PREIKESTOLEN BASE CAMP

Choice of 6 different accommodations, prices according to season, see site. All kinds of activities, equipment rental.

From farm to base camp

The first tourists to visit Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock as it is known in English, arrived just after the turn of the last century. Since that time, the area that is now the Preikestolen base camp has served as a starting point for explorers wishing to visit the famous site. What started out as a small private farm where visitors could stay overnight has developed into a modern base camp complex offering accommodation and outdoor activities.

The discovery of Preikestolen

According to historians, the first known person to visit Preikestolen was Thomas Peter Randulff, a bank manager from Stavanger. One day in 1896, while sailing in a boat in the Lysefjord, Randulff noticed the cliff that stood out from the granite mountain side above the fjord. Randulff, who was already an active member of the Norwegian Hiking Association, was curious about what it would be like to stand on top of this massive rock formation.

At the time, there were no roads in the Preikestolen area. Randdulff's only option was to start his hike at sea level, on the shores of Lysefjord. After a long hike up the mountainside, he came across a small mountain farm, Vatnegården, where he decided to rest for a few days. After hearing about his plans, the inhabitants of the farm were eager to join him on his expedition. The rest is history. Randdulff, along with a small group of others, officially became the first known person to visit Preikestolen.

Requesting overnight accommodation

Once Randdulff and his fellow hikers found their way to the plateau, word spread quickly. People from all over the region wanted to experience standing on top of this massive rock formation. The first tourists to visit what is now called Preikestolen did so in the early 1900s. At that time, the site was not easily accessible and therefore required a long and difficult journey for all visitors. Tourists therefore needed a place to rest before continuing their hike to the Preikestolen plateau. In the early 1920s, a marked trail to Preikestolen was established and two farms (Vatnegården and Torsnes) began offering accommodation to visitors. At that time, there were about 100 visitors per year between the two farms.

Growing demand

In 1946, the Stavanger Tourist Association became the owner of Vatnegården. In 1949, due to the increasing demand for accommodation, the tourist association built a new, larger cabin with sixteen dormitory-style rooms, which they named Preikestolhytta. Forty years later, in 1961, a road was finally built between Jørpeland village and Preikestolhytta. Thanks to this new road, visitors could reach Preikestolen in one day. After that, the number of tourists increased year by year. In the 1990s, 50,000 people visited Preikestolen every year. In the early 2000s, it became clear that the number of tourists wishing to stay overnight near Preikestolen was greater than the space available.

Preikestolen Mountain Lodge

In 2008, the Stavanger Tourism Association built a new lodge a stone's throw from the other buildings, Vatnegården og Preikestolhytta. The building, which has been named Preikestolen Fjellstue, or Preikestolen Mountain Lodge, is known throughout Europe for its unique architecture and environmental friendliness. It has twenty-seven modern rooms, a restaurant and a cosy lounge where visitors can relax by the fire after a long day on the mountain.

Preikestolen base camp today

In 2019, Preikestolen Mountain Lodge, Vatnegården, Preikestolhytta and much of the surrounding wilderness was purchased by Norwegian Experience. The property around the lodge has been expanded with a base camp concept with equipment sales and rental, and new camping/glamping accommodation options. Hiking, canoeing, floating sauna, kayaking, frisbee golf are just some of the activities available to visitors. In 2020, to better communicate all that the property has to offer, Norwegian Experience renamed the area Preikestolen BaseCamp.