Forsand Tourist Information

Forsand lies at the junction of two fjords – the famous Lysefjord stretches 42 km eastward, while the Høgsfjord stretches southward. In the past, the fjords were the primary means of transport, and Forsand was a natural crossroads.

Forsand municipality in southern Ryfylke includes the Lysefjord, Preikestolen and Kjerag. Forsand with its 1150 inhabitants has one of the smallest populations of any municipality in Rogaland. At the same time, with a spacious 840 km2, it is one of the largest districts in the county.

See digital map of Ryfylke and Forsand!

Forsand lies at the junction of two fjords – the famous Lysefjord stretches 42 km eastward, while the Høgsfjord stretches southward. In the past, the fjords were the primary means of transport, and Forsand was a natural crossroads. People came here from the Agder tracts, from Lysebotn and farms and hamlets along the Lysefjord, meeting people from Frafjord and Dirdal and other places.

The most populous place is Forsand itself, the municipal centre. Elsewhere habitation is more sparse – but in the summer Lysebotn, the village at the head of the Lysefjord, is teeming with tourists. Aquaculture is the prime livelihood, but you will also find an active tourist industry, aquaculture facilities, sand pits, and a host of various small enterprises.

The Municipality of Forsand is strategically situated between the agricultural region of Jæren nearer the coast, and our nearby municipalities that comprise Ryfylke to the north. The towns of Stavanger and Sandnes are only a short distance away, by road or sea. The ferry across the Høgsfjord, which departs ever half-hour during the daytime, takes just 8 minutes. The express ferry from Stavanger to Lysebotn calls at Forsand on its way into the Lysefjord. In the summer the tourist ferry from Forsand also calls at a number of interesting, humble destinations en route to Lysebotn. Anouth tour worth taking is the scenic drive across the mountains to Sirdal and Setesdal, and back to Forsand. (Take the Lauvvik–Oanes ferry.)

The Lysefjord is the most characteristic fjord in Rogaland County, and it is easy to sea why it’s such a magnet for tourists. The famous Preikestolen towers a sheer 600 metres above the fjord. Kjerag rises even higher, to a full thousand metres, making it one of the world’s most attractive sites for base-jumping. Throughout the mountains and heathlands of Forsand there are well-marked trails. During the summer, visitors can join guided walks to Kjerag.