Is it possible to hike Trolltunga, Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) and Kjeragbolten in 3 days? Yes!
Would I recommend it? Ideally, 4 days would be A LOT easier but as 3 days was my only option I thought I’d give it a try. Despite being an exhausting trip it was an absolutely incredible experience and worth the all muscle ache – so if you’re short on time definitely give it a go and follow my instructions below!!
- Related Article: What to pack hiking in Norway: Trolltunga, Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) and Kjeragbolten
Day 1: Getting from Bergen Airport to Trolltunga
Catch a flight after work Friday night or early morning Saturday into Bergen
I finished work at 5PM and caught an 8PM flight to Bergen. Friends of mine had arrived earlier so had already picked up the rental and were sleeping in the car when I arrived at 11PM.
4-hour drive to Trolltunga car park from Bergen Airport
We then slept in the car until 6AM when we started the hike. This was the toughest day of the trip and the part of the itinerary I was most worried about. Trolltunga is a 27km, 10-hour hike. Completing it on little sleep was a bit of a struggle at times, but 100% worth it. Despite being sleep deprived, we made it to the peak in a mere 3 hours… but then faded massively on the way back which took us 5 hours!
The hike was 9 hours in total (including photo and drone stops). We were back at the car at 3PM.
5.5-hour drive to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) from Trolltunga
After a supermarket dinner and a wet wipe shower, we were sound asleep by 9:30PM. There were only three of us, so we slept in the car for the duration of the trip to save on accommodation.
Day 2: Hiking Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock)
Begin the Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) hike at 6AM.
It is a 6km hike and it took us 4 hours in total to complete including photo and drone stops. We arrived back at the car at 10AM. My friends could only stay for the weekend so we drove to Stavanger Airport to drop them off which was a 1.5-hour drive away.
Drive to Kjeragbolten which is a 2.5 hour drive from both Stavanger Airport and Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock)
Once again I had a supermarket dinner, wet wipe shower and was asleep by 8PM #glamorous 😂
Day 3: Hiking Kjeragbolten
Start the 12km Kjeragbolten hike at 5AM.
It’s recommended you leave 6-8 hours for the roundtrip. Because I had a flight that evening I quickened my pace and managed to finish the entire hike in 4 hours including photo stops. I was back at my car at 9AM and drove 2.5 hours back to Stavanger Airport. I arrived at the airport at 12:30PM with plenty of time to spare for my flight at 4PM.
Trolltunga, Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) or Kjeragbolten – which one was my favourite?
There is no doubt this itinerary is intense. Ideally, you will have 4 days to work with or, you could choose to do just two of the hikes. Which two to choose from is completely down to personal preference but here are my thoughts around the decision:
- Trolltunga is a must, the entire hike had amazing views and the peak lived up to the hype. It had the best view of the fjords (angle wise) and the peak is on a large plain so even when it got busy it didn’t feel overly crowded.
- Because Preikestolen is a shorter and easier hike – it’s a lot busier. By 9AM it’s heaving with tourists. In contrast, when I left Kjeragbolten at 9AM there were still under 30 people I had passed heading to the peak.
- Photography: Personal opinion, I preferred my Kjeragbolten shots. The boulder is so insane, it looks photoshopped! Whereas if you want the iconic shots of Preikestolen you need to arrive very early. The ledge was covered with people by 8:30AM (unlike the other hikes where people line up for photos).
Overall, this was one of the most physically intense but rewarding trips I have ever done. Sometimes timing doesn’t always work in our favour so I was ecstatic that all 3 peaks ended up being possible in the timeframe I had. If you have any questions please comment below and make sure to check out the related articles for info about packing and preparing for Trolltunga, Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) and Kjeragbolton.