After our first trip to Iceland, we knew we had to come back and spend more time in this beautiful country. We decided to spend it the WestFjords region of Iceland, a rugged wild group of peninsulas and cliffs that is geologically the oldest part of the country. Since we enjoy the outdoors so much, it was an easy decision to explore this area, and planned to spend most of our nine days hiking under the midnight sun.
Trip Itinerary
Getting up to the WestFjords requires a bit more commitment and preparation compared to visiting other portions of Iceland, as most of the area is traversed by gravel road, high mountain passes, and sparsely populated towns. Planning your stops is important since there are long stretches where there are no shops, gas stations, or lodging. There is also relatively little information available online about some of the areas, like the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, which was an absolute must visit for us. As I began digging into our itinerary I quickly realized that local knowledge would really help us make this trip an absolute success- and I reached out to Halldór and the team at Wild West Fjords to give us advice and assist with planning our hike into the nature reserve. I cannot recommend them enough!
Most people spend a weekend in the WestFjords- but we decided to slow it down and spend 9 days here. We enjoyed the relaxing pace of our trip immensely, stopping at will when we saw a hotspring that wasn't on the map, and hiking up trails around the area that were not part of the main tourist attractions. It's the perfect place to immerse yourself in nature and just enjoy the beautiful scenery all around you.
Destination Map
If you look at the West Fjords on a map, it looks like it shouldn't take too long to drive from place to place. However, in order to move around these many fjords, you can drive around the coast, take a ferry, cross a bridge, or drive over the top.
This makes for plenty of winding, narrow roads with significant elevation change- and some are also often gravel. In my opinion this is part of the fun, and makes for a very scenic drive, but it's not a drive that I would want to do in a hurry. We tried to keep our driving to 3 hours or less per day, and we were easily able to do that with our spacing.
Given Iceland's geographical location in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, it's cliffs are an absolute haven for sea birds, and a very prominent location to see them in Iceland is the Latrabjarg Cliffs. These cliffs are also considered the 'westernmost point in Europe', and offer stunning vistas of Snæfellsjökull National Park on the Snæfellsnes peninsula from across the water on a clear day. We also wanted to see puffins, and find out if they are really as cute as they appear (they are).
On our way out to the cliffs, we also stopped at Rauðisandur or 'Red Sand' beach, which is exciting to most Icelanders since the majority of their beaches are black volcanic sand. This was a beautiful, long beach with crashing waves, and we had the entire place to ourselves for a picnic. The local sheep also love hanging out on the beach! If you wish to hike out towards the waves, I would recommend parking at the black church and following the path out from there. This way you can reach the break easily without worrying about the tides.
With all the views of the ocean, it can be a bit discouraging that it's too cold to swim in. However, with the amount of hotsprings in close proximity to the water, you can almost feel like you are in the ocean, without the polar dip. Most hot springs are labeled with signs from the main road, and are free or by donation. We loved following the signs and seeing where they lead- each one is a little bit different but all are amazing.
As you can imagine, the WestFjords are home to many fjords, beaches, waterfalls and mountains. As you drive, you are able to catch wide open vistas, with small fishing towns in each valley. Beaches stretch for miles, and in the distance you can see snowcapped peaks. It's a magnificent view, and around every corner is more to see.
Iceland's largest (by area) waterfall, Dynjandi, does not disappoint. The 'one who thunders' is an impressive sight, and the viewing area and short hike give you multiple angles and perspective on the incredible falls. This was once an old homestead area, and there are multiple billboards detailing this history. I would imagine that during the busy tourist months, this place is packed, but at the end of May we shared it with 10 or so other tourists. Make sure to hike all the way up to the main cascade, it's about 20 minutes and gives you an incredible perspective on just how much water moves through this fall.
From Dynjandi we continued to the small town of Holt, which is located on a beautiful bay with many protected nature reserves for birdlife. It's amazing to walk the beach and see them all, flocking in formations on the white sand. If you are looking for a bite to eat, I would definitely recommend Kaffi Sol. We spent a lazy afternoon on the patio with the owner, enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal and several beers. We would also be remiss if I didn't mention the Blabankinn, an old bank in Þingeyri that has been converted by entrepreneurial locals into a multi use space, include a co-working space and media studio. We took toured the space, and loved the incredible views of the bay through the many windows. The Blabankinn is a haven for visiting artists and locals alike, and if I ever write a novel or have to edit a weeks worth of video footage, I would gladly do so in this productive oasis.
Isafjördur is the largest city in the WestFjords, and is experiencing a revitalization as more young people return to make it their home. We quite enjoyed roaming around this small town, which has a great brewery, Dokkan Brugghus, and fish restaurant, Tjöruhúsið. Make sure you book in advance at Tjöruhúsið, because it is THE place to eat in town!
A quick drive from Isafjördur is Bolungarvik, another seaside fishing town, that has a museum, Osvor, dedicated to the history of fishing in Iceland. Here you can visit the thatched roof houses that were popular decades ago, and meet with a local who will detail the process of catching, drying and preparing fish for sale. We were one week too early to catch the local guide, but he is somewhat of a legend! Outside of Bolungarvik is also a stunning black sand beach. The road is a bit rough, but easily passable with our AWD rental car, and the view is beyond worth it!
After exploring the many oceanside towns of the WestFjords, it was now time for the ultimate adventure- and the main reason that we were so lured to this remote part of Iceland in the first place- the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve. Hornstrandir is the most remote territory of Iceland, and is only accessible by boat (weather permitting) and hiking (provided you are able to access the bay to reach shore). Its sharp seaside cliffs are home to over 700,000 pairs of nesting arctic birds, such as guillemots, kittiwakes, fulmars, razorbills, gulls, and puffins. It is also the only region in Iceland where the arctic fox is completely protected, and sits just on the arctic circle. If you enjoy wild places, it doesn't get much wilder that this- and the isolation and tranquility of nature is front and center. We wanted to spend a few days hiking in the nature reserve, so we planned for a three day, two night excursion. I previously investigated completing the backpacking trip on our own, but the lack of information and maps online, challenging logistics, and early season weather conditions swayed us to book with Borea Adventures, and I am so thankful we did!
We started out our trip with a morning boat ride from Isafjördur into the nature reserve. Upon arrival, we strapped on our packs, laced our boots, and began the 10 mile hike into the reserve, over the pass and down into Hornvik Bay. Due to us visiting early in the hiking season, the pass was still covered in snow, though nothing too challenging with the sunshine helping us along. On the other side of the pass, the Hornbjarg and Hælavíkurbjarg cliffs became visible, with the river meandering into the ocean across a wide expanse of beach. Our camp for the two days was a tiny homestead, a legacy of the days before the nature reserve was established, and a welcome respite from the quickly changing weather patterns. As we relaxed after dinner, we were treated to our first siting of the arctic fox- he was molting and nearly all black in his summer coat.
Day two was another full day of incredible hiking around the cliffs- completing the loop around the peninsula, and then towards the eastern side to view the reserve as it stretched even further beyond Hornvik Bay. The amount of birds in the air was astounding, and they were quickly making use of the melting snow and mud to fortify their nests. It felt like we were in an episode of Planet Earth, especially because we had the entire hike to ourselves. This time of year, the sun didn't set, so we hiked until we dropped. Throughout the day, we saw several arctic foxes hunting, playing, and calling to each other. They are fairly friendly, and we were surprised with how close they approach you while hiking.
Day three we spent the morning hiking around the beach near the homestead, and getting ready for the boat to arrive. Weather pending, the boat is able to pick up hikers directly from Hornvik Bay, so we patiently waited for our pick up. As 1pm arrived with still no boat, we decided to begin the hike back out of the bay. After 30 minutes of hiking, the boat appeared in the distance, and we quickly changed course to meet it on the beach. We were very happy to catch a ride back to Isafjördur, and have a beer at Dokkan Brugghus once again!
After dinner in Isafjördur, we drove a couple hours over to Holmvik, in order to shorten our driving distance the following morning back to Reykjavík. Though we only spent a few nights in the nature reserve, it was a complete disconnect from our typical everyday, and we felt restored. Another incredible Iceland trip and experience that we will never forget!
Helpful Links
Visit Westfjords the tourism website for the Westfjords, this is an excellent resource to start exploring things to do in the area.
Wild Westfjords was our travel guide for this trip, and we were so happy to have synced up with them. They took care of all the details and helped us stay in some really unique places.
Borea Adventures was our adventure guide for the hiking trip out to Hornstrandir Nature Reserve. They have great staff and guides (thank you Sigrún!) who were incredibly helpful in making our trip amazing, even though we visited outside of normal tourist season.
Blabankinn is a beautiful co-working space located in the small fishing town of Þingeyri, stop in for a visit while you are in the area, and enjoy waffles next door.
Kaffi Sol is a wonderful cafe near Flateyri and Holt, within the owner's home. We loved having dinner here and enjoying the late afternoon sun.
Iceland Birding Guide since you will be seeing plenty of birds along the coastline, use this guide as a quick primer to help you appreciate the many species and their habitats.
Hotsprings of the West Fjords Guide to Iceland writer, Regina, does and excellent job reviewing many of the local hotsprings in the Westfjords region. We used this as our starting point to pick out our initial soaking spots.
Guide to Iceland- Hornstrandir Nature Reserve a helpful website with details on how to prepare and plan your trip to Hornstrandir.
Tjöruhúsið Restaurant use their facebook page to make a reservation in advance, and prepare to go hungry, as all plates are served buffet style and there is plenty of room for seconds and thirds!
Dokkan Brugghus is an excellent brewery in Isafjördur, the only downside is that they close (relatively) early, so plan your visit!
Osvor Fishing Museum a quick overview of what to expect when you visit near Bolungarvik.
Happy Adventures!
Stephanie