Kjeragbolten

Kjeragbolten is a round boulder jammed in a crevasse on the Kjerag plateau, with nothing beneath it but a kilometre of air down to the Lysefjord. Stepping onto it for a photo is the famous, nerve-shredding reward of a demanding hike over three peaks above the fjord, and Kjerag is also a base jumping mecca.

The landscape

• The wedged boulder - the round stone stuck in the chasm above the void.
• The plateau hike - the tough up-and-down route over three summits.
• The Lysefjord below - the fjord a full kilometre beneath the cliffs.
• Base jumpers - the wingsuit and parachute jumpers who leap from Kjerag.

When to go

The snow-free summer, when the plateau is clear and the trail safe; the season is short at this altitude. Start early and watch the weather, which turns fast and dangerously on the exposed rock.

What to expect

It is a hard, exposed hike of six to ten hours over steep rock, tougher than Preikestolen, and stepping onto the boulder is genuinely frightening and entirely optional. Wind, wet and cloud make the plateau dangerous, so pick a clear day. This is a mountain undertaking, not a casual photo stop.

Nearby

The Lysefjord and Preikestolen are the region's other great cliffs; Stavanger is the base city.

Key facts