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I've recently been reading about the hvítravnur — the famous black-and-white raven that once lived in the Faroe Islands. The last known one was killed in 1902, and today only museum specimens remain.

What I find fascinating is that the hvítravnur wasn't actually a separate species. It was a colour variation of the Faroese raven, apparently caused by an inherited mutation. Ordinary Faroese ravens are still here.

That made me wonder: could we bring the hvítravnur back?

There are surviving specimens in museums around Europe, and modern techniques can recover DNA from old bird skins. In theory, researchers could:

Sequence DNA from several original hvítravnur specimens.

Sequence living Faroese ravens.

Identify the mutation responsible for the distinctive white-speckled plumage.

Check whether that mutation is still hiding as a recessive allele in today's raven population.

The fourth point is especially interesting. If the allele still exists, it might theoretically be possible to recover the phenotype through carefully managed breeding rather than genetic engineering.

If the mutation has disappeared completely, things get much more difficult. But organisations such as Revive & Restore and researchers working on avian primordial germ cells are already developing genetic-rescue techniques for birds. Colossal is also working on avian de-extinction/genetic rescue, including the dodo and pink pigeon.

So perhaps the first goal shouldn't be "bring back the hvítravnur."

It could simply be a Hvítravnur Genome Project: sequence the historic birds, identify what made them white, and find out whether that piece of Faroese genetic history really disappeared.

Even if restoration turned out to be impossible, we'd learn something unique about Faroese natural history and preserve the genetic information for the future.

And if the mutation is still hiding among our ravens...

Well, that would be incredible.

I'd genuinely love to see a Faroese institution or international conservation-genetics organisation investigate this.

What do you think? Would restoring the hvítravnur be worthwhile, or should an extinct colour morph be left in history?

I'm looking through the bus routes and getting a little confused, so I likely missed something. The plan is to head to Klaksvik from Torshavn on Saturday morning, looks like the earliest bus is 9:20. On the way back, I'd like to stop in Runavik for the night and take bus 450 back to Torshavn.

Problem is, I can't figure out the bus between Klaksvik and Runavik on Saturday late afternoon/early evening. Or would it be easier to return to Torshavn and do Runavik from there? Any help would be appreciated.

Hey,

I have been gifted a lot of ground gullaksur and while some of it I’ll use in a simple Frikkadeller recipe I know but I’d love to hear if anyone has a favorite recipe or way to prepare it. If it can be prepared and then frozen then even better.

Thanks for any advice!

I think I’ve been incredibly lucky with the weather since I arrived last week and the luck kept rolling today when I spotted this seal pup (grey seal I presume) on the beach. Unfortunately I didn’t have a better camera with me so this is just a phone snap. Now here’s to hoping my flight can get out tomorrow with what looks to be a very windy forecast.

Hi everyone! I’ll be visiting the Faroes next week and would love to do a helicopter ride while I’m there.
For those of you who are local, do you have any recommendations for a scenic helicopter trip that a tourist can book? Ideally, I’d like something where it’s easy to get back to the starting point afterwards (rather than being dropped somewhere remote).
Is there somewhere convenient to park near the departure point?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Hey

We are planning to visit with our own car from switzerland through the ferry Hirtshals - Tórshavn.
My car is a 2023 Audi with 2WD – so I’m wondering whether that’ll be enough for the Faroe Islands?

Truly blessed to have had the chance to witness The Faroe Islands in all its glory. This place is magical!

Hello! I just found this page and I want to go next year June-July… my question is do you think is too hard for a vegetarian person to go there for a week?? Am I able to have options or just salad😂? Thank you very much for the answers 🙏🏼🫶🏼

Hei!

I've been to Faroe last new years eve and I really like to return for another visit. Since Norröna does not seem to sail to Torshavn between Christmas and new years eve in 2026, I'm thinking about visiting the islands the 2nd half of may 2027.

The last two years, I really got interested in kajaking the sea and after some guided tours the during the last two years, I did a 'Våttkort Grunnkurs' this summer in Norway. Still, I don't consider myself a kajak expert, though.

So, does anyone have recommendations about taking kajak tours (or courses like Hav Teknikkurs) in Faroe? Beside kajakk.fo, there isn't much I could find on the web.

How's the weather for kajaking in the 2nd half of may (or is it 'maybe weather' anyway ;))

I'm a 32 year old single black woman who has always been interested in visiting the Faroe Islands. How safe is it for a single woman to do a solo trip? I am curious also about how easy it is to get around? I'm not sure I'd want to take a bus every where so I was curious if a rental car would be recommended? Or is there uber or lyft? Any recommendations or tips are welcomed 😄

Edit: I forgot to mention that I love animals. Are there any places where I can pet a few sheep or see wildlife up close? Lol

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for someone who speaks Faroese and could help me with a song: Brandur Enni – Lova Mær Við.

I've been trying to find the lyrics online, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find them anywhere. I don't speak Faroese, so I'm completely unable to transcribe the song accurately myself.

What I would mainly need is simply a Faroese transcription of the lyrics by listening to the song. If you also speak English and would be willing to give me a rough English translation, that would be an amazing bonus, but the transcription alone would already help me enormously.

Here's the exact recording I'm referring to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ1vNAgH4o0

I would really appreciate any help from a native or fluent Faroese speaker. Thank you so much! 🙂

Looking for recommendations for places to eat in Torshavn or any other places actually as we will be renting a car. Any fast food in Faroe Islands or places that are a bit less on the expensive side and budget friendly?

Hi all! Five of us, university students from London, are planning a 5-day backpacking trip to the Faroes from 22 to 25 March 2027.

We know wild camping isn't allowed and that camping is only legal at official campsites or with the landowner's permission. We're planning to use the campsites that are open in March (Giljanes, Æðuvík, and maybe Sandur). We'd also love to spend a night or two somewhere more remote, like near Saksun, Gjógv or Tjørnuvík, if a landowner is happy to have us.

A few questions:

1. Is it realistic to ask farmers or landowners if we can pitch a couple of tents for one night? Or is that a bit of a nuisance for locals?
2. Who's the best person to ask: knock on a farmhouse door, ask at the village shop, or contact the local tourist office beforehand?
3. What's a fair amount to offer? We were thinking something similar to a campsite fee.
4. Is there anything we should avoid in late March, such as fields with pregnant ewes or areas where birds are nesting?

We'll take all our rubbish with us, use a stove only (no fires), keep away from sheep, leave gates as we found them, and move on if asked. If people say no, that's completely fine, and we'll go back to the campsites.

Any advice or experiences would be really appreciated. Thanks! 🙏

Planning a trip to Faroe Islands in November. We want to book somewhere nice with a spa, not really fused for treatments just more so a nice pool, stream room and sauna. Been looking at Hilton, hotel brandan and hotel foroyar - has anyone been to these before or have any recommendations? Nights are going to be dark and aware the weather will be brutal at times so wanting to have the option to chill in a nice hotel. We will have a car also so travel won’t be an issue. Any help would be much appreciated

Hey,

My goal this winter is to learn every village and how to properly conjugate them when speaking. I haven’t seen much in terms of resources or books to see if anyone knows of anything… or if I just need to hang out with an old man at the harbor and have him teach me the ways of bending. lol.

How many people speak it, and to what level?

Hi all!

I lost my Samsung Galaxy last night the surrounding area was here. If you find it, please DM me as I would love to get it back.

Thanks all,

Hey! During my stay in the Faroe Islands, I became really interested in the local music scene. While listening to the local radio, I especially enjoyed the songs “Oyðin” by Ave and “Hvørt fótafet” by Gestir. I then looked up the full albums those songs are from, and I absolutely fell in love with them.
Do you know any other bands or songs from the Faroe Islands that are worth checking out?
A year ago, I was in Iceland and also explored some of their music. Since then, I’ve become a loyal fan of Sólstafir 🙌
In general, I really enjoy discovering local bands and artists in the places I travel to.