The Westfjords
Date: June 2024
Route: Drove from Reykjavik.
Sticking out like some mythical creature about to take flight, the Westfjords is one of the most remote parts of an island that is already isolated from the crowded cities of Europe. Located in the northwest of Iceland and connected by a small strip of land, this area offers some of the most spectacular sceneries in Iceland. This was our 2nd visit, and we noticed that the tourist areas in the south and east had become far more crowded than when we visited in 2019. We had read about the remoteness of the Westfjords and decided we had to go there. We had read enough to know that the area offered many fjords bounded by massive cliffs and that each one was like driving into a work of art. It is because of these fjords, the coastline of the Westfjords make up a third of the entire country’s coastline. We set off on a bright and sunny morning from Reykjavik, with our destination being the remote village of Ísafjörður in the northern part of the Westfjords. As soon as we took the exit for Route 60 off the main highway 1, we knew we were in for a treat.
We chose to use this route which offers a clockwise way to explore the peninsula. There is Route 61 which completes the circle and we planned to take that on the way back. What should have been a 3-hour drive from the small town of Króksfjarðarnes, at the intersection of routes 60 and 61 at the entrance to the Westfjords, took us almost 7 hours. This is of course due to our love of exploring and photography. We must have stopped over 100 times to soak in spectacular views of rugged cliffs, sparkling waters of fjords, remote valleys with a single farmhouse and lots of sheep, or to marvel at one of the many waterfalls from melting snow. Half the road was either gravel or just a dirt trail, with long stretches of asphalt in between. We are used to pulling over on the side of the road on Route-1 for photos but had to be careful as there is some traffic about. But here, I think we saw like 10 cars in the entire drive to Ísafjörður. I can also see why it takes so long to drive as the road follows each fjord. The usual pattern was a long, downhill drive to the bottom of the cliffs on one side of the fjord, the beautiful valley at the bottom, and then a long climb back up the other side.
It was after we took a turn inland at the village of Flókalundur, the road once again became gravel, and the landscape became rocky and barren. The greenery of the valleys disappeared, and it felt like we were on the moon. What made it even more surreal was the patches of snow and pools of blue water in between. At the top, we saw the sun having prismatic twins on either side, all over a massive cliff that towered over the ocean in the distance. We saw pools of water cascading over. It was only later as we came down from the top and into the valley below did we realize that pool of water emptying above was the source of one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland, Dynjandi. Given it was around 10pm, we decided to come back the next day and keep going. Most restaurants in Iceland close around 9pm but we found one that showed open till 11pm in a nearby town of Flateyri. It was only when we came out of a tunnel and into the road going towards Flateyri that we realized what a stunning place this was. The town was a collection of small, colorful houses on a spit of land towards the end of the fjord. Several cliffs along both sides of the fjord ended in a magnificent mountain at the far end. The restaurant was unfortunately closed so we made a quick meal of granola bars and fruit. It was after this we noticed the beginning of the 3-4 hour sunset and the top of every cliff was bathed in a beautiful orange glow. All this reflected off the water of the fjord made for one magical moment. We spent another hour taking pictures and just soaking in the view and then decided we needed to get to sleep. It was around midnight we arrived in the harbor town of Ísafjörður.
Ísafjörður is also set of a spit fronting the sea with massive cliffs on either side. After breakfast at a cozy bakery, we took a walk around town. A cruise ship had just docked and there were many people about. Other than the harbor, there is not much to see here so we set off to see Dynjandi waterfalls. We parked in the crowded parking lot at the base of the falls and hiked up see the falls up close. It is a short but steep hike, with the trail having failed in a few places. But, once on top, it is easy to see why this is one of the most popular and photographed falls in Iceland. What is a small river at the top cascades into hundreds of mini falls that ends in a thunderous pool at the base. It is possible to walk up to the falls but prepared to get soaked in the process. We spent the rest of the day exploring a few other towns and finished the evening in a cozy brewery in town. The next few days was much of the same with us exploring the others towns in the area. All offered beautiful scenery and harbors, but nothing to match the beauty of what we had seen at Flateyri.
We left Ísafjörður by taking Route 61 which was the twin of the Route 60 we had taken to get here. This scenery was not nearly as dramatic, but the road was much better. If you don’t want the “adventure” of driving on gravel roads in the middle of nowhere with no cell signal, then take Route 61 to get to Ísafjörður and back. But we would do the opposite and only take Route 60 due to the scenery and sheer beauty of it all. Two days in Ísafjörður is more than enough to get the feel for the Westfjords but there are so many other places to see. The cliffs of Látrabjarg offer some of the best puffin viewing and the famous red sand Rauðasandur Beach is supposed to be stunning. We did not have a chance to do either due to the weather but on the list for next time. Overall, we would highly recommend going to the Westfjords as part of any visit to Iceland.
