A vast peninsula of deep fjords, flat-topped mountains, and near-empty coastline in the far northwest of Iceland. The rock here is the oldest in the country — 14 million years old — and only around 7,000 people live across its entire 22,000 square kilometres.
What are the Westfjords?
The Westfjords are a large peninsula in northwest Iceland, jutting out into the Greenland Sea and the Denmark Strait. It makes up roughly a third of Iceland's total coastline despite being one of its least visited regions — only about 10% of visitors to Iceland make the trip here.
The landscape is defined by long, narrow fjords cutting deep into flat-topped mountains. Most of the roads follow the shoreline, winding in and out of each fjord, which means distances take much longer to cover than they appear on a map. A route that looks like 50 kilometres can take two hours to drive.
The region's population is around 7,000 people, with roughly 4,000 of them living in Ísafjörður, the main town and regional hub. Large sections of the peninsula are completely uninhabited. Driving for an hour without seeing a single building is common, especially in the northern and eastern parts.
The rock formations of the Westfjords are the oldest in Iceland, dating back approximately 14 million years. While the rest of Iceland was shaped by more recent volcanic activity, the Westfjords were formed earlier and eroded into their current shape by glaciers and the sea over millions of years.
Dynjandi Waterfall — The Jewel of the Westfjords
Dynjandi is the most visited natural site in the Westfjords and one of the most striking waterfalls in Iceland. Its name means "thunderous" in Icelandic, and the sound of it fills the entire valley long before it comes into view.
The main waterfall drops 100 metres in a single fan-shaped cascade. It is 30 metres wide at the top and widens to 60 metres at the base, giving it a distinctive bridal veil shape that spreads as it falls. It was designated a protected natural monument in 1981.
Below the main drop, there are five smaller waterfalls — Bæjarfoss, Hrísvaðsfoss, Göngumannafoss, Strompgljúfrafoss, and Hæstahjallafoss — each with its own name. The full series descends a combined height of around 200 metres from the mountain plateau to the fjord below.
The Hike Up to Dynjandi
The trail starts from a parking area on Route 60 at the edge of Arnarfjörður fjord. From the car park, the path climbs past all five smaller waterfalls to reach the base of the main fall. The walk up takes around 20 to 30 minutes and gains about 200 metres of elevation. The path is rocky in sections but manageable for most people.
It is possible to walk behind the Göngumannafoss waterfall on the way up. At the base of the main Dynjandi fall, the spray is heavy and the sound is loud — the scale of it is difficult to grasp until you are standing directly in front of it.
Getting to Dynjandi
Dynjandi is about 363 kilometres from Reykjavík, roughly a 5 to 6 hour drive via Route 60. From Ísafjörður it is about 85 kilometres — around 90 minutes on winding fjord roads. From the ferry terminal at Brjánslækur on the southern Westfjords coast, it is 40 kilometres, about 50 minutes.
There are no facilities at the waterfall except a car park and public toilets. No entry fee. The road to Dynjandi is not accessible in winter due to snow and avalanche risk. The best window for visiting is May to October.
Látrabjarg Bird Cliffs
Látrabjarg is the westernmost point of Iceland and one of the westernmost points in Europe. It is also Europe's largest seabird cliff — 14 kilometres long and up to 441 metres high. The lighthouse at its tip, Bjargtangar, built in 1948, is the westernmost lighthouse in Europe.
The cliffs are home to millions of nesting seabirds from May to August. Species include Atlantic puffins, razorbills, guillemots, fulmars, and kittiwakes. Látrabjarg hosts up to 40% of the entire world's razorbill population.
The puffins here are noticeably less afraid of people than in other parts of Iceland — they will often sit within a few metres and not move.
Visiting Látrabjarg
Access is via Route 612, an unpaved road running west from Patreksfjörður. The last stretch of the drive is gravel and narrow in places, but doable in a standard 2WD car in summer. The drive from Patreksfjörður takes about 45 minutes. From Ísafjörður, allow around 4 hours each way.
The cliffs are open to walk along the top. Stay well back from the edge — puffin burrows run beneath the turf right up to the cliff rim, making the ground unstable close to the drop.
The rule is to lie flat on the grass when looking over the edge for photographs, to reduce the risk of falling. The cliff was declared a protected site in March 2021.
Rauðasandur Beach
On the drive to or from Látrabjarg, the road passes close to Rauðasandur — a beach with red and golden sand rather than the black sand Iceland is known for.
The sand gets its colour from crushed scallop shells mixed with iron-rich soil. The beach is several kilometres long, backed by green hills and black cliffs, and is almost always deserted. Seals are sometimes visible resting on the sand. Access is via a steep descent on an unpaved track off Route 612.
Hornstrandir Nature Reserve
Hornstrandir is a protected nature reserve on the northernmost tip of the Westfjords peninsula. It covers 580 square kilometres of tundra, sea cliffs, river valleys, and coastal lowland.
The last permanent residents left in the 1950s. Since then, the area has had no roads, no permanent inhabitants, no shops, and no mobile signal. A few descendants of the original families return in summer to restored houses, but otherwise the reserve is empty of people.
It was designated a nature reserve in 1975, primarily to protect the Arctic fox. Hornstrandir is the only place in Iceland where the Arctic fox is fully protected from hunting, which makes them far more accustomed to people here than anywhere else in the country.
Hornbjarg Cliffs
The signature feature of Hornstrandir is the Hornbjarg cliff at the northern tip of the reserve. It rises 534 metres at its highest point — the peak called Kálfatindur — and drops almost vertically into the Arctic Ocean.
The cliffs are a major nesting site for guillemots, razorbills, puffins, and other seabirds. Getting there requires a boat from Ísafjörður and then a hike of several hours. There is no other way to reach it.
Getting to Hornstrandir
There are no roads into Hornstrandir. The only access is by ferry from Ísafjörður, operated by West Tours and Borea Adventures. Ferries run to five different drop-off points in the reserve. The season is June to August only — outside these months the ferries do not run and the reserve is considered too dangerous to visit.
Day trips from Ísafjörður take you into the reserve for a guided hike and return the same day. Multi-day hikes require camping gear, food, and navigation equipment.
Ísafjörður — The Main Town
Ísafjörður is the largest settlement in the Westfjords with a population of around 3,500. It sits on a narrow spit of land jutting into the Ísafjarðardjúp fjord, with mountains rising steeply on three sides. The town has been a trading and fishing port since the 16th century and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in Iceland.
Ísafjörður has a hospital, a supermarket, several restaurants, guesthouses, a hotel, and a small cultural scene. It hosts the Aldrei fór ég suður music festival every Easter — one of Iceland's most popular independent music events — and a Ski Week in the same period, taking advantage of the steep mountain slopes surrounding the town.
The town is also the departure point for all ferries to Hornstrandir, for boat tours to the island of Vigur (which has a large puffin colony), and for kayaking tours in the fjords. F
rom the pier you can see snow-capped peaks reflected in still water on calm days. In winter, the sun disappears behind the mountains surrounding the town for several weeks and does not rise above the rim — locals call this period of no direct sunlight a unique feature of living this deep in a fjord.
Strandir Coast
The Strandir coast runs along the eastern side of the Westfjords from Hólmavík north to where the road ends before the Hornstrandir reserve. It is one of the most remote stretches of road in Iceland and one of the most rarely visited parts of the Westfjords.
Hólmavík and the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft
Hólmavík is the largest town on the Strandir coast, with a population of around 350. It is home to the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft, which documents the 17th-century witch trials in Iceland. Between 1604 and 1720, 21 people were burned at the stake in Iceland for sorcery — 20 of them men.
The museum displays original magical staves, a replica pair of necropants (trousers made from a dead man's skin, used in a sorcery ritual for wealth), and documents relating to the trials. Entry costs around 1,500 ISK (€10).
Djúpavík and the Abandoned Herring Factory
Djúpavík is a tiny settlement further north on the Strandir coast, accessible via a rough road. It was built around a herring processing factory in the 1930s, which closed when herring stocks collapsed in the 1950s. The factory building still stands, rusting and enormous beside the fjord.
The Icelandic band Sigur Rós performed a concert inside it for their documentary Heima, and the building has since become something of a pilgrimage spot for their fans. A small hotel operates in Djúpavík in summer — one of the most remote places to stay in Iceland.
Krossneslaug — The Remote Hot Pool
At the end of the road on the Strandir coast, close to where it stops before Hornstrandir, is Krossneslaug — a geothermal swimming pool on the edge of the ocean.
The pool is open-air, free to use, and sits directly above the waterline. On a calm day you can look across the sea toward Greenland from inside it. It is one of the most remote swimming pools in Iceland. There are no services nearby — bring everything you need.
Additional Stops Worth Adding
Súðavík — Arctic Fox Centre
Súðavík is a small village about 30 kilometres from Ísafjörður. It is home to the Arctic Fox Centre, a non-profit research and exhibition centre dedicated to Iceland's only native land mammal.
The centre has live Arctic foxes in outdoor enclosures that visitors can observe at close range, as well as exhibits on fox biology, behaviour, and the history of fox hunting in Iceland. Entry is around 1,500 ISK (€10).
Þingeyri — Oldest Village and the Sandafell Ski Area
Þingeyri is one of the oldest villages in the Westfjords, inhabited since the 18th century. It sits on a spit of land in the Dýrafjörður fjord. The village has a historic Norwegian-built café called Simbahöllin, set inside a 100-year-old house with an original interior.
Above the village is the Sandafell ski area — a small ski slope used by locals in winter with a simple drag lift. The 49-kilometre Fossfjörður cycling loop starts and ends in Þingeyri, running around the peninsula between Dýrafjörður and Arnarfjörður.
Drangsnes Hot Pots
The village of Drangsnes on the Strandir coast has three small geothermal hot pots set directly on the rocky shore next to the sea. They are free to use, open at all hours, and maintained by the village.
Water temperature sits around 38 to 42 degrees Celsius. On clear days you can see across the bay to the mountains on the opposite shore. They are accessible from the road and easy to find — one of the simplest and most rewarding stops on the Strandir coast.
Best Time to Visit the Westfjords
Summer — June to August
The best time to visit for access, weather, and wildlife. All roads are open, the ferry to Hornstrandir runs daily, puffins are at Látrabjarg, and daylight is near-continuous.
Average temperatures range from 8 to 14 degrees Celsius. This is the only time Hornstrandir is accessible. July and August see the most visitors — though "most visitors" in the Westfjords still means very few compared to anywhere on the Ring Road.
Autumn — September to October
Puffins leave by late August. The Hornstrandir ferry stops running. Roads are still open but some higher passes may close temporarily in early snowfall. Daylight drops to around 10 to 12 hours by October.
The landscape turns rust and amber. Northern Lights become visible on clear nights from September. Crowds, already minimal, drop further. A good period for driving the fjords and the Strandir coast without other tourists.
Winter — November to March
Several roads in the Westfjords close due to avalanche risk in winter, including some sections connecting main villages.
The road to Látrabjarg and Dynjandi is not accessible. Ísafjörður itself remains open year-round and is reachable by flight. Heli-skiing is available from Ísafjörður in winter — the steep mountains descending directly to the fjords create ski runs that end at the waterline, which is unique to this region.
Daylight is very limited, around 4 to 6 hours in December. The Northern Lights are frequently visible over the dark fjords on clear nights.
Spring — April to May
Snow begins to melt from April. Some roads reopen through May. Waterfalls, including Dynjandi, are at high volume from snowmelt. Puffins begin arriving at Látrabjarg from mid-May.
The Hornstrandir ferry usually begins running in late June — not May. Spring is the quietest period with improving access. Expect cold temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius and variable road conditions.
How to Get to the Westfjords
By Car from Reykjavík
Driving from Reykjavík to Ísafjörður takes around 6 to 7 hours — approximately 454 kilometres via Route 1 and Route 60. The drive itself passes through some of the most dramatic landscapes in Iceland. Route 60, which enters the Westfjords from the south, winds along fjord edges with sharp drops to the water below. All main roads are paved, but many secondary roads in the region are gravel.
A 4WD is not required in summer for the main routes, but is advisable for reaching Hornstrandir ferry terminals, Krossneslaug, and some routes on the Strandir coast. In winter, a 4WD with winter tyres is essential. Check road.is before any drive in shoulder seasons.
By Plane
Domestic flights from Reykjavík Domestic Airport to Ísafjörður Airport take about 40 minutes. Icelandair / Air Iceland Connect operates the route twice daily in summer and once daily in winter.
Flying in cuts the travel time significantly and is a practical option if your time in the Westfjords is limited to Ísafjörður and the surrounding area. Renting a car in Ísafjörður is still necessary to reach most sights.
By Ferry
The Ferry Baldur crosses Breiðafjörður Bay between Stykkishólmur on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and Brjánslækur on the southern Westfjords coast. The crossing takes around 3 hours and runs once or twice daily depending on the season.
In summer the ferry stops at Flatey Island, a small island famous for its birdlife. You can carry your car on the ferry. This route is a good option if you are combining Snæfellsnes and the Westfjords in one loop without backtracking to Reykjavík.
Where to Stay
Ísafjörður is the most practical base, with the most accommodation options — guesthouses, a hotel, and apartments. Patreksfjörður in the south of the Westfjords is a good base for visiting Látrabjarg and Rauðasandur, with a hotel (Fosshotel Westfjords) and guesthouses.
Hólmavík is a useful stop if you are exploring the Strandir coast. Accommodation across the Westfjords is sparse and books out quickly in July and August — reserving well in advance is important.