3-Day Westfjords Tour From Reykjavík
Dynjandi is 356 km from Reykjavík and roughly a 5-hour drive, which is why nobody sees it on a day trip. This tour solves that by giving the region three days: a Viking longhouse and a geothermal pool on day one, the Látrabjarg cliffs, the red sands of Rauðasandur and Dynjandi on day two, then a cliff-top skywalk and the Seven Fjords Road home. Eighteen people maximum, two nights in en-suite rooms, $1,103.41.
About the Tour
Pickup 08:30–09:00 on day one, back in Reykjavík around 20:30 on day three
Per person, including two nights' accommodation and two entry fees
A minibus rather than a coach, with USB chargers and Wi-Fi on board
Two nights with breakfast, one of them in Ísafjörður
Iceland's westernmost point and its best-known puffin cliff in summer
The seven-step fall the operator calls the waterfall ladder
Check Departure Dates
Live availability for the three-day trip. Summer departures only, and eighteen seats per departure means they close early in July and August.
What the Three Days Cover
Day one: the road in
Pickup runs between 08:30 and 09:00 in Reykjavík, then north to Borgarnes and Eiríksstaðir, the reconstructed turf longhouse where Eirik the Red lived and where his son Leif is said to have been born. Entry is included.
After that the road reaches Breiðafjörður and the Westfjords proper. The Vatnsfjörður reserve brings the Þingmanná waterfalls and a canyon; Birkimelur brings a beach and an optional stop at Krosslaug, a geothermal pool run by the local youth association where the entry is a voluntary donation in the box. Pack swimwear and a towel, which are not provided.
The day ends over Kleifaheiði, past the five-metre stone figure called Kleifabúi that the road builders left behind. If you are heading to Ísafjörður anyway, Dynjandi waterfall trips from Ísafjörður cover the same waterfall in half a day.
Day two: cliffs, red sand and the waterfall
Látrabjarg first: the westernmost point in Iceland, fourteen kilometres of cliff up to 440 metres high, and in summer the easiest place in the country to sit a few metres from a puffin. The Garðar shipwreck sits on the shore on the way, beached in 1981 and left there.
Then Rauðasandur, where the sand runs red and gold rather than black because it is crushed scallop shell, and the tide moves the shoreline by hundreds of metres.
Dynjandi comes in the afternoon. The operator's own description calls it the wedding-cake cascade with a seven-step waterfall ladder, which is as good a summary as anyone manages. The night is spent in Ísafjörður, the capital of the Westfjords.
Day three: the skywalk and the long way home
Morning starts on top of Bolafjall at 638 metres, on the steel platform built out over the cliff, with Hornstrandir and the Arctic to the north. Then Ósvör, the turf-roofed fishing station, and the Óshólar lighthouse.
The drive back runs the Seven Fjords Road, which traces the coastline in and out of seven fjords one after another. Arctic foxes live along it, and the Arctic Fox Center is an included stop if none show themselves. Hvítanes is one of the easiest places in the region to see seals, and the last stop is at the Grábrók craters before Reykjavík at about 20:30.
What's Included and What Isn't
In the $1,103.41
Two nights of accommodation is the bulk of it, and the reason the headline number looks the way it does.
- Guided minibus tour in English, limited to 18 people
- Pickup and drop-off in Reykjavík, from your hotel or the nearest meeting point
- Two nights in a private room with en-suite bathroom, breakfast included
- Entry to the Eiríksstaðir Viking longhouse
- Entry to the Arctic Fox Center
- Wi-Fi and a USB charger at every seat
Not in the price
Lunch and dinner are on you. The tour makes scheduled stops so people can buy food, which in the Westfjords means a village shop or a petrol station as often as a restaurant.
Swimwear and a towel are yours to bring for the pool stops, and the Krosslaug donation is voluntary cash in any currency. Nothing else is charged on the road.
The Route, Day by Day
-
Day 1, 08:30
Reykjavík pickup
Hotel or nearest meeting point, confirmed within 24 hours of booking.
-
Day 1
Eiríksstaðir and Breiðafjörður
The Viking longhouse, then the coastal cliffs at the gateway to the Westfjords.
-
Day 1
Vatnsfjörður, Birkimelur, Kleifaheiði
Þingmanná waterfalls, a sandy bay, an optional soak at Krosslaug, and the Kleifabúi statue.
-
Day 2
Látrabjarg and the Garðar wreck
Iceland's westernmost point, puffins on the cliff edge through the summer.
-
Day 2
Rauðasandur and Fossfjörður
Red and gold shell sand, the A-House, and the fjord waterfall.
-
Day 2
Dynjandi, then Ísafjörður
The seven-step fall in the afternoon, then a night in the Westfjords capital.
-
Day 3
Bolafjall and Ósvör
The 638-metre skywalk over the cliff, the turf fishing huts, the Óshólar lighthouse.
-
Day 3, ~20:30
Seven Fjords Road to Reykjavík
Arctic Fox Center, seals at Hvítanes, the Grábrók craters, then the capital.
Important Things to Know
It runs in whatever the weather does
The operator states the tour operates under all weather conditions and asks for warm, windproof and waterproof clothing. In the Westfjords in summer that means rain that arrives sideways and a cliff top ten degrees colder than the car park.
Day three's return is estimated at 20:30 and depends on weather and road conditions. If you have a flight out of Keflavík that evening, book the next morning instead.
What to pack
Three days, two of them a long way from any shop that sells what you forgot.
- Waterproof jacket and trousers, not a showerproof layer
- Boots with grip for the Dynjandi path and the cliff edges at Látrabjarg
- Swimwear and a towel for Krosslaug and any other pool stop
- Cash in any currency for the Krosslaug donation box
- Binoculars if you care about the puffins, and a windproof hat for the clifftops
- Money for lunch and dinner, which are not included on any of the three days
Puffins have a season, and it is shorter than the summer
Látrabjarg is a puffin cliff from roughly late April to early August. By the middle of August the birds have left for the open sea and the cliff is still spectacular and considerably emptier.
If the puffins are why you are booking, take a June or July departure. If the landscape is the point, late August and early September bring lighter traffic and better colour on the hillsides.
Where the Tour Goes
Reykjavík to Breiðafjörður, out to Látrabjarg and Rauðasandur, north to Dynjandi and Ísafjörður, then home on the Seven Fjords Road.
Who This Tour Is Best For
Book it if
This is a region trip that happens to include a famous waterfall, not a waterfall trip that takes three days.
- You have no car and want the Westfjords rather than the Golden Circle
- Látrabjarg puffins and Rauðasandur matter to you as much as Dynjandi
- Driving 356 km each way on gravel and mountain passes does not appeal
- You would rather someone else booked the rooms and watched the road reports
Not ideal for
Most people who search for Dynjandi should not book this.
- Anyone already in Ísafjörður, where the falls cost $79.71 and half a day
- Cruise passengers, since the ship leaves long before day two
- Travellers who want to set their own pace at each stop
- Anyone with a flight out on the evening of day three, given the 20:30 return
Questions Before You Book
How far is Dynjandi from Reykjavík?
About 356 km by road, which is roughly a 5-hour drive without stops and longer if you use the Breiðafjörður ferry. That distance is why the waterfall is not a day trip from the capital and why this tour spreads the region across three days. Every route to the falls is mapped out if you would rather drive it yourself.
What is included in the $1,103.41?
Guided minibus transport, pickup and drop-off in Reykjavík, two nights in a private en-suite room with breakfast, entry to the Eiríksstaðir Viking longhouse and the Arctic Fox Center, and Wi-Fi with a USB charger at every seat. Lunch and dinner are not included.
How big is the group?
Limited to 18 people in a minibus, which is small enough to stop where a coach cannot and to reach the Látrabjarg road. Departures are summer only and the seats go early for June and July.
Will I see puffins at Látrabjarg?
Between roughly late April and early August, yes, and at close range: Látrabjarg is one of the easiest seabird cliffs in Iceland to approach. After mid-August the birds leave for the open ocean and the cliff is scenery rather than wildlife.
What time does the tour get back to Reykjavík?
Around 20:30 on day three, and the operator flags that this depends on weather and road conditions. Do not book an evening flight from Keflavík on the same day.
Is there a shorter way to see Dynjandi?
Yes, if you can get to Ísafjörður. Half-day trips from the town run 3.5 to 4 hours from $79.71, starting with the bus day trip that gives ninety minutes at the falls.
What Travellers Wrote
This trip is truly amazing. It offers a completely different side of Iceland. The Westfjords are still wild, unspoiled, and far from the crowds. Our guide was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and always willing to help, while also giving us plenty of free time to explore at our own pace.
One of the best travel experiences in my life. There is no better way to experience the grandeur and sheer wonder of the untamed Westfjords. The tour was well paced, rich in stimulating and extraordinary activities and sights, and with plenty of opportunities to do my own little exploration in the evenings too.