“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” ~ Robert Lynd
I do not consider myself an avid ornithophile by any means, but there is something to be said about seeing birds in their natural habitat. Especially when those birds are puffins and their habitat just so happens to be the isolated island of Mykines with views like this…
Welcome to Mykines and Mykineshólmur, the westernmost islands in the Faroe Island archipelago. 
These islands literally belong to the birds, as they are a protected habitat for hundreds of migratory and breeding bird species. While the adorable puffin gets all the attention, the gannet and arctic terns are equally impressive. For more information, read this booklet on Birds of the Faroe Islands.
To get to this bird paradise, we took the ferry from Sørvágur which took about 45 minutes. Upon docking, it was immediately apparent that (1) there were a lot of birds and (2) we were going to get a good workout.
Hiking to Mykineshólmur (the smaller island connected to Mykines by bridge) now requires a $15 day pass, which I HIGHLY recommend purchasing in advance. You can visit the island without this pass, but you will need it to walk through the best parts. It’s also a good idea to purchase your ferry tickets in advance.
The hike began just before a small village and just like the hike from Bøur to Gásadalur, it started straight uphill.
The views at the top were expansive and pictures really don’t do it justice. You need a panoramic lens to capture the Faroese landscape. 
At the top we were greeted by a cute puffin, who I swear works for the Faroese tourism bureau because he was strategically placed at the entrance with herring in his beak. I’m also convinced the puffin saw himself as a model, because he posed for photos and was undaunted by us tourists invading his personal space. 
We learned that puffins live in burrows, similar to gophers. The walking path took us directly through these burrows and we could see puffins darting out. They might be small, but they are super fast! Before entering this part of the trail, someone asked to see our hiking pass and told us not to stop or slow down from that point forward. I was happy to see that everyone was being respectful of the space and trying to stay on trail as much as possible. One wrong step could destroy a burrow. We did see one couple stop, but that was so he could remove his fancy raincoat which had just been shat on — that was one VERY unhappy Russian tourist!
The hike took us about two hours and was one of the most uniquely beautiful trails we’ve ever walked. Besides the puffin burrows, the path took us along volcanic black coal cliffs full of nesting birds, a bridge that crosses the ocean, and a lighthouse. With a little rain and a lot of wind, it felt wildly untamed and I could almost feel the freedom of those birds.
It began raining heavily just as we returned to the village, forcing us to take shelter in a cafe. We were starving by that point because we’d forgotten our sandwiches at the AirBnB. Mykines was sparse — there are only 11 permanent residents — and there were only two tiny cafes, which were next door to each other. Both had very limited food options, but they were cozy and dry. We had a hotdog, cake, and beer at The Locals (which had more seating) then moved on and had hot chocolate at Mykinesstova (which was much nicer but had limited seating). We listened to fellow tourists speaking French, German, Danish, Spanish, and Russian. There were signs at Stova saying “No WiFi here. Talk to each other” and that is exactly what people were doing. They also played cards, which we noticed was a common practice at every Faroese cafe. The village itself was beautiful, with its grass roofs and a stream running through it. So despite the weather, we felt truly blessed to be there.
Tip: You can pre-order breakfast or lunch from Mykinesstova and The Locals offers overnight camping. More details HERE.
Stay tuned for more on the Faroe Islands as we visit the capital city and a medieval village.
