Vigur Island
Enjoy the beautiful landscape, and see the life and culture of the people who live on the tiny Island of Vigur.
Enjoy the beautiful landscape, and see the life and culture of the people who live on the tiny Island of Vigur.
Vigur Island is a green oasis in the blue waters of the Isafjardardjup fjord. This island offers magnificent bird life including puffins, eider ducks and arctic terns.
Leave Isafjord harbour by boat to sail the large Djupfjord to the island of Vigur, where farmers live off the land and harvest the down of the eider ducks. During spring eiderdown is collected and cleaned, whilst the ducks nests are carefully protected.
Vigur is like a time warp, with 10 friendly inhabitants. A leisurely walk around the island gives you an opportunity to see an abundance of birds in their natural habitat. See relics of old farming methods, which have been carefully preserved, including Iceland’s only remaining windmill. Coffee or tea and Icelandic home-made cakes will be served by the farmer's family in a mid-19th-century house - the perfect way to complete your visit, before returning to Isafjordur.
Fjords and Flowers
View the scenery of Isafjordur, and gain an insight into the culture.
View the scenery of Isafjordur, and gain an insight into the culture.
Drive across the mountains to Skrudur, with excellent views of the harsh landscape; narrow passes across sharp mountain ridges and deep, sheltered fjords where farms and villages huddle on a narrow strip of land.
Skrudur, the first Icelandic botanical garden, was founded in 1909 and was the conception of the former minister of Nupur, the cultivation pioneer of Iceland. He grew plants and vegetables that no one ever dreamed could be grown so far north.
From Skrudur, drive to Flateyri village, which was formed around shark fishing in the middle of the nineteenth century. Visit the charming, small and intimate church in Flateyri, quite typical of smaller towns in Iceland. In the church enjoy an Icelandic music programme. Take a stroll with you guide down the small main street of Flateyri; visit the old bookstore and the merchant’s home where time stands still. There you’ll find an exhibition reflecting the history of Flateyri. In the next building, see the women making pieces of art in their handcraft workshop, and stop for a coffee break with the locals.
The Back Streets of Isafjordur
Explore the interesting sights of Isafjordur, and visit the Maritime Museum for an insight into the history of the town.
Explore the interesting sights of Isafjordur, and visit the Maritime Museum for an insight into the history of the town.
Isafjordur, the largest settlement in the Western Fjords of Iceland, is the centre of trade and culture in the area. The town itself is situated on a long, flat, hooked-shaped gravel spit reaching out into the fjord. Isafjordur town centre has interesting old streets and houses that are unique to the area. The town plays a big part in the history of Iceland and many famous and peculiar people have lived here, and still do.
Enjoy a walk around the town with a local guide and perhaps meet with the barber playing his accordion, the baker training for the marathon or see the goldsmith paddling around in his kayak.
Walk around town with several stops at places of interest. The tour ends with a visit to the Maritime Museum in Isafjordur. The Museum is situated in one of Isafjordur’s oldest houses. Typical Icelandic refreshments will be served on this tour.
Discover Hesteyri
Visit the Westfjords, where ‘the mountains stand high and the roots go deep’.
Visit the Westfjords, where ‘the mountains stand high and the roots go deep’.
The landscape in Jökulfirðir (the glacier fjord) is beautiful, with impressive, steep snow-flecked mountains and quiet and secluded coves. Here, the only means of transportation is by boat. In the late 1940’s, the people of Hesteyri village, without telephone, electricity or roads, made the united decision to move away. Consequently, the village has stood deserted and forgotten since 1952.
Depart by boat from Ísafjörður, crossing the fjord with spectacular mountain scenery as you travel to Hesteyri. On this rim of the inhabitable world, your knowledgeable and informative local guide will bring the relics and history of this once-thriving outpost to life as you discover the beautiful scenery and rich history at Hesteyri.
Protected since 1975, the native flora, fauna and wildlife have positively flourished since. The area is popular with arctic foxes, and numerous nesting birds and seals are often seen basking lazily on the nearby rocks and shorelines.
Enjoy a refreshing walk in the unspoilt area before exploring the abandoned village. Traditional Icelandic refreshments will be served at the former doctor's residence before returning to Isafjordur.