Whenever I mention that I’m leading a photo tour in the Faroe Islands, most people ask, “You mean down by Antarctica?” No, those are the Falkland Islands. “Oh, off the coast of California, then? No, those are the Farallon Islands. “In Egypt?” No, not Pharaoh with a Ph, but with an F – midway between Iceland and Scotland.
The fact that most people still don’t know much about the Faroe Islands is a really good fact in my book. Relatively undiscovered by the masses, this small, 18-island archipelago in the middle of the Northern Atlantic often feels like something out of a fairy tale. It’s truly enchanting, atmospheric and dramatic, with an isolation that provides a very welcome respite from the pervasive chaos of our world. If you’re yearning to get away from it all, this is a perfectly awesome place to do it.
Volcanic in origin, these mountainous islands consist almost entirely of basaltic bedrock covered by a thin layer of spongy, moss-covered soil no more than a meter thick in most places. Drenched by 50-60 inches of rain per year, the thin carpet of soil sags and creeps downhill with gravity like a wet blanket. Just below, the impervious layer of bedrock channels rainfall and residual ground water into thousands of ravines and over cliffs, creating innumerable cascades and waterfalls around every corner. There’s water, water, everywhere – clear, cool, impossibly clean water, and the freshest air you’ve ever breathed in your life.
Although the Faroe Islands are topographically complex, they are easily accessible via 300 miles of paved roadways that go around, over and through this mountainous landscape. Even more impressive are the 20 miles of undersea tunnels that shortcut travel between key islands, including the Eysturoyartunnilin and Sandoyartunnilin at 7.1 miles and 6.7 miles respectively. In short, this incredible infrastructure allows us to reach any part of the archipelago within an hour.
As dramatic as the geography is, the Faroese weather brings it all to life. I’m not aware of another place with more dynamic weather. Think of it this way; this is an isolated group of mountains in the middle of the ocean, squarely in the cross hairs of the Gulf Stream. Here, the full energy of the ocean sweeps across the islands, over and between the peaks and swirls through the valleys to produce a consistent parade of quickly changing conditions from foggy to sunny, to rain, wind, no wind, sun again, rain again, rinse and repeat. If you love capturing and experiencing dramatic and moody weather like I do, you absolutely need to go there.
The motto of the Faroe Islands could very well be “Bad weather makes for good photographs” or perhaps “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”. Either would be apt on the flags or license plates. If you’re prepared in mind, body and spirit, and with proper gear, you will be rewarded with some of the best landscape photography of your life.
Our 2025 tour was perfectly on par with expectations. From our contemporary base Hotel Føroyar located above the main city of Tórshavn, each day was spent photographing different regions of the islands, from the northern reaches of Vidoy to the southernmost tip at Akraberg Lighthouse on the island of Suduroy.
Day 1 was spent making the most of drizzly weather by shooting the church and coastal area at Viðareiði near the northern tip of the islands, along with one of the hundreds of unnamed waterfalls and cascades near Hvannasund. After a rather cool and wet morning, we enjoyed a cozy lunch and hot drinks in Klaksvik before pursuing more waterfall opportunities all afternoon.
Going back to the fact that the islands are comprised of bedrock covered by a thin blanket of mossy earth, the more it rains, the more the waterfalls grow in intensity. Only the most significant waterfalls in the Faroes have names, and my favorite is named Fossá, a relatively wide double decker waterfall that pours over a hundred-foot cliff before pouring over another hundred-foot cliff into a rocky ravine. When it really rains, Fossá is a roaring monument to the raw energy of these bewitching islands. A visit to Fossá was a highlight of the first day, spurring comments that “we need to come back again!” Indeed, this entire island nation is like that, calling you back to explore every corner year after year.
As the weather started to improve over the following couple days, we took full advantage of my personal favorite atmospheric condition a call “the clearing storm”. In the Faroes, this can happen several times a day, yielding sunbeams breaking through moody clouds, backlit mist and fog and of course, rainbows. The first rainbow of the tour happened after we spent a couple hours photographing around Gjògv, (pronounced Jegff) a quintessential Faroese village along the northern coast of Eysturoy. As we drove away completely content with the morning’s take, I noticed a gorgeous low angle rainbow in the side mirror of the van. With the rain and wind at our backs, we could line up the town’s church with the rainbow, akin to Galen Rowell’s famous 1981 photo of a rainbow over Potala Palace in Tibet.
The highlight of this year’s tour was a new offering – a short ride on a Rigid Inflatable Boat (a.k.a. Zodiac) to photograph the arched sea stack of Drangarnir and the island of Tindhólmur, that rises 850 feet out of the ocean like a shark’s fin. Cruising across the glassy smooth Sørvágsfjørður at around 40 miles per hour was a thrill, only to be outdone by floating right through Drangarnir’s arch before rocking up on shore. After we disembarked, the captain returned to harbor a couple miles away, leaving us alone on this remote and magical corner of the Faroes. From the stony shore, a short hike up a grassy slope revealed an incredible vantage point to line up the sea stacks with the setting sun. Shortly after the sun disappeared into the ocean horizon, the captain returned with our ride back to harbor.
On day 4, the favorable weather and ferry schedule came together for a mandatory day trip to Suduroy, literally meaning “South Island”. From Torshavn, we drove our vans onto the ocean-worthy ferry and enjoyed a relaxing, hour and 45-minute trip, passing several of the other islands along the way. Once on land, we drove straight out to Ásmundarstakkur, where one of the island’s most impressive geologic features resides – a 500-foot-deep crevice that drops straight into the ocean. Afterwards, we drove up the narrow road to Kikarin á Eggini, an abandoned military outpost high above the ocean. From there, we photographed expansive views of the impossibly dramatic west coast of the island. It was also the perfect spot to enjoy our gourmet picnic lunch prepared for us by the chef-owner at Moss, a charming farm to table cafe in Torshavn that we patronized several times during the week. Nothing like a picnic of homemade sandwiches and bakery, in the sun, on a grassy platform several hundred feet above the ocean. A final stop at the lighthouse at Akraberg, the southernmost point of the Faroe Islands, rounded out a perfect day before boarding the ship home that evening.
Finally, no trip to the Faroes would be complete without a visit (or more) to Gasadalur, a now well-known view of a little village beneath a mountain, and a waterfall plunging directly into the ocean in the foreground. It’s one of those places that is worth photographing many times over in different conditions, times of day and in different seasons. Like other photographic icons, it would be fun to have an entire series of images depicting its dynamic character over time. The strong wind and periodic rain were no match for our enthusiasm for capturing incredible images of crashing waves and sunbeams soaking the scene in water and light. I could go on and on, but like many things in life, it’s better to experience it firsthand than read about it. I’m not sure if it’s the topography, the wild weather, the charming villages or the amazing food and people, but all my memories of the Faroe Islands are wonderfully vivid. Therefore, if you’re a landscape photography enthusiast, the Faroe Islands tour should be a bucket list item written in bold.
