Booking choice: The guided Kjerag hike, from $214 per person. Check dates Tour details
After about three hours of climbing, the trail across the Kjerag plateau ends at a crack in the cliff. Wedged in it, 984 m above the bottom of the drop by the usual count, sits Kjeragbolten. People queue to stand on it, and there have been no recorded deaths from falling off it.
That record says the step is not as wild as the photos make it look. It doesn't make it a good idea in every weather. Here is how it works.
The quick answer
For a calm, dry day and a steady head, yes: there is no recorded death from falling off the boulder. You reach it along a narrow ledge from the back of the cleft and step across. There are no rails. Never do it in rain, wind or snow. The queue can pass an hour in July, and plenty of hikers just watch.
Is it safe to stand on Kjeragbolten?
Reasonably, on a dry, calm day. There have been no recorded deaths from falling off the boulder. It has no rails or ropes, and wet rock changes everything.
The boulder is solid and doesn't move. The top is rounded but wider than it looks in photos, and the step onto it is short. The risk is the step itself and the ledge leading to it: if you slip there, nothing stops you.
Deaths in the Kjerag area are almost all from BASE jumping and climbing, not hiking. Wikipedia lists 11 BASE deaths between 1994 and 2016 (Kjerag). Hikers mostly get hurt on the slabs, not on the boulder.
A guide who knows the ledge and takes your photo: Lysefjorden Adventure, from $214 with hotel pickup.
Check dates for the guided Kjerag hikeHow do you get onto the Kjerag boulder?
From the back of the cleft: you edge along a narrow rock ledge, then take one step across onto the boulder. Turn, stand up, smile, come back the same way.
- Wait your turn at the back of the cleft. One person at a time.
- The ledge: a short, narrow shelf around a rock, with the wall at your side. Face the rock, hands on it.
- The step: one stride from the ledge to the boulder. Small, but you are stepping over the gap.
- On top: stand up slowly, find your feet, then pose. Don't jump. People do; don't.
- Back: the same way, facing the rock.
Guides on the tours often walk you to the start of the ledge and take the photo. One guest wrote: "Walking in the boulder felts really adventurous and the final view of the fiord is epic."
How high is Kjeragbolten, and how big is it?
About 5 cubic metres of rock, with a drop below it usually quoted as 984 m. The plateau around it sits at about 1,000 m above the fjord.
The boulder hangs over a cleft, not straight over the water. Below it the crack opens into the north face, which drops almost vertically towards the Lysefjord. Kjerag's highest point is about 1,100 m: Visit Norway says 1,084 m, SNL 1,132 m.
It was left by the retreating ice at the end of the last ice age, jammed as the glacier melted. The name Kjerag probably comes from Norwegian words for a young goat and shaggy hair. Kjeragbolten means the Kjerag bolt.
How long is the queue for Kjeragbolten?
Anything from none to over an hour. Late morning and early afternoon in July and August are the worst; early starts and September are quieter.
Travel blogs report summer waits of more than an hour. The tours leave Stavanger at 7:00 and reach the plateau around midday, which is peak queue time. Fjord Hikes lists 30 minutes at Kjerag. If the line is long, the guide will tell you whether you can wait. The express bus gives you even less slack.
Want it quiet? Go on a weekday, late in the season, or stay in Lysebotn and start early off the 07:30 shuttle.
Sleep in Lysebotn and climb Kjerag on day two, ahead of the day-trip crowd. Preikestolen comes first.
Explore the Pulpit Rock and Kjerag overnight trip Tour detailsWhen should you not step on the boulder?
In rain, wet rock, wind, snow or ice, and any time your legs are shaking. If the guide says no, it's no.
Wet granite is slippery, and the step has nothing to hold. Wind can knock you off balance on a rounded top. In fog you won't get a photo anyway. One guest on a stormy day: "The weather was bad so I didn't go all the way to the rock, but the guide is good at guiding the steps for minimum fall. Safety first!"
And no step after a drink, with a heavy pack on, or while someone else is still on it. Many people decide on the spot that the view from the side is enough. That's a fine decision.
How do you get the Kjeragbolten photo?
Your photographer stands on the rocks opposite, across the cleft, and shoots towards the boulder. Swap phones with the next person in the queue.
The classic angle is from the far side of the cleft, slightly below, so the gap and the fjord show beneath the boulder. Pick a bright jacket. A wide lens helps.
Guides on the tours take a lot of these. Reviewers praise one Lysefjorden Adventure guide who "takes great pictures!" and another who "ensured we got some great photos at the top."
A guide who knows the photo spot: Lysefjorden Adventure, eight hikers at most.
Check dates for the guided Kjerag hikeWill you see BASE jumpers at Kjerag?
Quite possibly in summer. Kjerag is one of the world's best-known BASE sites, with jumps organised from Lysebotn.
The first registered jump was in 1994. From then to 2016 there were 48,668 registered jumps and 11 deaths, per Wikipedia. Give jumpers space at the edge, and don't distract them.
The boulder got famous partly through Matt Harding's 2006 Where the Hell is Matt? video.
Frequently asked questions
Has anyone fallen off Kjeragbolten?
There are no recorded deaths from falling off the boulder. Accidents in the area mostly involve BASE jumping and climbing.
Do you have to stand on the boulder?
No. It's optional, and many hikers just watch. The plateau and the cliff edge are the main reward.
How far is the drop under Kjeragbolten?
Usually quoted as 984 m. The boulder sits over a cleft that opens onto the north face, not over open water.
Is there a queue for Kjeragbolten?
In July and August, often. Waits of over an hour are reported at midday. Go early or late in the season.
Ready to book
Choose your Kjerag day
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Guided Kjerag Hike from Stavanger
- Pickup at any Stavanger hotel or Airbnb, from 7:00
- Round trip by private vehicle, about 2.5 hours each way
- Local hiking guide on the whole trail
Small-Group Kjerag Hike with Transfers
- Pickup at your chosen point in Stavanger, 7:00
- Air-conditioned vehicle via Hunnedalen
- Licensed guide in English or Norwegian
Pulpit Rock & Kjerag Overnight Trip
Both famous hikes, a night in Lysebotn and meals included
