Surrounded by fjords in the Westfjords region, Ísafjordur is a bustling fishing town in northwest Iceland with colorful wooden 18th- and 19th-century houses in its old town, Neskaupstadur. Nearby, Sudavik is home to the Arctic Fox Centre. Iceland’s only mammal, the arctic fox, lives on the lush tundra of Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, the northernmost peninsula in the Westfjords with two of Europe’s largest bird cliffs.
Included Activities
WESTFJORDS LIFE AND CULTURE
- Discover the time-honored local methods of salting fishing
- Go back in time as you enter the turf-and-stone fishing shacks, greeted by a local dressed in a traditional sheepskin fisherman's outfit
- Visit the Maritime Museum, housed in some of Iceland's oldest buildings, to delve into the history of the fishing industry that has sustained the area for centuries
A jewel of the Westfjords, Vigur is the fjord's second-largest island and a thriving seabird sanctuary. Flocks of arctic terns, puffins, guillemots, and eider ducks nest atop rocky cliffs. As one of only two inhabited islands, Vigur supports a family farm continuing the centuries-old eiderdown harvest across 3,500 nests. This remote pillar also houses Iceland's sole windmill, its tiniest post office, and a 200-year-old, still-seaworthy rowing boat.
Included Activities
VIGUR ISLAND WALKING TOUR & VISIT BY SHIP ZODIACS
- Spot eider ducks nesting in great numbers, you might even see the majestic birds plucking down from their chests to make a warm shelter for their eggs
- Get up close with a 200-year-old, eight-oar rowing boat and the oldest windmill in Iceland
- See the charming houses that dot Vigur's landscape including Viktoria House, built in 1862 and restored by the National Museum of Iceland in 1993, as well as a house established by a young priest in 1884