Settlement next to coastline

Skúvoy Island Travel Guide

By Verified Expert

Skúvoy Island is located in the southern part of the remote Faroe Islands. The island is blessed with a rich birdlife and breathtaking views.

Here you will find puffins, guillemots, and the great skua. Skúvoy is named after the large number of skuas on the island.

Knútur rises to 392 metres (1286 feet) above sea level making it the highest peak on the island. Skúvoy Island has a total land area of 4 sq mi.

Skúvoy is the only settlement on the island. The small settlement sits at the top of a short slipway from the harbour. A long high mountain ridge shelters the settlement form western winds. You will have direct views of the hamlet Skarvanes on Sandoy Island when in the village.

Getting to Skúvoy Island

Great Skua
The great skua as seen in the Faroe Islands. Photo by Chris Poplawski.

The small passenger ferry SILDBERIN secures the inhabitants regular transfer to other islands. The ferry departs from the village Sandur on Sandoy Island.

Getting to the island with the ferry takes just under 30 minutes. The ferry ride is a pleasant one and the harbour on the island makes it easy to get on land.

Puffin sitting
Puffins breed in burrows found in the grassy slopes in the Faroe Islands. Photo by Chris Poplawski.

Skúvoy Island is a car-free island. So if you want to explore this outpost, take a bus from Tórshavn to Sandoy Island or park your car at the harbour in the village Sandur from the the ferry leaves. With no traffic on the island and a rich birdlife, experiencing this island outpost is a real nature treasure.

Puffins thrive on this island. You will see them immediately when arriving on the island between early May until late August which is the puffin season in the Faroe Islands.

Beata Leifsdóttir Skaalum

Beata Leifsdóttir Skaalum is born and raised in Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands. She now lives in Sandavágur on Vágar Island located near the only airport in the archipelago. Before becoming the manager at the enchanting Fiskastykkið restaurant in Sandavágur, she did her internship with Guide to Faroe Islands in Tórshavn. Beata holds a degree in Marketing Management from Glasir Tórshavn Collage.

Go to author
Other great attractions

Rituvík

Kayaking on Lake Sandsvatn

Lake Sandsvatn

Puffins on hillside

Mykines Island