Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
30.3km²
Area
43km
Coastline
788m
Highest point
Nestindar
95
People
10°C
Warmest sea
August
603km
To the mainland
When to go to Kalsoy
Good all year round.
The sea is warmest in August (10 °C) and coolest in February (7 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island
Kalsoy is an island in Faroe Islands. It covers 30.3 km², with 43 km of coastline. Its highest point, Nestindar, rises to 788 m. About 95 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 603 km away.
Getting there
- Vágar Airport (FAE)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 37 km in a straight lineCar hire at FAE airport (Vágar)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesKlaksvík - Kalsoy
- 603 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Kalsoy.
- 1beaches
- 5viewpointsView to Gjogv and 4 more
- 1lighthousesKalsoyar viti
- 1ferry terminalsKalsoy
- 13named peaksNestindar, Botnstindur, Gríslatindur and 10 more
- 1waterfalls
- 13ruins and archaeological sitesBlankskáli and 12 more
- 1waymarked walking routesMikladalur - Trøllanes
- 1campsitesCamping Mikladalur
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Kalsoy in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Kalsoy, each with its own numbers.
1beachCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
10.3°C
Kalsvík
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 246 m above the sea. 44 % of it is below 200 m.
- 11 %0–50 m
- 33 %50–200 m
- 49 %200–500 m
- 7 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Night low (°C) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| Sea (°C) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 111 | 86 | 87 | 71 | 69 | 63 | 72 | 80 | 100 | 105 | 108 | 118 |
| Wet days | 22 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| Sun h/day | 0.0 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 4.4 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Wind (km/h) | 38 | 37 | 34 | 31 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 29 | 33 | 35 | 37 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.1 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.9 | +0.6 |
| 2021 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.9 | +0.2 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.4 |
| 2022 | ±0.0 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.6 |
| 2023 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| 2024 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.4 |
| 2025 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +1.5 | +0.7 | +1.3 | +1.4 | +1.4 | +1.5 | +1.3 | +0.8 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Eysturoy
Faroe Islands285 km²880 m11 km away
BorðoyFaroe Islands95 km²755 m11 km away
StreymoyFaroe Islands373 km²789 m22 km away
KunoyFaroe Islands35 km²830 m5 km away
ViðoyFaroe Islands41 km²841 m13 km away
VágarFaroe Islands176 km²722 m36 km away
SvínoyFaroe Islands27 km²586 m19 km away
FugloyFaroe Islands11 km²621 m23 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q212043) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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