Borea Adventures / Information

How do I get to Isafjordur

Isafjordur is much closer than you think.... and it's not even that expensive to get there...

Now there are four airlines with scheduled flights into Iceland. These are Icelandair, Iceland Express, SAS and British Airways. As far as we can see there are direct flights to Iceland from the following 28 cities during the summer months:

Alicante, Amsterdam, Baltimore, Barcelona, Basel, Bergen, Berlin, Boston, Copenhagen, Eindhoven, Frankfurt, Friedrichshafen, Glasgow, Göteborg, Halifax, Helsinki, London, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Minneapolis/St. Paul, München, New York, Orlando, Oslo, Paris, Stockholm, Zürich.

You arrive in Keflavik International Airport about 40 minutes away from the capital city of Reykjavik. From the domestic airport in Reykjavik there are 2-3 daily 40 minute flights to Isafjordur. You can take the Fly-Bus between the airports and most of the time you can continue same day. Check out Air Iceland for schedules and special offers.

You can also rent a car and drive to Isafjordur. It´s about 450-500 km depending on which route you take, of which 5-15% is non-paved gravel road. The drive will normally take you around six hours.

For accommodation in Reykjavik there are many options of hotels and guesthouses. We reccomend a nice guesthouse called BB44. Travellers coming to our trips get a special discount.

There are a few websites that may help you search for cheap airfares. Check the Travelsupermarket and the Icelandic search engine Dohop.

We strongly recommend to spend a few extra days visiting the West Fjords and other parts of Iceland. Our friends at West-Tours travel agency can help you to plan your trip in more details.

Equipment

Thermal underwear, at least two sets
Wool or fleece thermal mid layer, take lots of thin layers instead of few thick ones.
Hiking pants. We recommend no cottons as they take long to dry if wet.
Thermal jacket (down or fiber) optional
Waterproof and breathable pants and jacket for hiking onshore
Wool/fleece hat
Two pairs of gloves and one pair of mittens
3 to 4 pairs thick wool/synthetic socks and 2 to 3 pairs thinner socks
Casual clothes to wear ashore
Non marking sailing boots or regular boots with non marking soles. Fine thread will grip the deck better when wet than deep thread.
Boat shoes or slippers with rubber soles for below decks
Hiking boots (Vibram sole)
Sleeping bag
Soft travel bag (no hard suitcases)
Dark sun glasses
Sunscreen / after sun cream
Swim suit and towels
Small backpack for day hikes
Personal medical kit to include personal medication and i.e. band aids, throat lozenges, lip salves, sea-sickness tablets etc. Don't forget regular medication you may need (e.g. Asthma, bring your inhaler, even if you do not always need it).
1 litre water bottle
Small selection of your favourite CD's or books to read.
...and don't forget your camera!

Wildlife

This page has a list of birds and mammals local to the West Fjords.

The following is a list of 54 bird species that breed in the West Fjords:

Enskt heiti	Latneskt heiti	Íslenskt heiti
English name	Scientific name	Icelandic name
Whooper Swan	Cygnus cygnus	Álft
Greylag Goose	Anser anser	Grágæs
Eurasian Wigeon	Anas penelope	Rauðhöfðaönd
Eurasian Teal	Anas crecca	Urtönd
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Stokkönd
Tufted Duck	Aythya fuligula	Skúfönd
Greater Scaup	Aythya marila	Duggönd
Common Eider	Somateria mollissima	Æðarfugl
King Eider	Somateria spectabilis	Æðarkóngur
Harlequin Duck	Histrionicus histrionicus	Straumönd
Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Hávella
Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Toppönd
Goosander	Mergus merganser	Gulönd
Ptarmigan	Lagopus muta	Rjúpa
Red-throated Diver	Gavia stellata	Lómur
Great Northern Diver	Gavia immer	Himbrimi
Northern Fulmar	Fulmarus glacialis	Fýll
Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo	Dílaskarfur
Shag	Phalacrocorax aristotelis	Toppskarfur
White-tailed Eagle	Haliaeetus albicilla	Haförn
Merlin	Falco columbarius	Smyrill
Gyrfalcon	Falco rusticolus	Fálki
Oystercatcher	Haematopus ostralegus	Tjaldur
Ringed Plover	Charadrius hiaticula	Sandlóa
Golden Plover	Pluvialis apricaria	Heiðlóa
Red Knot	Calidris canutus	Rauðbrystingur
Purple Sandpiper	Calidris maritima	Sendlingur
Dunlin	Calidris alpina	Lóuþræll
Common Snipe	Gallinago gallinago	Hrossagaukur
Black-tailed Godwit	Limosa limosa	Jaðrakan
Whimbrel	Numenius phaeopus	Spói
Common Redshank	Tringa totanus	Stelkur
Red-necked Phalarope	Phalaropus lobatus	Óðinshani
Arctic Skua	Stercorarius parasiticus	Kjói
Black-headed Gull	Larus ridibundus	Hettumáfur
Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus	Sílamáfur
Glaucous Gull	Larus hyperboreus	Hvítmáfur
Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Svartbakur
Iceland Gull	Larus glaucoides	Bjartmáfur
Black-legged Kittiwake	Rissa tridactyla	Rita
Arctic Tern	Sterna paradisaea	Kría
Common Guillemot	Uria aalge	Langvía
Brünnich's Guillemot	Uria lomvia	Stuttnefja
Razorbill	Alca torda	Álka
Black Guillemot	Cepphus grylle	Teista
Atlantic Puffin	Fratercula arctica	Lundi
Meadow Pipit	Anthus pratensis	Þúfutittlingur
Pied Wagtail	Motacilla alba	Maríuerla
Wren	Troglodytes troglodytes	Músarrindill
Northern Wheatear	Oenanthe oenanthe	Steindepill
Redwing	Turdus iliacus	Skógarþröstur
Common Raven	Corvus corax	Hrafn
Redpoll	Carduelis flammea	Auðnutittlingur
Snow Bunting	Plectrophenax nivalis	Snjótittlingur

And these species can occasionally be spotted in the area:

Velvet Scoter	Melanitta fusca	Korpönd
Northern Gannet	Morus bassanus	Súla
Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sanderla
Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	Tildra
Snowy Owl	Buto scandiacus	Snæugla
Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	Brandugla
Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Hvinönd
Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea	Gráhegri
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Landsvala
Bohemian Waxwing	Bombycilla garrulus	Silkitoppa

These are land mammals local in the West Fjords. Of these, only the Arctic Fox is "original" to the area, others have been "imported" with people:

Wood mouse	Apodemus sylvaticus	Hagamús
House mouse	Mus musculus	Húsamús
Brown Rat	Rattus norvegicus	Brún rotta
Arctic Fox	Alopex lagopus	Heimskautarefur
Mink	Mustela vision	Minkur

Below are the two species of seals that can be found here:

Common Seal	Phoca vitulina	Landselur
Gray Seal	Halichoerus grypus	Útselur

Twelve species of whales are normally in the waters off North Iceland. On our regular trips we are still most likely to see only Minke Whale, Dolphins and Porpoises.

Northern Bottlenose Whale	Hyperoodon ampullatus	Andarnefja
Sperm Whale	Physeter catodon	Búrhvalur
Long-finned Pilot Whale	Globicephala melaena	Grindhvalur
Killer Whale	Orcinus orca	Háhyrningur
Harbour Porpoise	Phocoena phocoena	Hnísa
Humpback Whale	Megaptera novaeangliae	Hnúfubakur
White-beaked Dolphin	Lagenorhynchus albirostris	Hnýðingur
Minke Whale	Balaenoptera acutorostrata	Hrefna
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin	Lagenorhynchus acutus	Leifturhníðir
Fin Whale	Balaenoptera physalus	Langreyður
Sei Whale	Balaenoptera borealis	Sandreyður
Blue Whale	Balaenoptera musculus	Steypireiður

The following four additional species of whales are rare in Icelandic waters:

Common Dolphin	Delphinus delphis	Léttir
Bottlenose Dolphin	Tursiops truncatus	Stökkull
Sowerby´s Beaked Whale	Mesoplodon bidens	Norðsnjáldri
Bowhead Whale	Balaena mysticetus	Sléttbakur

Isafjordur

The Maritime Museum in Isafjordur, Iceland

Isafjordur is the biggest town in the West Fjords with 3200 inhabitants and is the centre of commerce and public services for the whole region. The town has more than 1000 year history on its back and through the centuries it was a very important fish exporting town. The oldest buildings in Iceland , built by Danish merchants in the 17th century, are well preserved in the lowest part of town and and now host the Maritime Museum and a seafood restaurant.

"Lying hours from anywhere, over unpaved roads and mountain passes, Ísafjördur is like a tiny city, with almost everything you could need."
Alex Elliott, Atlantica Magazine.

The architecture of Isafjordur has been shaped with foreign influences through the decades and many restorerd houses can be found in all different shapes and sizes. A stroll through the old part is truly like walking through a museum.

"…charming, relaxed streets flanked be old three-story buildings with businesses on the first floor and apartments above…"
Paul.F. Nikolov, Grapevine Magazine.

Isafjordur has much to offer for the outdoor enthusiast. Good golf course, skiing area, hiking routes, kayak and bike rental, swimming pools, and various tours to different parts of the West Fjords.

It´s well worth to spend an extra day or two in Isafjordur and do some exploring on your own in this charming town in NW Iceland.