Award-Winning West Fjords

Award-Winning West Fjords
The most famous unknown place in Iceland


It was for good reasons that the ‘Lonely Planet’ guide put this area in its list of the top 10 regions of the world to visit in 2011 and it won a ‘European Destination of Excellence’ (EDEN) award.

A very sparsely populated region of Iceland, it is home to the Arctic fox, a dizzying variety of birdlife and a nature that is simply breathtaking. With precipitous cliffs that plunge almost vertically to the deep blue seas below, its multitude of beautiful fjords, its hot springs, pure streams and waterfalls, it’s a place for the nature-lover to be awed by its silence and tranquility, pierced only by the birds.

Although a region easy to get to, once there, the isolation and untouched beauty is best explored by hiking, horse riding or kayaking. After a day enjoying this nature, it is always nice to relax in the hot springs, well known for their healing properties, dine in one of the numerous restaurants or cafés or to go fishing under the midnight sun or Northern Lights.


The tiny, picturesque villages dotted around the fjords and the main town of Ísafjörður welcome visitors with campsites, guesthouses and hotels. There is much history here, too, worth investigating.

Photo: Friðþjófur Helgason