 30 minutes on the plateau,take pictures and admire the Lysefjord.
Of course, what you will see is worth the effort, but experienced travelers still recommend weighing the pros and cons before setting off. But up to the foot you can be taken by buses running on a regular route. To do this, you need to come to the commune of Forsan, and there already buy a ticket.
Warning
It may very well be that in the future climbing the Preikestolen rock will be prohibited, as a crack has formed at the foot of the "Pulpit", which grows every year. According to geologists, the day is not far off when this rock will collapse into the blue of the Lysefjord. However, so far these warnings have not stopped tourists eager to climb the mountain. The biggest extremals are those who climb Preikestolen in winter along an icy path and under the gusts of the north wind. But what wouldn't you do for a giant dose of adrenaline?!
Tourist memo
By the way, for anyone who is interested, the Preikestolen rock is included in a not very large list of objects used for base jumping, that is, a parachute jump (not from an airplane). Nevertheless, skydivers are rare here. The thing is that due to the abundance of tourists there is practically no place for a run. For all the time, only about 30,000 paratroopers jumped into the waters of the Lysefjord from the Preikestolen cliff and the Kyoraga plateau. To some, the figure will seem large, but to someone insignificant.
