The Heart of the West Fjords
That day, we planned to leave the southern fjords and follow the western shore, stopping at several small fishing ports and other points of interest we had noted before the trip.
We started mid-morning with a visit to the small Tálknafjörður fjord. A few hundred meters past the village was a new hotpot, Pollurinn. We had seen much more inviting hot springs than this one so we decided to skip it and head toward Bíldudalur, where we took a moment to refuel and do some shopping.
Keep in mind that in the Westfjords, there are far fewer amenities compared to other parts of Iceland: restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets… Restaurants in particular were few and far between, and as a result were often fully booked if you hadn’t made a reservation in advance.
On the Road to Selárdalur
The small Road 619 leading to Selárdalur was beautiful, and we spotted several seals lounging at the tip of the fjord. It took about 45 minutes to get to the famous Árnarfjörður fjord, possibly the most beautiful of all in the region.
Selárdalur is a unique tourist attraction, a strange place that felt completely abandoned, with numerous sculptures and buildings designed by the artist Samúel Jónsson. We took our time exploring this hidden part of Iceland, an intriguing cultural site to say the least.
The Stunning Dynjandi Waterfall
Back on Road 63 which serves all the fjords in the area, we stopped at Reykjafjarðarlaug, another hot spring on the road in the middle of nowhere. This was definitely the region where we saw the most hotpots in Iceland, a common feature to the delight of a locals and visitors. These hotpots were always landscaped for convenience with a man-made pool and, right next to it, a natural basin in the grass—a truly magical experience!
We stayed there for a while before heading toward Dynjandi, and this particular waterfall was truly one of our favorites. As readers can imagine, we had the opportunity to see many Iceland's most famous waterfalls on this trip, but this one was truly special and ranks in our top 3.
During our visit, we saw ongoing works to build small wooden platforms to make nice viewpoints, so it's only a short walk get really close to the waterfall and all in total safety thanks to these features.
After soaking in the breathtaking views, we headed to our guesthouse in Thingeyri in the late afternoon to enjoy a relaxing evening together.
