Faroe Islands
Mykines
Grass-roofed villages perched on dramatic sea cliffs where thousands of puffins nest each summer.
Mykines rises from the North Atlantic as a narrow spine of green headlands and plunging cliff faces, connected to the outside world by helicopter and a single footpath across a knife-edge ridge. The island's handful of turf-roof houses cluster near the landing site, while the western reaches stretch toward a lighthouse surrounded by some of the densest seabird colonies in the North Atlantic. Walking here means navigating sheep tracks along precipitous edges where the sound of wind and crashing waves mingles with the calls of tens of thousands of nesting birds.
What draws people here
- —massive puffin colonies nesting on grassy clifftops during summer months
- —dramatic sea cliffs rising vertically from churning Atlantic waters
- —traditional grass-roof architecture scattered across windswept moorland
- —remote hiking trails leading to a lighthouse through bird-filled headlands
Island character
nature•wildlife•cold weather
Island rhythm
morning
Thick Atlantic mist often shrouds the cliffs at dawn, lifting slowly to reveal the lighthouse and bird colonies as puffins begin their daily fishing flights.
afternoon
Steady winds carry the sounds of thousands of seabirds as hikers make their way along the exposed ridge paths under shifting cloud cover.
night
The few village lights disappear early, leaving only the lighthouse beam sweeping across the dark ocean and the constant sound of waves against the cliff base.
Best ways to experience Mykines
- 01hike the narrow ridge trail connecting the village to the western lighthouse
- 02walk the cliff-edge paths to reach prime puffin and guillemot viewing areas
- 03traverse the sheep tracks that wind between traditional turf-roof houses
- 04follow the coastal route around the island's perimeter on foot