The Adventurer’s Guide to the Westfjords, Iceland

You’ll start your visit at Ísafjörður, the unofficial gateway to Iceland’s Westfjords. Known for its dramatic landscapes, expect a charming fishing town with wooden houses dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Ísafjörður is considered the largest settlement in Iceland’s Westfjords and the capital of this region, often serving as a jumping-off point for travelers to explore more remote areas.

On your first day in town, take in the spectacular views – which you can enjoy from the comfort of your room at the Hótel Ísafjörður – and stop by the Westfjord History Museum for an introduction to this part of the country. 

For dinner, grab a table at Tjoruhusid, considered the best seafood restaurant in town as it notably serves only fish caught that very same day.

After a day spent exploring Ísafjörður, take time to explore the wild nature of the Westfjords. 

The Hornstrandir Nature Reserve is a windswept landscape where flowering meadows, ocean views, nesting seabirds and arctic foxes await. With hiking trails ranging from easy to moderate, a visit to Hornstrandir Nature Reserve will take you toward activities such as looking for hidden arctic fox dens. Hornstrandir is only reachable by boat, which you can book in Ísafjörður. 

Your boat will take you to Hornvik, a place where you’ll be greeted with a stunning black sand beach that doubles as a camping location for travelers. 

From here, you can hike up to the famous Hornbjarg, a place which is considered the northernmost tip of Iceland. Hornbjarg ("bjarg" means cliff in Icelandic) is home to nearly a million seabirds – yes, one million! The bird cliff plays host to guillemots and kittiwakes, as well as the ever-popular puffin. As you look up towards the squawking birds, make sure to scan the ocean since whales can sometimes be seen from this vantage point in North Iceland.

Látrar was a fishing village in the 19th and 20th-century. In its heyday, this once-thriving fisherman’s village was home to 120 inhabitants, but over time, people left until Látrar was abandoned by 1952. Today, travelers make the trip to Látrar to admire its abandoned homes standing in stark contrast to its awe-inspiring surroundings. 

Nearby, don't miss ​​Latrabjarg, a destination which is Iceland's largest sea cliff stretching nearly nine miles and peaking at a height of 1,447 feet. This majestic cliff's claim to fame is that it is the westernmost point in Europe and hosts Iceland's greatest concentration of seabirds. Each year, the puffin season in Latrabjarg starts from the middle of May until late August. The cliffs also make a stunning viewpoint for Aurora Borealis during Northern Lights Season, but hikers should beware as the bird cliff edges are fragile and it is a long drop to the beautiful beaches below.

Considered a paradise for hikers, Hesteyri – like Látrar – was once a thriving town that was abandoned by locals in the 1950s. Today, many of the original residents still maintain their old Hesteyri homes, using them as summer getaways during Iceland’s warmer months. Like much of the Westfjords hidden gems, Hesteyri is only accessible by boat. Yet, it’s truly worth the sail to get here because once you’ve made landfall, you’ll be welcomed with idyllic hikes in a location where there are no cars or roads.

As you explore this ‘edge of the world’ town, you’ll uncover exquisite sandy beaches that are home to Harlequin Ducks. With their unique white, brown, and black patterns, these waterfowl are known to be one of the most spectacular in North America.

Near Hesteyri, you’ll also find the ruins of an old whaling station where Norwegians once processed around 12,000 barrels of whale oil between 1894 and 1915. Thankfully, Iceland has long since passed a law that protects whales in Icelandic waters, temporarily turning this whaling station into a herring processing plant before it finally shut down in 1940.