Heimaey Island Tour

The Westman Islands are situated just off the south coast of Iceland. On this tour you will see all the main attractions of the island.

Cliff hopping in search of eggs

We leave the perfectly formed natural harbor area with its tall cliffs tenanted by multitudes of puffin, fulmar and guillemot. Both the birds and their eggs are extremely important factors in this community's prosperity. We make our first stop at “Sprangan”, a cliff where young islanders are taught the local sport of rope swinging. The sport has evolved from the islanders’ age old tradition of egg-collecting and to this day local men hop from ledge to ledge collecting eggs attached to a lifeline held by an anchor man at the top of the cliff.

We continue to Herjólfsdalur valley, with ruins of old farmhouses dating back to the year 650 AD. As we drive along the western part of the island, you’ll see the outer islands. The youngest of the group, “Surtsey”, was born in the volcanic eruption of 1963. Our next stop is “Stórhöfdi” with its magnificent views over the island and majestic glaciers of mainland Iceland. During spring and early summer, Stórhöfdi is home to the largest puffin colony on Heimaey.

Into the heart of the volcano

On the way back we will drive between two volcanoes, the 5 000 year old “Helgafell” (Holy Mountain) and the considerably younger Eldfell or Mt. Fire with a history that is somewhat more recent; In 1973, a massive eruption began and almost all of the 5 000 inhabitants were safely evacuated to the mainland. There wil be a stop at the viewpoint located at the base of this volcano. We continue over the new lava fields into the very centre of the volcano’s crater. From the crater we drive into town passing the ruins of a house buried in the lava.

• Duration: Approx. 2.5 hrs.
• Level: 1
• Language: English/German
• Remark: Not suitable for wheelchair users