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Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about our fjord adventures and services.
RIB Boats, or Rigid Inflatable Boats, are a type of small speedboat that combines a solid, shaped hull with flexible tubes around the gunwale. These inflatable sides provide buoyancy and shock-absorbing qualities, making them exceptionally seaworthy and comfortable for passengers. Their rigid hull ensures structure, stability, and the capability to handle a broad range of water conditions with ease. This innovative design offers a great balance between sturdiness and versatility, making RIBs a great choice for sightseeing tours.
Our fleet is solely made up of 31-foot Grand D950 Rafters. This state-of-the-art model was designed in collaboration with top Ukrainian and Swedish engineers, boasting exceptional sea-keeping abilities and comfortable high-speed cruising. They feature a reinforced fiberglass hull with an "Ultra deep V" design and twin 350 horsepower engines. These boats will ensure that your RIB-Safari is all it can be, offering up the highest degree of comfort, safety, and fun.
Yes, we would certainly say so. Sightseeing in a RIB Boat is a real adventure that’s not just about what you’ll see, but also the fun you’ll have along the way. You'll enjoy the exhilarating freedom of the open water, with the wind in your hair, feeling like a true seafarer. As you enter the fjord, you'll get incredibly close to nature in ways that you simply can’t on larger boats, tracing the cliff contours, edging close enough to waterfalls to soak in their mist, discovering photo opportunities you won’t find anywhere else.
Yes, we will provide you with all the necessary equipment to partake in our adventure, ensuring you a safe and enjoyable experience. This includes flotation suit overalls, which we offer in a wide range of sizes from child-sized to quadruple XL, ensuring you a snug fit no matter your shape or size. You’ll naturally also be supplied with an inflatable life-jacket, and we also offer goggles and gloves for extra covering, which is essential on colder days.
While you can just show up to your appointment and be good to go, there’s some things you should consider packing to make your adventure as awesome as it can be. Definitely bring along a camera, ideally secured to your person with a strap or something similar. If it’s a sunny day, consider protecting yourself with sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat (though these can blow off in the wind, so make sure they’re well secured). If it’s a colder day, it’s smart to wear an extra layer of clothing, along with a beanie and neck gaiter.
Yes. Don’t worry if it starts raining, we’re well equipped to venture out in most any weather. The very same Grand D950 model RIB boat we use for our tours is also employed in professional offshore work, so it’s more than capable of withstanding a bit of turbulence. We also protect our passengers well. While there is no roof onboard, your provided flotation suit features fabric made from water-repellant materials plus a wraparound hood. And don’t count yourself unlucky if you aren’t greeted with perfect blue skies when it’s your time to board, we promise you it won’t spoil the fun. A bit of rain adds a vivid freshness to the scenery, enveloping the fjord in an enchanting mist while surging its waterfalls, making them fuller and more numerous. It’s a real oppurtunity to explore the wilderness at it's more raw. Of course, if the weather gets truly bad to the extent that it poses a safety risk to anyone onboard, rest assured that we will without hesitation cancel our departure and offer everyone affected a full refund.
Not ordinarily. Passengers customarily pick their seat when boarding. All our seats offer great unobstructed views, and we always try our best to seat groups together. If you have a strong preference for where you would like to sit, please reach out to us and we can make a note to reserve that seat for you in our systems.
Yes, there is ample cargo space onboard for bags and purses, though if you're arriving straight from the airport with all your luggage in tow, it could be a bit much. If that’s the case, please contact us and we'll arrange for a place to store it for the duration of your tour. The cargo compartment on the boat is furthermore fully waterproof and completely insulated from both the surrounding sea and potential rainfall.
Stavanger RIB would advise against participating in RIB tours for the following individuals. • Persons with severe pre-existing neck or back conditions. • Pregnant women beyond their first trimester. • Individuals diagnosed with osteoporosis or other conditions that result in brittle bones. If you’re unsure about whether you should join our tours, don’t hesitate to reach out. We can put you directly on the phone with our experienced captains if necessary.
Safety is always our number one concern, and we pride ourselves on having been 100% accident free for as long as our company has existed. The boat and captain are without exception certified for their activity, every passenger is provided with all requisite safety equipment, and an extensive safety briefing is always held before anyone is allowed to board the boat. We always take stock of the situation on the sea, and if we are at all uncertain about the safety of embarking on a tour or continuing an ongoing one, due to weather conditions or some other factor, we will without hesitation cancel the tour and issue a full refund for anyone affected.
No need to worry. Our boats only hold twelve people at a time, this ensures that our captains are able to maintain constant oversight and make sure everyone onboard is having a great time throughout. We tailor each tour to the needs and preferences of the present group, and always do our best to strike the perfect balance between excitement and comfort. As you will be extensively briefed on before the start of your tour, we also have a simple system in place where if anyone for any reason feels uncomfortable or scared during the tour, you simply have to raise your hand and the captain will slow down the boat and check up on you.
The average speed of the boat in a typical tour will be between 30 and 40 knots (55-75km/h), the acceleration curve is however stable, and you will not experience any sudden fluctuations. The course itself is steady and straightforward with no drastic turns or maneuvers. You are unlikely to experience the speed of the boat as discomforting. The main thing to be prepared for is a fair amount of wind hitting your face. It is however not uncomfortable, and most will find it refreshing and part of the fun of riding in a RIB. If the wind does concern you though, you can ask to sit in the seat beside the captain, which is protected by a windshield.
Our RIB boat tour is not very bumpy. In typical weather conditions, the boat will cut through most waves instead of going over them. Though on windy days, some bumps from going over waves will be unavoidable. Our captains do however take great care to ensure that these waves are absorbed as gently as possible and not experienced harshly by passengers. If bumps concern you, sitting further towards the back of the boat will significantly reduce their impact. You can also ask to sit beside the captain, this seat is the farthest back and also features extra feathering and cushioning.
No. Our high-end RIB boats are specifically constructed to protect passengers from water splashing onboard. The hull design and inflatable tubing going around the boat act as natural fenders against sprays. You will only get wet onboard if it starts raining as there are no roofs on the boats. The protective flotation suits you will receive for your tour will however very effectively shield you in that event as they are made from water-repellant materials and feature a hood.
It is very rare that any of our passengers get seasick onboard. Our RIB boats cut through smaller waves smoothly, minimizing the rocking motion that often leads to seasickness. The inflatable tubing around the edges of the boat also provides a significant steadying effect, minimizing swaying both when stationary and in motion. Secondly, the open design of our boats allows passengers to maintain a constant, 360-degree view of the horizon and their surroundings. This helps align the visual and vestibular (inner ear) inputs, which plays a crucial role in preventing the disorientation that can cause seasickness.
We meet all our passengers at Strandkaien 37 (4005 Stavanger), which is right by the innermost floating dock in the Stavanger city harbor.
If you’re running late for your tour, please give us a call immediately and we’ll assess the situation. If it’s only a couple of minutes, we can likely wait. If you’re a cruise tourist running late due to the delayed berthing of your ship, you’re likely not the only one on our tour who won’t make it in time. In those cases we will generally delay the departure or add a new one.
Yes, there is a public handicap-friendly restroom about 20 meters from the floating dock where our tours depart. The tour is close to two hours, so we naturally recommend you use it beforehand. Do note that this facility has a paid entry of 10 NOK.
Yes, there are 20 parking spots by the harbor at the Strandkaien Sør lot, you are also allowed to park camping vehicles there.
Our tours depart extremely close to where cruise ships berth in Stavanger City. If your ship docks at Strandkaien, it’s about a five-minute walk, if it’s at Konserthuskaien, walking should take about 15 minutes. If your boat docks in Sandnes, Mekjarvik, or some other port outside the city, you will need to factor in a bit more time. A taxi from Sandnes to Stavanger takes about 20 minutes as long as you’re not stuck in rush hour. If you’re heading down from Mekjarvik, cruiselines have so far always provided complimentary shuttle buses to the city center, this drive should take about 30 minutes, though delays are in our experience likely here. Cruise tourists are the primary demographic for our Lysefjord Sightseeing tours, if you’re running late, chances are you’re not the only one. Should your boat experience a berthing delay, we will reschedule our tours for the day in accordance with the new itinerary.
If you’re a cruise tourist considering joining a tour later in the day, rest assured that we are fully aware of your ship's departure schedule and are committed to ensuring your timely return. We always keep up to date cruiselists on hand and set our tour schedule in accordance with these itineraries. Furthermore, in the unlikely event of a delay that compromises our schedule and could affect your ability to rejoin your cruise in time, we will proactively shorten our tour to ensure you make a punctual return. To date, we have maintained a flawless record of ensuring all our guests return well before their cruise departure times, and it is our intention to uphold this standard.
Our Lysefjord Sightseeing tour is our signature offering and the most popular choice for our adventurers. The tour is a 1 hour 45 minute RIB-Safari that offers travelers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of one of Norway's most famous fjords. It’s a join-in tour regularly scheduled throughout the year from February to November.
This tour is regularly scheduled throughout the year from February through November, but we don’t follow the exact same timetable week-to-week. To find your ideal departure time, we recommend exploring our online tour calendar. We foremost set our schedule with cruise tourists in mind, offering multiple departures most every cruiseday. During the high-season from June to August, we offer daily departures.
Yes. We always strive to be as flexible as possible for our customers, if you would like to go on a Lysefjord Sightseeing tour at a time we haven’t presently scheduled, just notify us with your desired time and date in the submission form below and we’ll get back to you ASAP about whether we can make it happen.
We offer private Lysefjord Sightseeing tours, Flørli hikes, restaurant visits and more. Whether you’re exploring as tourists, celebrating with friends, or teambuilding with the office, we have experiences tailored to you. Our present fleet comprises three top-of-the-line 31-Foot Grand D950 RIB boats with 12 seats each, allowing a party size up to 36 at a time. If you’re a larger group, please reach out and we can inquire with our contacts about adding additional capacity.
Stavanger RIB is a RIB boat tour operator, based in Stavanger, Rogaland. The company was founded in 2022 by Helge Karlsen with the simple mission of sharing the splendors of our local backyard with adventurers from every corner of the globe. Helge grew up in the fjords of Rogaland and possesses a deep understanding of the region along with considerable boating experience. Having spent 30 years in the offshore industry, he has integrated both his expertise and safety protocols into the everyday activities of Stavanger RIB.
Stavanger RIB offers a great choice for those seeking to explore Norway's majestic fjords with a blend of adventure and comfort. You'll travel with seasoned captains who know these waters like the back of their hand, in top-of-the-line RIB boats that guarantee a smooth and exciting ride. We pride ourselves on our impeccable safety record, underscored by rigorous standards and comprehensive briefings to ensure guest well-being. Our commitment to guest satisfaction extends to our booking policies, offering 24-hour free rescheduling or cancellation and full protections for cruise tourists experiencing berthing cancellations or delays.
Stavanger RIB offers regularly scheduled Lysefjord Sightseeing tours throughout the year from February to November.
Stavanger RIB offers year-round private tour services for tourists, events, parties, teambuilding, and more. Click here to browse our private tour catalogue. Each offering can be tailored to your desires, and we also offer custom tours where you create the course.
For guests expecting to arrive in the Stavanger region on a cruise ship, in the event that the scheduled berthing of your ship is cancelled, we will offer a full refund for your booking even if the 24-hour cancellation window has passed. In the event of a berthing delay, we will offer you the option to reschedule.