Sunrise hike
This Preikestolen sunrise hike leaves Stavanger in the early hours, climbs by headlamp and ends with breakfast after the descent. Here is how the 8.5-hour morning runs, what the $271 fare covers, and what the listing does and does not promise about the sunrise itself.
Quick answer
The short answer. There is one Preikestolen sunrise hike among the ten listings here: $271 per person for 8.5 hours, with pickup in Stavanger, a group of up to 8, headlamps and hiking poles supplied, and breakfast after the descent. The start is very early; the exact time for your date is on the booking page. The sunrise itself depends on the weather. If you would rather climb in daylight, our top pick is the $167 guided day hike with pickup.
The morning
Each step as the listing describes it. No clock times are given; the booking page shows the starting times for your date.
Your guide collects you from one of eight pickup points in Stavanger. You pick the point that suits you when you book.
By van to the trailhead, where restroom facilities are available before the start.
A short briefing with practical tips for the hike, then any necessary equipment, including headlamps and hiking poles.
You set off at night at a steady, comfortable pace, with time for short breaks, adjustments and snacks. Your guide may share local folklore on the way.
After about 2.5 hours you reach the rock, 604 metres above the Lysefjord. The listing gives the panoramic views as weather permitting.
When the group is ready, the descent begins. The listing says it typically takes around two hours.
The itinerary gives breakfast an hour. The listing calls it a buffet and describes it as simple, fresh and satisfying.
Another 45 minutes by van, with drop-off at the same eight points in town.
In the dark
A night start, headlamps, and a sunrise the listing hopes for but does not promise.
The point of a Preikestolen sunrise hike is the order of things: you climb while it is dark and reach the rock as the day begins. The listing describes the walk up as guided by soft light, sometimes from the moon itself, with a headlamp for everyone. In its own words, you set off «into the quiet of the night».
What the listing does not do is promise the sunrise. Its words are «With a bit of luck, witness the sunrise», and it adds that weather conditions can affect the view. Book a Preikestolen sunrise hike for the night climb, the guide and the breakfast, and count the sunrise as a bonus if the morning allows it.
Pulpit Rock is the English name for Preikestolen, so a Pulpit Rock sunrise hike and this one are the same climb to the same rock. The guide speaks English and Norwegian, and the group is limited to 8 participants, so you walk in the dark with a handful of people rather than a crowd of strangers.
Before and at dawn
Four frames from the trail and the top. Light like this depends on the morning, and the listing does not promise it.
Four hikers with bright headlamps and trekking poles climb rough stone steps between boulders in full darkness.
Mist lies on a still lake among dark rocks, and a small group stands on the skyline as the sky starts to lighten.
Flat, cracked granite runs to the drop, a dark rock wall rises on the right, and the fjord lies far below under a cloudy sky.
A lone figure stands on a rocky ledge above the long, still fjord, with a low sun behind thin cloud over the hills.
What to bring
Two items are supplied; the rest is yours to bring.
On a Preikestolen sunrise hike the guide hands out any necessary equipment at the trailhead, and the listing names two items: headlamps and hiking poles. It says nothing else about kit, so clothing and food are yours to plan.
For clothing, the clearest list on this site comes from the guided day hike from the Cruise Terminal in Stavanger: hiking shoes, wind and rain pants, a wind and rain jacket, a woollen inner layer top and bottom, a knitted hat and a pair of gloves, with food for the day in a small backpack. For a walk that starts in the dark, that list is a sensible place to begin.
The sunrise listing leaves time for snacks along the way but does not say that any are handed out, so carry your own. Restroom facilities are at the trailhead, before the climb starts.
Every option, current fare
The sunrise hike, two other listings with an early start, and three daytime hikes. Every price is per person.
| Hike | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise hike | $271 | per person | 8.5 hours | Pickup at 8 points, guide, headlamps and poles, breakfast after | Stavanger, in the early hours | 5.0 · 3 |
| Two days with Kjerag | $1,045 | per person | 2 days | Pickup, early hike on day one, boat trip, dinner, night in Lysebotn, breakfast, Kjerag hike | Stavanger | 5.0 · 2 |
| Winter hike | $145 | per person | 9 hours | Pickup at 7:15 AM, guide, crampons if conditions require. Lunch not provided | Your accommodation in Stavanger | 4.3 · 4 |
| Day hike, our top pick | $167 | per person | 7 hours | Pickup, guide, hidden trail if conditions allow | Your accommodation in Stavanger | 4.8 · 446 |
| Day hike with a local guide | $136 | per person | 6 hours | Bus ride, guide, some snacks. Bring food for the day | Cruise Terminal, Stavanger | 4.8 · 524 |
| Private hike | $469 | per person | 7 hours | Private pickup, your own guide, pace set to your fitness | Your accommodation or the airport | 5.0 · 3 |
The price
A higher fare than the day hikes, for a different hour and a breakfast.
The Preikestolen sunrise hike costs $271 per person, against $167 for our top pick, the guided day hike with pickup. Both collect you in Stavanger, both cap the group at 8, and both put about 2.5 hours of hiking between the trailhead and the rock. The difference is the hour and what comes with it: headlamps and poles handed out, the climb in the dark, and breakfast after the descent.
Breakfast is the one meal in the price. The listing calls it a buffet and gives it an hour in the itinerary before the van takes you back. On the day hikes, a lunch break at the top is part of the plan, but the listings do not say who provides the food. The lowest fare on this site, $136 for the day hike with a local guide, includes some snacks and asks you to bring food for the day.
Before you book
A minute on the listing saves a surprise at pickup in the dark.
The listing names no clock time; it says the hike starts very early. The booking page shows the starting times for your date.
Choose the nearest of the eight pickup points in Stavanger. Drop-off is at the same eight.
Views are weather permitting, and the sunrise needs a bit of luck. Free cancellation keeps your plans flexible.
The listings give no minimum age. The sunrise listing describes a steady, comfortable pace with short breaks.
Three reviews at 5.0: a small sample next to the 446 reviews on our top pick.
Other early starts
The two-day trip with Kjerag and the winter hike also start early.
Only one listing here is built around the sunrise, but two others start early. The two-day trip with Kjerag, $1,045 per person, opens with an early-morning guided hike to the rock on a hidden nature trail, then a boat trip along the Lysefjord, a two-course dinner and a night in Lysebotn. Day two starts with a buffet breakfast and the drive up 27 hairpin turns to Kjerag. Accommodation and meals are included; the type of room is not stated.
The winter hike, $145, is the one listing that names a clock time: pickup from your accommodation at 7:15 AM, a ferry across the fjord, and back in Stavanger around 3 to 4 PM. It is not a sunrise walk. Crampons come if conditions require them, hiking boots are required and can be rented when booking, and lunch is not provided.
If an early alarm is not for you, the daytime top pick keeps the same pickup in Stavanger and the same group of up to 8. Nicole from the United Kingdom wrote of it: «A great days adventure started with a prompt pick up from our hotel».
Book direct
The sunrise hike, our top pick, the two-day trip with Kjerag and the lowest fare on this site. All four are priced per person.
★ 5.0 · 3 reviews
★ 4.8 · 446 reviews
★ 5.0 · 2 reviews
★ 4.8 · 524 reviews
Our verdict
Book the Preikestolen sunrise hike at $271 if the hour matters to you: a night climb by headlamp with a guide, poles supplied, and breakfast after. Treat the sunrise as luck, not a promise. If daylight suits you better, our top pick at $167 has the same pickup and group size. For two days and Kjerag, the $1,045 trip also starts early.
Common questions
Very early. The listing says the hike starts very early in the morning, and your guide collects you in the early hours. It gives no clock time: the starting times for your date are on the booking page. Plan on 8.5 hours from pickup to drop-off.
Yes, and it is supplied. At the trailhead the guide gives a short briefing and hands out any necessary equipment, including headlamps and hiking poles.
No. The listing says that with a bit of luck you witness the sunrise, gives the views as weather permitting, and notes that weather conditions can affect the view. What the price covers is the guided climb, the kit and the breakfast.
About 2.5 hours up to the rock and around two hours down, by the listing. The itinerary blocks six hours for the hike, an hour for breakfast and 45 minutes by van each way: 8.5 hours in all.
Yes. The listing leaves time for snacks on the way but does not say any are provided, so plan your own. The one meal in the price is the breakfast after the descent.
Yes. The listing says restroom facilities are available at the trailhead, where the van stops after the 45-minute drive from Stavanger. It does not mention any on the trail.
Your options
For a guided start in the dark with breakfast after, the Preikestolen sunrise hike is the only listing on this site built for it. Check the starting time for your date, choose your pickup point, and book with free cancellation while places in the group of 8 are open.
Go deeper
Hours on the trail and the whole day, tour by tour.
How hard it isFitness, footwear and the parts of the climb the listings warn about.
From StavangerGetting from Stavanger to the hike, and which tours pick you up.
Planning the tripOne day or two with Kjerag: how the hikes fit a trip to the area.
From Stavanger: Pulpit Rock Guided Hike with Pickup
★ 4.8 · 446 reviews · 7 hours