The Region
- When you look at a map of Iceland, you see an oddly shaped peninsula, frilly around the edges, connected to the northwest coast by a narrow isthmus. Millions of years ago, when much of the Earth was covered by ice, the bodies of water we call fjords were created by glaciers displacing the land they were on with their enormous bulk as they moved slowly onward. When the glaciers melted, the deep fissures they had scooped out, often with steep cliffs on either side, filled up with meltwater. This peninsula is Iceland's Westfjords region, and every indentation on its coastline represents a sapphire-blue fjord.
Towns and Villages
- Here's how small the population of Westfjords -- 7,400 people -- is: If they all went to a game at Yankee Stadium, they'd only occupy a seventh of the seats. The region's capital and its largest town is Isafjordur, population 2,636, but you're not restricted to staying there because everywhere people are found, you'll also find accommodations. Even the tiniest settlement, Bordeyri, population 20, extends its hospitality to visitors with both a guesthouse and a campsite. Judging by the number of museums, the inhabitants of Westfjords are fanatical about preserving their unique culture. For example, Bildudalur, population 187, and notable for its exceptionally fine summer weather, has two: the Sea Monster Museum and Melodies of the Past, dedicated to Icelandic musical memorabilia.
Latrabjarg Bird Cliff
- "National Geographic" calls Latrabjarg "one of the world's greatest bird cliffs." Accessible by car about 37 miles from the village of Patreksfjordur, the cliffs are 1,457 feet high, 8.7 miles long and, in summer, the site of a nest-fest for millions of seabirds. Puffins, black and white birds with colorful beaks and face markings, are the main attraction, but razorbill, two species of guillemot and arctic terns also flock here. Latrabjarg's puffins are so unafraid of people that you have to take care not to step on them, says Icelandic travel blogger Hjörtur Smarason. You also have to be careful not to fall over the edge, as a German tourist did in 2010, he notes.
Natural Hot Springs
- In Iceland, dynamic interaction between glaciers and underwater volcanoes has forced countless hot springs to the surface. Here, bathing in the geothermal water of hot springs is as much of an institution as saunas are in Finland. Throughout the Westfjords, springs come in all shapes and sizes, but for location, two in the Strandir coastal district merit special mention. When you soak your aches and pains away at the Krossneslaug hot spring, you're only a few feet away from the icy, crashing waves of the North Atlantic. Secondly, Gvendarlaug's hot spring, blessed by an Icelandic saint in the 12th century and said to have miraculous healing properties, is right beside something else you'll really want to see -- the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft.
