This is definitely one of our favorite days, driving around the Westfjords region. We got lucky that, after 2 days of rain and overcast weather, today is clear and we can see the beautiful fjords. We wanted to take the scenic route around, so we drove 670 km / 420 miles today, but as usual, worth every minute of it!
Drangajökull
This is the northernmost glacier. It was quite a rough drive on gravel roads and you can’t really get very close. Not a lot of tourist because this is kind of out of the way, but it was a nice drive with great scenery. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of the Hornstrandir, but the angle really wasn’t right and there’s no way we could see it from here.
Speaking of the Hornstradir, that is definitely our biggest regret of the trip. I heard that hike itself is not hard, however, there is no easy way to get there. You would need to pre-arrange a tour, there would be a boat-ride involved and an overnight stay (probably camping?). Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to do this, so this would definitely be on the top of my list next time we visit Iceland!
On the road - Litlibær Café
As we are driving around the fjords, we were hoping to see a convenient store or something so that we can get a coffee (since we did get up super early for the long drive today) and we found something so much better - a cute café with a spectacular view that offers coffee and waffles!
Ísafjörður & Bolafjall
Ísafjörður is the largest town in the Westfjords region, with a spectacular view. Can you imagine living here and waking up to this view every day? So we planned to drive up the Bolafjall to see the spectacular view of the fjord, but it was so foggy that you literally cannot see anything. We drove up there anyways (although we can barely see beyond 50m) and were hoping for a great view, but nothing. :(
Dynjandi
Our next long drive led us to this amazing waterfall Dynjandi! It is a huge waterfall, and you can actually see it from afar as you drive closer to it. It is uniquely situated between the fjords, offered an amazing view of the fjords as well as the waterfall itself.
Látrabjarg
Our last stop of the day - Látrabjarg, one of the biggest bird cliffs in Iceland and in Europe. Guess what I wanted to see the most? That’s right - the puffins!!! As you walk closer to the cliff, it is actually incredibly noisy with all the birds there. This is definitely the most birds I have ever seen in my life. There are many species of birds, including razorbill, gannets, kittiwakes, arctic terns, etc. on top of puffins. A true bird paradise!
Iceland is a beautiful country, but if I have to choose one region to visit (now that I have been to most of them), it would be the Westfjords region. It took us a long time to drive around the fjords but we have enjoyed every minute of it because of the breathtaking views. There are also fewer tourist around here, which makes it super nice because I don’t like to share.