Discover Foldøy

Foldøy brings together a bird protection area and a remarkable history of archaeological finds. If you want to include nature and culture in your holiday plans, you’ll find two specific points of interest here: the protected area for birds and the archaeological finds on Foldøy.

Bird protection and history on Foldøy

The Foldøy bird protection area covers around 125 decares of sea. At Steganeset, vegetation important to birds as a food source or habitat is protected from damage and destruction. Exceptions are measures permitted under sections VI to VIII. Nearby is Tjuvholmen, a nature reserve within the Foldøy protected area. Together, these protected places give the nature theme a tangible focus: they cover both important vegetation and the designated sea area.

The history of the place is tangible, too. On Foldøy, outside Hebnes, a West Norwegian cauldron, fragments of a glass beaker and a gold finger ring were found in a woman’s grave. The three different finds—a vessel, parts of a drinking glass and a piece of jewellery—make the burial site a distinctive point of cultural and historical interest. When choosing a destination, you can therefore focus locally on nature and archaeological history rather than describing Foldøy solely through general landscape imagery.

Suldal as the wider setting

Foldøy is part of Suldal. The wider destination lies along the Ryfylke National Tourist Route and the Discovery Route. Suldal can be reached by express boat from Stavanger and by bus from Røldal or Haugalandet. As timetables may change, check the latest departures before travelling.

Suldal’s landscapes include Suldalsvatnet and the Suldalslågen. The lake is the largest in Rogaland and one of Norway’s deepest lakes; it is 28 kilometres long and 376 metres deep. The 22-kilometre-long Suldalslågen flows from Suldalsvatnet at Suldalsosen to Sand and the Sandsfjord. At the end, it forms the five-metre-high Sandsfossen waterfall. The river is a national salmon river and offers good and varied opportunities for salmon fishing. The lake and river thus represent different nature themes in the wider Suldal area.

Suldal also offers a range of activity options. During the winter season, there are 70 kilometres of marked ski trails; check current snow conditions and trail grooming before travelling. The designated cultural landscape includes the hamlets of Hamrabø, Klungtveit and Mokleiv. Activities described there include pilgrimage walks, farm tourism and hiking trails in the Suldalsheiane mountains. In the centre of Nesflaten, a walking route follows a flat, wide path of asphalt or gravel and crosses an equally wide bridge.

Visitors interested in culture will find more specific points of interest in the wider Suldal area. Litunet comprises 13 buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries and is considered a farmstead of national interest. The restored Nesasjøhuset boathouse serves as the regional headquarters for the Ryfylkemuseet’s activities. It is also home to Kvitebjørnen, an interactive exhibition for children of all ages; check whether the exhibition is available before travelling. The “Sand Safari” cultural heritage route tells the story of Sand in the 18th and 19th centuries. In Sand, white brick houses stand by the fjord alongside shops and cafés. Nesflaten is one of Norway’s finest and best-preserved examples of functionalist architecture.

When looking for a holiday apartment, it helps to decide on a clear focus: should Foldøy’s protected area and history of archaeological finds be at the centre of your plans, or would you prefer to base your choice on other nature and culture themes in the wider Suldal area?

Discover more destinations: Erfjord, Vanvik, Suldalsosen, Hebnes, Nesflaten, Marvik, Jelsa, Suldal.

Go to the wider travel overview: Suldal.