Self Drive Tour
This tour covers the best of the West including Snæfellsnes Peninsula and the Westfjords in great detail.
The Westfjords Way 9 days
Self Drive Tour
This tour covers the best of the West including Snæfellsnes Peninsula and the Westfjords in great detail.
BP43 Map
Upon your arrival at Keflavik airport, you will be met by your private driver who will take you to your accommodation in Reykjavik. You will be free for the rest of the day to explore Reykjavik, visit museums, landmarks etc. Downtown Reykjavík offers excellent restaurants, cafés, bars and clubs. You might want to join an optional tour if you arrive early. You can visit one of the many Reykjavík’s excellent restaurants for dinner.
Overnight:
Reykjavík
Optional activity:
Reykjavik City Card
Reykjavik Food Tour
Pick up a car in the morning and leave Reykjavik at the eastern outskirts. Drive to the north and around the tranquil Hvalfjörður fjord as it is very scenic and is recommended rather than the tunnel under the fjord. Continue to Borgarnes, a small town at the Borgarfjörður fjord. Continue to the Snæfellsnes peninsula. Enroute, pass the magnificent Eldborg crater as well as a number of other cone shapes craters, before exploring the numerous natural wonders the peninsula has to offer. Head along the south shore of the peninsula towards Arnarstapi, a small fishing hamlet with spectacular coast and sea cliffs with rich birdlife in summer. Continue a short distance to Hellnar with more sea cliffs and varied birdlife. Drive around the tip of the peninsula at the foot of the magnificent Snæfellsjökull icecap and stop at the rocky beaches of Djúpalónssandur and Dritvík.
Driving distance
280 kilometers
Highlights of the day:
Borgarnes town
Stykkishólmur Town
Snæfellsjökull Glacier
Hellnar hamlet
Arnarstapi
Lóndrangar rock formation
Overnight:
Snæfellsnes area
Drive along the south coast of Breiðafjörður Bay to the Dalir region, with Búðardalur being the largest village. Continue to Laugar in Sælingsdalur where you can find the Guðrunarlaug hot spring. Continue driving north to the Westfjords and enjoy the scenic views over Breiðafjörður Bay that this route offers. There are approximately 3000 islands in the Breiðafjörður Bay which offers a rich wildlife. Head to the north coast of Breiðafjörður Bay towards Flókalundur. Close to Flókalundur is the natural hot spring Hellulaug, which is located close to the beach. Continue to Patreksfjörður for an overnight stay.
Driving distance
320 kilometers
Highlights of the day:
Breiðaförður Bay
Látrabjarg Cliff
Overnight:
Patreksfjörður area.
Today you will explore the area around Patreksfjörður. Start by heading to most famous beach of Iceland – Rauðasandur. The unique sand and shell mix gives the beach spectacular yellow-read color. This is a wonderful place to enjoy an amazing bird- and wildlife. During the summer time you may spot seals relaxing at the beach. Next continue to Látrabjarg, one of the most crowded bird cliffs in the world. In summer the 444 m high sea cliffs are occupied by millions of Puffins, Gannets, Guillemots and Razorbills kindly note that the seabirds leave their nests in the cliffs in late summer. Enroute, stop at the interesting folk museum at Hnjótur. Continue to explore Kollsvík, which is surrounded by magnificent scenery.
Driving distance
180 kilometers
Highlights of the day:
Látrabjarg Cliff
Overnight:
Patreksfjörður area.
Drive to the north towards Ísafjörður town. Pass the small charming villages Patreksfjörður, Tálknafjörður and Bíldudalur. Drive across Dynjandisheiði pass and stop at the beautiful waterfall Fjallfoss after crossing the pass. Drive along the shore of the Arnarfjörður Fjord and across the Hrafnseyrarheiði Pass to the fishing village Þingeyri. From Þingeyri across Gemlufallsheiði Pass to Flateyri and then take the tunnel to Ísafjörður, the largest town in the Westfjords. Explore the town of Ísafjörður and its surroundings, the neighboring towns of Bolungarvík and Suðureyri. In summer Kayak tours are available on Ísafjörður Fjord and the Natural History Museum of Bolungarvík is an interesting place to visit.
Driving distance
220 kilometers
Highlights of the day:
Dynjandi Waterfall
Ísafjörður Town
Overnight:
Ísafjörður area
In summer an interesting boat tour to the picturesque Vigur Island is available from Ísafjörður. This is a great experience. Drive along the shores of the numerous and some uninhabited, fjords of Ísafjarðardjúp with beautiful coastlines, teeming with seals and bird life and towards Hólmavík. Hólmavík town in the Standir area is known for its interesting history of witchcraft and sorcery. Visit the Sorcery and Witchcraft Museum for a closer look into witchcraft and witch hunting as it was practiced here in the 17th century. At Drangsnes, a small fishing village at Steigrímsfjörður fjord is a hot outdoor pool with natural hot water, - popular for bathing, where you can take a dip and relax after a day of driving through the Westfjords.
Driving distance
240 kilometers
Highlights of the day:
Hólmavík town
Overnight:
Strandir area
Continue to explore the fjords of Strandir. Begin the day by exploring Bjarnarfjörður fjord, where you will find several farms, some of them no longer used. Visit the natural hot spring named Gvendarlaug and even take a bath. Continue to Reykjarfjörður fjord – this scenic road is usually closed during the winter time due to massive snow. Visit Djúpavík village at the end of the fjord. In the old days Djúpavík was busy fishing town - nowadays, however, the village is quiet as the fishing industry has left from there. Continue to Norðurfjörður fjord where you will find a unique geothermal pool just by the ocean. You can take a hike around this beautiful area, as the road further north ends, drive back to Hólmavík area where you will spend the night again. Please note because of the condition of this road you will drive slowly today and we recommend a 4x4 for this tour.
Driving distance
220 kilometers
Overnight:
Strandir area
Drive along the shoreline to the bottom of Hrútafjörður Fjord and across Holtavörðuheiði plateau to the Borgarfjörður district. Stop at Deildartunguhver hot spring, the largest hot spring in Europe. Continue a short distance further to the historic site Reykholt. Visit the interesting museum at Reykholt and see the hot pool Snorralaug. Further inland visit the beautiful Hraunfossar and Barnafossar Waterfalls. Make the waterfalls a turnaround point and head to Borgarnes town. A visit to the Settlement Centre at Borgarnes is interesting. The prime objective of the Icelandic Settlement Centre at Borgarnes is to recreate the fascinating sagas surrounding the birth of this island nation. Multi-media and theatrical techniques are employed to help the visitor experience firsthand the trepidation and excitement of setting off over the open ocean for lands unknown. Drive along the shores of Hvalfjörður Fjord towards Reykjavik and drop off the car.
Driving distance
340 kilometers
Highlights of the day:
Deildartunguhver
Reykholt
Hraunfossar
Borgarnes town
Overnight:
Reykjavík
Private transfer from the hotel to Keflavik International Airport
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 4
Suitcases: 1
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 4
Suitcases: 1
Doors: 5
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 2
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 2
Doors: 5
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 2
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 2
Doors: 5
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 5
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 3
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 3
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 3
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 3
Doors: 5
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 9
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 4
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 9
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 3