Natural Highlights

Valagil is a spectacular ravine, complete with mighty waterfall and made from layers upon layers of ancient lava. You will find Valagil at the landward end of Álftafjörður, not too far from Súðavík. There is a marked footpath to the ravine from the road. Some say the ravine is named after the falcons (valur is Icelandic for falcon) which reported used to nest there. Other people say it is named after a woman called Vala who is said to have fallen to her death in the gully (hundreds of years ago).

From the mountan Klofningur is a panoramic view over Breidafjordur Bay, Snaefellsnes Peninsula and Bardaströnd. Viewing dial.

It is possible to hike up the mountain from the farm Stakkaberg.

One of Europes biggest bird cliffs, a home to birds in unfathomable numbers. This westernmost point of Iceland is really a line of several cliffs, 14 kilometres long and up to 441 m high. And it's as steep as it gets, dizzyingly so. Safe from foxes, the birds are fearless, and provide stunning photographic opportunities from close range. Bird photography for dummies, you might say. The puffins are particularly tame and are the ones frequenting the grassy, higher part of the cliffs. But look out, the edges are fragile and loose and the fall is high.
Látrabjarg is thus deservedly the most visited tourist attraction in the Westfjords. The cliffs are easily accessible by car and when you're there, a walk along the cliffs awaits. The whirling sensation will not fade, and neither will the memories.

The most popular visiting point in Bolungarvík is the viewing platform on top of Bolafjall Mountain. The place offers a staggering view over Ísafjarðardjúp, Jökulfirðir and some people say all the way to Greenland. To get to Outstanding Bolafjall you have to drive up the road from Bolungarvík the way to the radar station on the top. The station was built by the Americans but is now controlled by the Icelandic coast guard. The route is open from the middle of june until august september. After a visit to Bolafjall, or even before, We recommend a coffee break and a nice walk at the black sand beach in Skálavík.

The road up to the mountain is open when situations in the mountain allow it to be. Usually that is from middle of June until the middle of September.

Breiðafjörður is the second biggest fjord in Iceland as it stretches 70 km where it is widest. Where the fjord gets more shallow there are almost uncountable number of islands but if we would have to guess a number, they would be around 2800. Many of those islands were inhabited few decades ago but now almost all are uninhabited. Flatey is the one exception. Flatey is the biggest of the islands in Breiðafjörður. It also is the only island in Breiðafjörður where inhabitants live the whole year round. The inhabitants count as many as 6 persons but during summertime the population multiplies. Many of the other islands in Breiðafjörður used to be inhabited not so long ago like Hvallátur, Svefneyjar and Akureyjar. All the islands have one thing in common. They are all made by the force of glaciers in the ice age. The islands are mostly flat and the geological layers are similar to the ones on the Westfjords. In most of the islands there are many plants and the birdlife is diverse with puffin, eider and black guillemot being the kings of the fjord along with the White-tailed-Eagle. The history tells us that the people that lived in Breiðafjörður never had to deal with shortage of food because of the plentyful gifts of nature such as birds, fish and shells. When there were bad conditions and food shortage was common in Iceland, people fled to Breiðafjörður bay where there was plenty of food for everyone.

In Patreksfjörður fjord there is a small beautiful waterfall.

Fossfjörður is one of the the offshoot fjords of Arnarfjörður, it is the westernmost of the so called "Suðurfirðir" the Southern Fjords. These are Bíldudalsvogur, Fossfjörður, Reykjarfjörður, Trostansfjörður and Geirþjófsfjörður. In Fossfjörður is a farm called Foss and also a waterfall carrying the same name, wich actually means waterfall. So in waterfall fjord you will wind a farm called waterfall aswell as a waterfall called waterfall. Confusing ? Maybe a little. In Fossfjörður you will also stumble up on the so called A-house, wich has been a popular pitstop among travellers and photographers. This abandoned house is unique for its shape and location.

Near to Steingrímsfjörður and the village of Hólmavík, you find Bjarnarfjörður fjord, on Route 643, in the municipality of Kaldraneshreppur.

Not many people live nearby, but four things mark this small fjord out as special: first the Gvendarlaug hot pool, the water in which was blessed by Bishop Guðmundur Góði Arason in the 1200s - today it is a protected national monuement. Second is the excellent Arctic char fishing in Bjarnarfjarðará river. Thirdly is Hótel Laugarhóll, a modern and comfortable country hotel with a swimming pool, a restaurant and a museum on site. And finally Bjarnarfjörður is home to the Sorcerer's Cottage, an offshoot of Hólmavík's famous Museum of Witchcraft and Sorcery.

The hot natural pools in Drangsnes are right along the shoreline in the middle of the village easily spotted from the road.

The pots are used throughout the year by locals and visitors. Even after a new swimming pool was built in town the attraction of the hot natural pot has yet to decrease.

The best way to meet the local and talk about everything and nothing is in the hot pots in Drangsnes.

Admission: free donations.

Simply enthralling; The Westfjords' favourite front-page model for decades, and is never short of breathtaking. The biggest and widest part of the waterfall is the one that gets all the attention and the photos, even though there are impressive, albeit smaller, waterfalls further down the river.
To enjoy, follow this simple step-by-step manual. 1. Stop your car at the parking lot. 2. Walk all the way up to the biggest part of the waterfall, it takes about 15 minutes. 3. Take a deep breath and enjoy 4. Whenever ready, go back down to the car. 5. Tick off this article and continue working through the check-list.

Rauðasandur (Red Sand) is precisely that: a beach with endless red sand. Well, not endless but 10 km is a lot. The magnificent hues of the sand differ with daylight and weather, and the beach is the biggest pearl in a string of coves with sand ranging in colours from white through yellow through red to black, and in coarseness from very fine to sole-hurting chips of seashells. Just pure sand enlivened by countless seabirds and seals, an oasis with unique tranquility. Forget everything, except maybe getting the perfect shot of the ever-changing hues of yellow, orange and red.

Here's just pure sand and unique tranquillity. You might want to step out of the car, get the camera out and start walking on the seemingly endless beach.

If no, why not enjoy a cup of coffee in the French café and look at the spectacular view were Snæfellsjökull glacier in Sæfellsnes peninsula imperiousl rivets your attention in the background.

Svalvogar is a 49-kilometre circular route between the fjords of Dýrafjörður and Arnarfjörður. It usually starts and finishes in Þingeyri and takes the narrow exposed coastal track around the headland (not to be attempted at high tide) and comes back along the Kaldbakur route, past the Westfjords' tallest mountain in the so-called Westfjords Alps. Sometimes called the Dream Road, Svalvogar is among the most beautiful routes in the country. It is not suitable for small cars and is best enjoyed by mountain bike. Be prepared to get out of breath…or take a 4x4.

If passangers are afraid of heights it is advised to start the route from Arnarfjörður and drive it over to Dýrafjörður, then in case of passing another car yours will be on the right side of the road, not quite as intimidating as driving along side the sea.

Arnarfjordur, 5-10 kilometres wide and 30 kilometres long, is bordered by Slettanes to the north and Kopanes to the south. At its head, it forks at the Langanes promontory to form Suðurfirðir to the south and Borgarfjordur and Dynjandisvogur to the north. The bay of Dynjandisvogur is known for the waterfall Dynjandi, which plummets over the edge of the cliff. Measuring 30 meters wide at the top and 60 meters at the bottom, Dynjandi is about 100 meters high, the most impressive waterfall in the Westfjords and one of the most beautiful in all of Iceland. Below it, a series of waterfalls cascade. Arnarfjordur is one of the most beautiful fjords in the Westfjords because of its diverse landscape, magnificent mountains and the natural masterpieces of Ketildalir and the Dynjandi waterfall.

Auður djúpúðga ( Auður the Deep minded) was one of the settlers in Dalir. She was a Christian and had a cross raised at Krosshólaborg, where she went to pray. Her descentants considered Krosshólaborg a holy place. Women in Dalir set up a memorial of Auður, a stone cross in 1965. The remains of Auður´s first farm, Auðartóftir, are nearby.

Takes its name "Breakfast Ness" from the fact that Auður the Deep-minded, one of the first settlers, stopped to rest there one morning while searching for a place to make her home.

There is a little church at Dagverdarnes dates from 1934.