Vestmannaeyjar

A group of islands a short distance off the southern coast easily reached by daily flights or ferry service. The main attractions, including the 1973 eruption history and the puffin colony, are located on the main island - Heimaey.
A good time to visit is when the puffin chicks descend on the town. (A few hatchlings were still arriving in early September when I was there. Local kids were wandering around with cardboard boxes collecting the cute bundles of fluff.)
     
Heimaey Photos      

Travel suggestions for Heimaey

How long? - Two full days will allow you to see most of the main sights.

Accommodation - I stayed at Gistiheimilið Hreiðrið and recommend this place. The owner can provide helpful ideas on walking tours and local history. You should book ahead during August - particularly for the first weekend in August.

Transport - there are daily flights from Reykjavík and a ferry service from Þorlákshöfn. From the airport, it's possible to walk into town within 30 minutes; if you have luggage then you can call up a taxi from the airport. Heimaey is small enough to walk around.

Things to do

  • Walk up the 1973 lava flow to the top of the still steaming Eldfell
  • Walk up Helgafell for views over the south of the island and north to the 1973 crater
  • Climb Há and watch the birds soaring just meters away along the ridge-line - the Gistiheimilið Hreiðrið ownercan help recommend a good place to walk up
  • Take a boat tour around Heimaey
  • Not sure if this is possible, but if you have a chance to either fly over Surtsey or even better visit by boat, then I would think that would be very interesting
  • Visit the small natural history museum (if it's late summer and you haven't yet seen puffin hatchlings, then it's possible there might be one or two being kept in a cardboard box at the museum.)
  • If it's a rainy day you could watch the volcano show

More Information - http://tourist.eyjar.is/

« Hekla, Hvolsvöllur: Back

» Iceland Index «

Next: Skógar »