| |
Daybreak |
Dusk |
| Jan. |
10:03 |
16:59 |
| Feb. |
09:13 |
18:11 |
| March |
07:46 |
19:35 |
| April |
05:55 |
21:10 |
| May |
03:50 |
23:04 |
| June |
24 hr. |
daylight |
| July |
24 hr. |
daylight |
| Aug. |
03:06 |
23:57 |
| Sept. |
05:17 |
21:35 |
| Oct. |
06:50 |
19:43 |
| Nov. |
08:18 |
18:03 |
| Dec. |
09:36 |
16:57 |
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| The North West Fjords |
| Ice Age glaciers almost severed this remote part of Iceland from the rest of the island, leaving its topography a tortured jumble of fjords and precipitous mountains. With little flat land suitable for farming, the region's inhabitants look to the sea for their livelihood. For visitors the fjords and their colourful fishing villages are an attraction in themselves. Add to these, beautiful golden sand beaches, huge colonies of cliff-nesting sea birds and the thrill of some truly wild hiking areas and you have one of the most alluring, yet least visited, parts of the island. |
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| Isafjordur |
Centre for the North West Fjords and only town of size, Isafjordur (pop. 3,000) sits on a spit of land at the foot of imposing Eyrafjall. Developing as a trading post in the 18th century, the town quickly became a centre for the budding fishing industry. Its superb fjord scenery makes it a great base for a few days' stay and sightseeing in town includes the excellent local maritime museum .Visitors can also cruise the islands and inlets of Isafjardardjup, which teem with sea birds, or tour by coach the fjords south of the town.
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| Exploring the Fjords |
| Dynjandi is among Iceland's most admired falls. Also known as Fjallfoss, the impressive waterfall tumbles off the side of a mountain in a fan shape, with a drop of 100m in several stages. Neighbouring Dyrafjordur and Arnafjordur are especially scenic fjords linked by a switchback mountain road. Golden sand beaches and plentiful bird life are typical of the south coast which is dominated at its western extremity by the 14km long Latrabjarg bird cliffs. The most extensive in Iceland, the cliffs are home to millions of breeding puffins, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and fulmars - a wild, windswept, but hauntingly beautiful spot. |
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| The Strandir Coast |
| Exploring the stunning eastern shore of the West Fjords region is to step back in time. Fishing and a handful of sheep farms employ most of the coast's 1000 inhabitants, who also collect the huge amounts of driftwood washed over from Scandinavia and Siberia and maintain a centuries old tradition of shark curing. Just north of the fishing town and regional centre of Holmavik, the main route continues to Isafjordur, while a lonely coast road winds through the fjords and ever more dramatic scenery to the abandoned herring station at Djupavik and beyond, where it peters out at the last of the farms. Visitor facilities are limited but for those who relish the wilder side of Iceland, the coast has a lure of its own. |
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| Hornstrandir & Jokulfirdir |
Reached by boat from Isafjordur these uninhabited fjords north of the town are a nature reserve protecting birds, wild flowers and the elusive arctic fox. The region is excellent for hiking, but visitor facilities are very limited. The only icecap in the north of Iceland, 70 sq km Drangajokull, is found here along with abandoned villages, farms and churches, which are being restored by descendents of those who once lived there.
The west of Iceland is less well known, and consequently less visited, than other parts of Iceland. Yet, it can boast spectacular coastal scenery, several icecaps and its share of waterfalls, pristine salmon rivers and hot springs.
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| © RTH Sigurdsson |
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Iceland
