Lysefjorden is a fjord in south-western Norway, near the city of Stavanger
It is a fairly straight and narrow branch of Høgsfjorden and is approx. 42 km long. On both sides it is flanked by large vertical mountains - most of the mountains are about 800 m tall, but there a a few exceptions. The water depth goes down to 900 m, while the mouth of the fjord (the western end) is much shallower. It and it's surrounding area is a haven for hiking, hunting and fishing. At the water edge, wildlife include seals and goats.
At the mouth it is spanned by a suspension bridge going from Oanes to Forsand. The bridge has a span of 446 m and a sailing height of 50 m. The bridge is specifically designed to let cruise ships enter.
Sights - in order of appearance from west to east
- Landa - a archeological dig of an old village, dated to -1500 BC. Today most of it has been restored, and it is being used as a live museum.
- Dørvika - A camping ground with a nice beach, which by itself is pretty much unique in this fjord.
- Prekestolen - "The pulpit rock". It is a easily climbed (walked in two hours!) flat-top crag going vertically 600 m down to the water level. As it is an easy walk from the inland side both americans wearing high heels, families with small children and germans in biker's leather pants have been known to conquer this "mountain". It is quite popular with the tourists, as it offers a splendid view for little or no excertion.
- Fløyrli - An old hydro-electric power station stands here - it has recently been replaced by a newer station hidden completely inside the mountain, so it's biggest attraction is the stairs going up the old water intake pipelines. The stairs have 4,484 steps (or so I'm told).
- Kjerag - This is a mountain that is quite popular with base divers, giving them a free-fall of over 1000 m. Hikers also enjoy the peak, as the view downwards can be quite upsetting.
- Lysebotn - a small village at the eastern end of the fjord. A summer-only road leads further east into the mountains. The road climbs up to the top of the surrounding mountains in 36 hairpin turns.