Westfjords-South It's a wonderful place

Vatnsfjörður nature reserve is an area of total 20.000 ha. 80% of the area is rocky and barren but the lowlands is mostly covered with birchwood. From Vatnsfjörður it's perfect to visit most of the Westfjords. It takes you about one and a half hour to drive either to Látrabjarg, to Selárdalur or even to Ísafjörður. it takes you half an hour to drive to Dynjandi and it's a one hour sail from Brjánslækur to Flatey island.

The Ketildalir valleys are on the southern shore of the fjord Arnarfjordur. The best know of those valleys is probably Selardalur, a very popular destination because of the sculptures and buildings raised by the naivité artist Samuel Jonsson. Samuel is referred to as "the artist with the infantile heart". When he retired at the age of 72 in 1958, he pursued his dreams and became an artist. Mostly he created sculptures from concrete and carried the sand on his back from the shore to his farm Brautarholt. In his backyard, among other things, he has replicated the Lions Court in Alhambra.

Selardalur also offers a wonderful panoramic view across Arnarfjordur, over to the 1000 metres high Kaldbakur Mountain, the highest mountain in the Westfjords.

In Fossfjörður, one of the offshooting fjords of Arnarfjörður you will find the A house. A small charming house that has been a social media sensation and very popular among travellers and photographers. The abondoned house has a particullar shape and its charming location has caught the eye of many of the people driving the coarse roads of the Westfjords.

One of Europes biggest bird cliffs, a home to birds in unfathomable numbers. This westernmost point of Iceland is really a line of several cliffs, 14 kilometres long and up to 441 m high. And it's as steep as it gets, dizzyingly so. Safe from foxes, the birds are fearless, and provide stunning photographic opportunities from close range. Bird photography for dummies, you might say. The puffins are particularly tame and are the ones frequenting the grassy, higher part of the cliffs. But look out, the edges are fragile and loose and the fall is high.
Látrabjarg is thus deservedly the most visited tourist attraction in the Westfjords. The cliffs are easily accessible by car and when you're there, a walk along the cliffs awaits. The whirling sensation will not fade, and neither will the memories.

Rauðasandur (Red Sand) is precisely that: a beach with endless red sand. Well, not endless but 10 km is a lot. The magnificent hues of the sand differ with daylight and weather, and the beach is the biggest pearl in a string of coves with sand ranging in colours from white through yellow through red to black, and in coarseness from very fine to sole-hurting chips of seashells. Just pure sand enlivened by countless seabirds and seals, an oasis with unique tranquility. Forget everything, except maybe getting the perfect shot of the ever-changing hues of yellow, orange and red.

Here's just pure sand and unique tranquillity. You might want to step out of the car, get the camera out and start walking on the seemingly endless beach.

If no, why not enjoy a cup of coffee in the French café and look at the spectacular view were Snæfellsjökull glacier in Sæfellsnes peninsula imperiousl rivets your attention in the background.

Hellulaug is a geothermal pool, located just off the highway, close to the beach in Vatnsfjörður. It is quite lovely to chill out in the pool(38°/100,4 F) while looking out over the fjord.
The pool cannot be seen from the road, but there is a parking lot next to the path that leads to Hellulaug. The pool is 60 cm deep.

Garðar BA is Iceland's oldest steel ship now placed on the beach near Patreksfjörður. The ship is a popular stop for travellers. The peculiar location of the ship and it's industrial and rustic surface makes it an interesting photography location. Originally the ship came to Iceland during WWII and got the name Siglunes SI 89. In 1963 the ship's engine was recplaced and it's name changed to Garðar BA 64. In 1981 the ship was in bad condition and declared unsafe for service. It now lies in Skápadalur in Patreksfjörður in a shallow shore.

In Reykjarfjordur a full-size swimming pool is visible from the main road. The water is warm all year round due to geothermal energy. Just above the pool, a cozy natural pool lies almost hidden. A real gem in Arnarfjordur. Facilities for changing of clothes is next to the swimming pool.

Breiðavík is situated on the way to Látrabjarg. When you drive over the mountain pass from Örlygshöfn you will come down in the creek of Breiðavík. In the creek there is a church and a Hotel, named Hótel Breiðavík. We recommend that you should stop there on the way to or from Látrabjarg and walk down to the beach. It's also quite unique to see the sand that the wind has blown all the way to the mountaintops on eiter end of the beach.

The old blacksmith shop in Bíldudalur dates back to 1895 to when Pétur Thorsteinsson, one of the most sucessfull entrepreneur for business in Iceland, built his empire here in Bíldudalur.

The shop was used for over a 100 years and today guests are welcome to visit the shop and get a feel on how life was here in the old fishing village years ago.

Open on specific hours over the summer. Guided tours on request for groups or visitors outside of opening hours.

In Patreksfjörður fjord there is a small beautiful waterfall.

Þingmannaá river runs from Þingmannadalur valley down to Vatnsfjörður fjord. In the rivers canyons you will find charming waterfalls, explorers can walk behind one of the waterfalls and view it from behind the cascading water. One of these waterfalls had a role in the television show Nonni and Manni from 1990. A parking lot is located about 100 meters from the road and to reach the waterfall, a 5 minute walk from the parking lot.

Iceland owes its name to Hrafna-Flóki or Raven-Floki. After a long navigation from Norway, he took land in Vatnsfjörður fjord. As a navigational aid, he brought some ravens along, which he let loose at sea, directing him to land (hence the nickname). Flóki only stayed for one winter, as he was not prepared for the cold and hardship. They lost many animals during the stay and understandably got disgruntled. In the spring, Flóki hiked to a nearby mountain top. Seeing the surrounding fjords all full of ice, he announced that this cold and inhospitable place should be called Iceland.

There is a hotel at Flókalundur with a restaurant and gas-station. A memorable natural pool is down by the sea.

Suðureyri is located in the district of Tálknafjarðarhreppur. Suðureyri is situated on the south side of the fjord of Tálknafjörður and was the location of an old whaling station built at the end of the 19th century by Norwegian whale hunters. The station was on and off operation for around 50 years until the year 1939 and is now deserted. During its busiest times around 110 people lived and worked at the station. Today the great buildings are grand monuments of times past.

Surtarbrandsgil (e. Lignite canyon) was put on the Icelandic environment protection list as a natural phenomenon in 1975. The main reason for the protection was to pretect the fossils of the flora which was to be found in mud and lignite layers between the basalt layers. Thease plant fossils are from the tertier time.

Fossfjörður is one of the the offshoot fjords of Arnarfjörður, it is the westernmost of the so called "Suðurfirðir" the Southern Fjords. These are Bíldudalsvogur, Fossfjörður, Reykjarfjörður, Trostansfjörður and Geirþjófsfjörður. In Fossfjörður is a farm called Foss and also a waterfall carrying the same name, wich actually means waterfall. So in waterfall fjord you will wind a farm called waterfall aswell as a waterfall called waterfall. Confusing ? Maybe a little. In Fossfjörður you will also stumble up on the so called A-house, wich has been a popular pitstop among travellers and photographers. This abandoned house is unique for its shape and location.

On the southern shore of Patreksfjörður fjord you will find beautiful Örlygshöfn - a wide vista of seashore encompassing a thick finger of yellow sand, which makes the fjord water look tropical blue on sunny days. Here you are also very close to the Egill Ólafsson museum, which is a fascinating and eclectic look at aspects of life in the southern Westfjords - including an American plane and a Viking boat! The museum has been there for over 30 years and also features a café and various temporary exhibitions.