From east fjords to Seyðisfjörður
This morning, the weather was cloudy, and we had a bit of work to do. We had planned to explore the eastern fjords, taking our time to arrive at Seyðisfjörður where we would stay for 5 nights.
Since we planned to travel east, we thought it would be interesting to stay in one place for quite some time. We chose the Aldan Hotel, which was well known in Seyðisfjörður and ideally located. Great value for money and the breakfasts were incredible.
On the road to the Fjörds
We planned to drive up the coast to visit various fjords and small fishing ports such as:
- Djúpivogur
- Breiðdalsvík
- Stöðvarfjörður
- Fáskrúðsfjörður
- Reyðarfjörður
The weather was overcast, but the fjords were magnificent in any light. The small village of Djúpivogur was adorable with its colorful houses and fishing port. We stopped there for a while before heading back on the road to visit the other fjords.
We made a longer stop in the "French fjord", Fáskrúðsfjörður, which has a lot of charm with its references to France everywhere. This village had a seasonal population of French sailors who came to fish on the Icelandic coast until 1914.
Arriving in Seydisfjordur
As planned we arrived in one of the most beautiful fjords in all of Iceland, Seyðisförður, in the early afternoon. We checked in to drop our stuff and after a visit to the village and its rather quiet streets, we decided to go hiking.
Walking along the port heading east, we arrived near the site of a recent disaster. This was where the village experienced a violent landslide last winter due to heavy rains that washed away entire houses. The place had been extensively renovated since then, but traces of the event were still visible.
The weather got a bit cloudy, but we continued our way up to Tvísöngur.
Skálanes and Tvísöngur hikes
The ascent to the Tvísöngur sculptures was quick and in 15 minutes we were on site in front of these 5 amazing domes. We decided to continue the path that climbed above the village in the middle of the tall grass. The trail was well-marked and looped 4 km on the heights, passing several small waterfalls, including the Búðaráfoss waterfall, before returning to the road near the port. From above, we enjoyed a stellar view of the whole village.
Despite the threatening sky, we got back in the car and headed for the Skálanes reserve at the tip of the fjord of the same name. Keep in mind there are two ways to visit Skálanes:
- Start the hike in Austadalur by parking right at the ford sign (8 km hike)
- Cross the small ford and continue driving to the little red Skálanes Farm (1 km hike)
It was now raining, and even though we had planned to take the first option to go along the coast to the Bird Cliff, we decided to cross the ford and take the short walk up to the cliff.
The short trail was again very well marked, and in a few minutes we were birdwatching the cliffs where seagulls, black-tailed barges, phalaropes, and murres nested noisily. We even spotted a whale in the fjord, probably a Minke whale given the shape and size, a real thrill.
It was raining more and more, so we decided to head back to our accommodation to rest and have dinner to be ready for our next day of adventures.
