West Iceland & the Westfjords Holidays

West Iceland is a microcosm of the country; head north from Reykjavík and you’ll soon encounter mystical mountains, immense glaciers, bubbling hot springs, colourful fishing villages and Viking legends, not to mention wildlife in abundance with noisy seal colonies, steep puffin cliffs and whale watching viewpoints all within tantalising reach. The enchanting Snæfellsnes National Park is the highlight of the West, with the imposing Snæfellsjökull at its centre. Made famous by novelist Jules Verne in Journey to the Centre of the Earth, this 700,000 year old stratovolcano with a glacier covering its summit dominates the landscape and provides the perfect opportunity to explore, with easy hiking trails criss-crossing the lava fields. Jutting out from the north west coast, the remote Westfjords peninsula is best known for its incredibly intricate coastline, containing more than half the fjords in Iceland.

The steep vertical cliffs of the fjords are home to several million sea birds, and Látrabjarg – Europe’s westernmost point – is one of the best places to see them. The staggeringly high basalt walls are decorated by huge numbers of puffins and guillemots from May to August, and also boast the largest colony of razorbills in the world, estimated to be close to half a million.

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Eat
Fancy a quick snack of dried fermented shark meat? Then you’re in luck. Situated on the north coast of Snæfellsnes Peninsula around a 30 minute drive from Stykkishólmur, the Bjarnarhöfn Shark Museum is a little slice of old Iceland, where generations of the same family have caught and prepared shark meat in the traditional way for hundreds of years. Located on a farmstead overlooking Hraunfjordur bay, the small museum details the history of the family’s shark fishing heritage, with restored fishing boats and harpooning tools on display. No tour would be complete without sampling the fragrant hákarl – an acquired taste which is sometimes likened to old cheese.

Stay
Set in splendid isolation, just an hour and a half from Reykjavik, the eco-chic Hotel Husafell is your passport into the remote Icelandic countryside. Located on the doorstep of Langjokull Glacier in Borgarfjordur valley, the unobtrusive hotel uses 100% renewable energy produced on site and its design is inspired by nature. Sample locally sourced, Nordic inspired cuisine in the gourmet restaurant as you look out across the luscious valley through the floorto- ceiling windows before soaking in the outside heated geothermal baths. The hotel provides an ideal base to discover the nearby glaciers, lava caves, hiking trails and the newly opened ‘Into the Glacier’ experience.

Fly-Drive
Uncover the best of West Iceland and the Westfjords on a 9-day fly-drive. Leave the cosmopolitan capital of Reykjavík and head out to discover a more traditional Iceland. Drive to Snæfellsnes and take the coastal ring road which encircles the peninsula, travelling to the north side to overnight in a fishing village. Take the morning ferry across Breiðafjörður bay to the Westfjords and continue to Látrabjarg to discover the bountiful birdlife. Spend days five and six in and around the town of Ísafjörður and perhaps take an optional boat trip to Vigur island, before continuing to Hólmavík where tales of sorcery and witchcraft abound. Ask a Regent Specialist about fly-drive tours in West Iceland.

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