Westman Islands

To get to the islands, we need to take a ferry, both ways. The ferry ride itself signs the beginning of your adventure. As you leave the shore of the mainland, you will have the best view over the glacier/volcano of Eyjafjallajökull.

When you get closer to the islands, you are being welcomed by a dozen of volcanic islands, and thousands of birds. When you enter the harbour you are immediately hit by the charm of a small fishing town, surrounded by islands of different shapes and colors.

We will take there a short walk to admire a 360 degrees panoramic view of all the islands of the archipelago. We might be greeted by some curious sheep at the same time!

Right after so, we will access the observation deck for birds. There, one can see hundreds of birds of different species, including in the summer, the most emblematic one of them all: The Puffin! The Westman Islands are home of the biggest colony of puffins in the world.

The most famous rock of the Westman Islands: The majestic Elephant Rock. Dominating over the ocean it looks as if the mountain was sipping in the sea.

After a short walk from the parking lot, we will stop by and admire this unique panorama. In the summertime, we will also be able to spot dozens of puffins and other bird species flying around.

The highlight of our day. We will go on a short hike to the active volcano of Eldfell. The hike is fairly easy and is of 3.2 km return. From the top of the volcano, one will see the most breathtaking views over all of the Westman islands.

This volcano erupted last in 1973. The whole town of Heimaey had to be evacuated overnight. Even half a century later, stigmata of this eruption can be seen all over the island.

At the end of this beautiful day, we will visit the museum of Eldheimar. During the day, your guide will tell you about the two major eruptions which occured on the Westman islands in the 20th century. These two eruptions have greatly shaped the history of the archipelago.

The first one was in 1963, Surtsey, the second one in 1973, Eldfell. The museum is dedicated to these two eruptions, giving you a perfect insight on the events that took place here. The museum itself has been built around a house which was excavated from the lava field.