Helvetestinden and Bunes Beach Hike, is a lesser-known but beautiful hike that you can do near Reine. This hike offers both the possibility to hike up an impressive mountain and a beautiful beach on the same day, which makes it an experience that you will remember for a lifetime.
To make it even more interesting, if you decide to do this hike during your stay in Lofoten, you can be sure that the trail will not be too busy. And why is that you might wonder? Well, to reach the trailhead, you need to go on a short boat ride with limited capacity and frequency. While you will not be there alone, I can guarantee you it will not be crowded at all.
Want to know more? Then keep reading the blog to find out everything you need to know to have the best time on Helvetestinden & Bunes Beach Hike.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
HELVETESTINDEN & BUNES BEACH
Helvetestinden is a 602 meters high mountain located on Moskenesoya Island in Lofoten. Its name literally translates into English as Hell Peak and it is famous among rock climbers for its west vertical climbing route. But if you’re not a rock climber, it is also possible to summit this mountain via its south ridge. However, you’ll have to be prepared for some rock scrambling.
From its summit, you’ll get some of the most impressive views you’ll ever imagine of the Norwegian Sea, with Bunes Beach at your feet and Kerkfjord to the south.
After hiking to the summit of Helvetestinden, it is time to relax at the beautiful and isolated Bunes Beach. This beautiful and isolated white sand beach is one of the most scenic beaches you’ll find in Lofoten. It is this isolation, that makes it so unique. Here, you’ll be able to relax and not be disturbed by car noise, or crowds. Just you, the sea and the impressive Helvetestinden mountain on your side.
Want to make your visit to Bunes Beach and Helvetestinden even more adventurous? Then, you can consider bringing your tent and staying over night. What an experience it will be to catch a beautiful sunset and sleep under the stars.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE HIKE
As usual, before I talk about the hike itself, I would like to share all the practicalities. How do you get there? Is there anything you need to bring with you?
GETTING TO HELVETESTINDEN & bUNES BEACH TRAILHEAD
Reaching the trailhead of Helvetestinden and Bunes Beach Hike requires some logistics but don’t worry, it is not really difficult. To do this hike, you’ll have to go on a 20 minute ride boat ride from Reine.
The boat departs from Reine’s harbor parking lot and there is limited capacity in it. To ensure getting a spot on that boat, I recommend buying your tickets in advance. This way, you can just get there 15 minutes before the departing time, and avoid having to wait in line.
Book your tickets, check the timetables and prices here: Reisnordland.no
Important: If you’re planning to this hike as a day hike, make sure to check out when the last boat back to Reine departs. Otherwise, you’ll have to spend the night at Vindstad.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Helvetestinden is a not an easy hike, so wearing the correct equipment will make your hike easier. On the other hand, Bunes Beach is way easier to hike.
- Hiking shoes: Reaching the summit of Helvetestinden will involve some rock scrambling. Because of this, wearing hiking shoes with a good grip is a must. Even more, if you attempt this hike after a rainy day.
- Hiking poles: Hiking poles, will be very helpful, specially on the way down.
- A reusable water bottle: Hydration while hiking is key and during the summer months even more. Make sure to bring enough water to complete this hike.
- A hat and sunscreen to protect you from the sun. If like us, you do this hike on a sunny summer day, a hat and plenty of sunscreen are a must. There is almost no shade available along the trail.
- Bring a waterproof jacket with you. In the Lofoten, the weather can be quite unpredictable. One moment is sunny and a few minutes later, it starts raining. Always bring with you a waterproof layer just in case.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO DO THIS HIKE?
Helvetestinden
It is only recommended to attempt hiking Helvetestinden between mid-May to mid-October and, always check the weather conditions before starting the hike. Please don’t attempt to do this hike during the winter months. The trail will be quite slippery and the risk of avalanches is high.
The best months to do this hike are July and August. During these months the probability of good weather and better views is higher. Don’t worry about the crowds, as mentioned before, the boat you have to board to reach this hike has limited capacity so this already limits a lot the amount people on the trail. In addition, most of this people, only go to Bunes Beach.
Bunes Beach
Bunes Beach, on the other hand, is a hike that can be done all year round. As long as the ferry to Vindstad is running, you can go to Bunes Beach. The hike is not very difficult and it makes for a nice activity to do on a sunny day.
HIKING TO HELVETESTINDEN AND BUNES BEACH
HIKE STATS
Trail Start/End – Vindstad Port (accessible via ferry from Reine).
Distance – 13 km
Elevation Gain – 571 m
Level – Difficult
Route Type – Linear Route
Estimated Time Needed – 7 hours. This includes plenty of time for a picnic at the top and relaxing at Bunes Beach.
Best Time To Visit – Between June and August, to increase your chances of good weather.
MY EXPERIENCE HIKING TO HELVETESTINDEN AND BUNES BEACH
Boat Ride from Reine to Vindstad
Our hike began by taking the short boat ride from Reine to Vindstad. We had booked the tickets online before hand to guarantee that we would be able to get on the first boat out, which was leaving at 9:45.
The boat ride from Reine to Vindstad was a very pleasant one. It was a gorgeous day, without a single cloud on the sky. Since it only takes 20 minutes to reach Vindstad, we didn’t find ourselves a seat and decided to stay on the outer deck to enjoy the views.
Hiking to Bunes Beach Viewpoint
As soon as you get of the boat and out of the pier, we followed the path to the right that took as through Vindstad village along the Bunesfjord. This part of the trail was very easy and pictoresque with the colorful houses along the way.
Once we reach the end of the fjord and the village, we saw a small train going left with a sign saying Bunes Trail & Helvetestinden. This trail was narrower but not difficult and it took as over a small hill from where we got to see Bunes Beach from above. This viewpoint was just incredible and of course, we took quite a few photos from here.
Important: When you reach this point and before you start taking photos, check your watch to see how long it took you to reach this point. This will allow you to make a rough estimate of when you need to start your return to the port in order not to loose your return ferry.
Helvetestinden
At this point, the trail splits and you can decide whether you hike down to Bunes Beach or, you turn right and start your ascent towards Helvetestinden. We decided to first hike up to Helvetestinden and on the return, depending on how much time we had left, go to Bunes Beach.
We took the path to the right, over the grass slopes heading to a rocky area in front of us. The first part of this trail was mostly moderate with a bit of rock scrambling here an then. Along the way, we made a few stops to turn around and admire Bunesfjord and Vindstad village. The tide was low and there was a small beach in front of the houses.
After this initial part, the trail reached a steep and rocky area. The trail is not very well marked and it on the way up, we lost the trail and started climbing larger rock sections, which made our ascent very complicated. Several people where hiking with us and were struggling to find the way as well.
Because we lost the trail and took a steeper and more difficult part, we lost a lot of time going up. It took as about 3 hours to reach the first viewpoint over Kjerkfjord. At this point, we were really tired and hungry and decided to eat our sandwiches and rest with the beautiful views over the fjord.
After this point, the trail followed the ridge of the mountain until the summit of Helvetestinden, where you get to see Bunes Beach from above. However, it was already past two in the afternoon and the ascent had been so difficult, that we got a bit scared we would miss the last return ferry. We decided to turn around and start our return.
Descending to Bunes Beach
To our surprise, the descent from Helvetestinden was way easier than the ascent. The reason for this was that from above, it was easier to see the trail and realized how far off the trail we had been. We had basically been rock climbing instead of following the trail. Of course, it had taken as such a long time to get to the first viewpoint.
On the way down, we noticed that now there was high tide and the beach we had seen in the morning at Bunesfjord was now gone.
Good to know: If you’re ascending Helvetestinden, the trail lays on the right side of the big rock slopes. If you’re going down, the trail will be on the left side. It is still quite steep but if you follow the trail, you’ll only have to do a bit of rock scrambling.
Bunes Beach
To finish our day, we hiked down to Bunes Beach. Since the descent had been faster than we thought, we actually had some free time to relax at the beach and wet our feet in the Norwegian Sea.
Bunes beach was even prettier than it looked from above. The water was turquoise and clear and Helvetestinden was so impressive from the beach. I couldn’t believe that a few hours before I had attempted to summit it.
We spent approximately 45 minutes relaxing at the beach until it was time to head back to Vindstad where we got a refreshing drink at Vindstad café and catched the ferry back to Reine.
We spent approximately 45 minutes relaxing at the beach until it was time to head back to Vindstad where we got a refreshing drink at Vindstad café and catched the ferry back to Reine.
OVERNIGHT STAY
As it is obvious from our experience above, we did this hike as a day hike. However, if I’m being fully honest, we were quite stressed throughout the day not to miss the last ferry back to Reine.
Looking back at our experience, I would have loved to do this as an overnight trip. Yes, it is perfectly possible to do so. And there are different possibilities depending on the level of adventure you’re looking for!
Camping
If you’re on the adventurous side, you can bring a tent with you and decide to camp at Bunes Beach. The orientation of this beach, makes it the ideal location to watch sunset. Just set your tent at the beach and enjoy the peace of spending a night in nature.
Things to consider when camping at Bunes Beach:
- Do not set your tent near Helvetestinden as there is the risk of rocks falling.
- Always check the weather forecast before deciding to camp for the night. The beach and camping area are very exposed to the winds.
- Remember to bring enough food and water for your stay.
- Please take all your trash with you when you leave.
Booking an Accommodation in Vindstad
If camping is not for you, you can always book a night at one of the houses in Vindstad. Some of them, offer the possibility to rent a bedroom for the night during the summer months.
MAP WITH LOCATIONS
HIKE SUMMARY AND INFOGRAPHIC
No time to read the full blog post? Here’s an infographic I’ve created with the most important information about this hike.
And that’s it for my blog about Helvetestinden and Bunes Beach. I hope you liked it and found it useful. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Happy hiking!
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