The road from Iceland’s capital to Ísafjördur, the capital of the West Fjords, has now been paved all the way. For the sparsely populated peninsula, these improvements are a significant stepping stone on the way to better transportation, a press release states.
From Vigur island in the West Fjords. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
If you’ve headed to the West Fjords on a previous occasion (or have an old map) note that the left-turn comes much earlier than it used to, soon after you’ve driven through the town of Borgarnes (approximately a 45-minute drive from Reykjavík).
This makes the small town of Búdardalur a logical stop on the way. The town, a center for regional agriculture and famous for its exquisite dairy products, has a gallery-cum-information center at Leifsbúd, named after Viking explorer Leifur Eiríksson.
The farm where he lived, Eiríksstadir, has been rebuilt using hypothesized building techniques. You can drop by there and see how things are imagined to have been a thousand years ago. The museum has Viking clothes, weapons and other objects on display.
There are many other things to experience along the way but once in Ísafjördur, the most common activity is a boat tour of some kind. Many visitors take the daily tour to the island Vigur with its rich birdlife. Another big attraction in the region is the Hornstrandir nature reserve.
Click here for further information on what to see and do in the West Fjords.
