The Faroe Islands are a remote, enticing archipelago of 18 massive volcanic basalt rocks thrusting skyward through the North Atlantic Ocean, halfway between Norway and Iceland. Originally settled by Norwegian Vikings in the ninth and 10th centuries and now an autonomous outpost of the Kingdom of Denmark, the destination is a paradise for hikers, mountain climbers, and sheep—there are 80,000 woolly grazers here, compared with just 50,000 human residents. As for tourists, they’ve yet to descend en masse upon these vastly unspoiled, lush, and relatively undiscovered islands. But that might be changing.
By 2020, three new, large-scale hotels will open along the Faroes’ shores. And an uptick in budget flights from Copenhagen, Edinburgh, and Reykjavik means that annual visitor numbers have already been climbing 10 percent annually for the past five years. In other words, the time to go is now, before over-tourism becomes a reality. You’ll get to blaze trails along misty mountain peaks, where you can see enormous colonies of puffins, guillemots, fulmars, and storm petrels; sail a traditional masted ship along a dramatic, crashing coastline; and engage with welcoming Faroese locals, whose ancient language, live-off-the-land instincts, and communal customs remind us just how strong human nature can be.