The Westfjords at a glance
- Where
- Iceland's northwest peninsula, off the Ring Road
- Main port
- Ísafjörður, in Skutulsfjörður
- Látrabjarg
- About 14 km long, rising to roughly 440 m
- Dynjandi
- A stepped waterfall of about 100 m into Arnarfjörður
- Hornstrandir
- Roadless nature reserve; arctic foxes, no piers
- Season
- Late May to early September for sailings
Why Are the Westfjords Best Seen from a Ship?
Because the geography fights the road. Fjord after fjord means long detours on gravel and mountain passes, several of the best sites have no road at all, and Hornstrandir has neither roads nor piers. A ship arrives at the front door of places a car has to give up on.
Látrabjarg
Europe's largest bird cliff, about 14 km long and up to 440 m high, with puffins, razorbills and guillemots ashore from mid-May.
Dynjandi
A stepped waterfall falling roughly 100 m into Arnarfjörður, widening as it drops, with smaller falls on the approach.
Hornstrandir Nature Reserve
Roadless, pierless wilderness with protected arctic foxes and tundra hiking. Reached by Zodiac.
Ísafjörður
The region's main town and expedition port, inside Skutulsfjörður, with kayaking and a working harbour.
Vigur Island
A small island with eider ducks, puffins and standing nineteenth-century Icelandic buildings.
We can put that concretely. We reached the Westfjords aboard the Ocean Diamond during our circumnavigation from 27 May to 5 June 2022, and on two separate land trips — including ten days in April 2023 — we never got to the far Westfjords at all. That is not a failure of planning; it is what the region does to a driving itinerary.
If you only take one thing from our experience of Iceland, it is this: the Westfjords are the part of the argument for a ship that does not need any help.
What Is at the Látrabjarg Bird Cliffs?
Europe's largest bird cliff, roughly 14 kilometres long and rising to about 440 metres, holding enormous numbers of puffins, razorbills and guillemots. Puffins are ashore from mid-May to mid or late August, and they nest close enough to the cliff edge to be photographed without a long lens.
Our own puffin pictures come from the end of May, when the birds were already established on the grass above the sea. Sit still and they carry on around you; walk at them and they leave. Keeping back from the cliff edge matters for your own sake too — the turf is undercut in places.
Species and season detail is in when to visit Iceland.
Is Dynjandi Worth the Stop?
Yes. Dynjandi drops around 100 metres into Arnarfjörður in a broad stepped fan, widening as it falls, with smaller falls below it on the walk up. It is the Westfjords' best-known waterfall and quiet compared with anything of similar scale on the south coast.
It is reachable by road, but the road is the point: getting there by car is a long day out of a Ring Road itinerary, whereas a ship calling in Arnarfjörður or Ísafjörður makes it an excursion.
What Makes Hornstrandir Different?
It is a roadless nature reserve with no piers, abandoned as farmland and left to itself. Arctic foxes are protected here and often visible in daylight, and the hiking is tundra and cliff with no infrastructure. Access is effectively by small boat and Zodiac only.
This was the landing that justified the ship for us. Zodiacs put us ashore where there was no way to arrive from land, no other visitors, and no built anything.
It is also where ship size shows. Under roughly 200 guests everyone lands in one operation; above that it becomes rotations, and a short turn ashore in Hornstrandir is a poor version of the day — see the Iceland cruise guide.
What Is There at Ísafjörður and Vigur?
Ísafjörður is the Westfjords' main town, set inside Skutulsfjörður beneath steep walls, and the region's principal port for expedition calls, kayaking and excursions. Vigur is a small island with eider ducks, puffins and nineteenth-century Icelandic buildings still standing.
Ísafjörður is also where you get a sense of what living out here means: a working harbour, a museum in old timber warehouses, and mountains closing off the road in three directions.
Which Voyages Include the Westfjords?
Full circumnavigations of 10 to 11 days call at Ísafjörður as a matter of course. Dedicated 7 to 9-day Westfjords and north coast voyages spend longer here and usually add Hornstrandir. Iceland–Greenland crossings pass through the region on the way to the Denmark Strait.
Route detail is in Iceland cruise itineraries, and the road alternative in the Ring Road guide.
Westfjords questions
Can you drive to the Westfjords?
Parts of it, yes, but it is a long detour off the Ring Road over gravel and mountain passes, and Hornstrandir has no road at all. We have driven Iceland twice and never reached the far Westfjords by car.
When are the puffins at Látrabjarg?
Mid-May to mid or late August, with June and July strongest. They nest close to the cliff edge, so they are visible without long lenses.
How do you get ashore at Hornstrandir?
By Zodiac from a small expedition ship. There are no roads and no piers, which is exactly why it is empty.
Are arctic foxes reliable in Hornstrandir?
They are protected here and often active in daylight, which makes sightings more likely than elsewhere in Iceland — but never guaranteed.
Is a Westfjords-only voyage better than a circumnavigation?
It is the better second Iceland trip, or the better first one if seabirds and fjords matter more than covering the island. A full loop shows you more contrast.