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Day tours in Iceland

Pink Iceland in the Westfjords

May 15, 2020
May 10, 2025

Pink Iceland's Guide Ziggy took a magical trip to the Westfjords of Iceland and shared her experiences with us!

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Pink Iceland Guide Ziggy

After 6 days on the road exploring the Westfjords of Iceland, I found the urge to share with our Pink Iceland friends and family this incredible adventure!

Leaving Reykjavik about noon we anticipated to be at our destination Flateyri around dinnertime.  

Google maps suggested this to be a 6 hours drive but of course it did not include all the amazing waterfalls and other scenic stops that would catch our eyes! Travelling in Iceland all year round has taught me to always check both the road and weather conditions before heading out and then expect everything to change within minutes! Oh how we love the unpredictability of this island.

After a smooth 3 hour drive to Holmavik a lovely little town in the north-west, we would head up onto Steingrimsfjardarheidi (try saying that 5 times!) which are moors reaching over 1,000ft above sea level. The weather is known to change drastically there and oh did we get to experience this magic.  We drove off in sunny weather and t-shirts but within 10 minutes we had hit a snow blizzard with winds of over 70 mph!

After a loooong 30 minute drive we arrived safely on the other side and took a pitstop to catch our breath and enjoy our first stop at Arngerdareyri where they are renovating this unique house often referred to as “The Castle”

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The Castle at Arngerðareyri in the Westfjords

Touring during this time of year when the snow is melting off the mountains offers endless amounts of waterfalls pouring down the mountain sides giving you a reason to stop at every turn!

Arriving in Flateyri town at around 10 pm, I was happy to sit down with a nice glass of wine and watch the sun going down anticipating the adventures the next days would bring.

Flateyri is a small village with a population of only 200 people.  In 1995 Flateyri was hit by one of the biggest avalanches in recent history destroying 29 homes and resulting in 20 fatalities. The following year they built a deflecting dam to protect the village and it is beautiful to hike up on the dam for a stunning view and the perfect spot to watch the sun set and rise. Sitting up on top of the avalanche wall brought on some mixed emotions of sorrow but also of pride in how through centuries Icelanders have encountered tragic events related to mother nature but never let this defeat us or scare us away!

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Looking over Flateyri from the top of the avalanche wall, still mostly snowy covered mountaintops.

Even though many people left the town after the avalanche, Flateyri is now a very popular place to visit and as a summer dwelling for city slickers and its amazing beauty and magical tranquility gives you some inner peace that makes you just want to stay there forever! My sister being one of the most recent people to buy a house in the area (lucky me!) gave us the opportunity to meet with some of the locals that seemed ever so happy to have some of the first visitors this summer!  She is also extremely fun and outgoing like myself and if I know her correctly she will happily invite you over for coffee or a guided walk through the small streets of Flateyri!

Úlli is one of the locals that has lived there his whole life. He invited us over for a late night coffee in his shed where he builds unbelievable model ships from scratch and then in the summer months sails them in the local pond for guests to enjoy.

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Handpainted guests aboard the Titanic & the famous Bizmarck battleship

Pink Iceland operates in co-operation with a local partner, Fantastic Fjords, a fantabulous 5 day tour starting and finishing in Reykjavik so it was perfect joining that partner for a full day of exploring!

Our day started with a visit to the old children’s school that has been fully renovated and is now a beautiful country hotel called Holt Inn and is run by a local family.  With 11 en-suite rooms, a dining area and a hot tub with a view to die for it is the ideal spot for small groups and wedding parties to enjoy a long weekend!

If you are looking for a luxurious stay in the area, look no further as right in the center of town you can find the fascinating Bergshus which is an amazing renovated timberhouse with room for up to 10 guests and a hot tub in the back!

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The stunning living room with high ceilings and retro mood & the impressive gas stove and kitchen area.

A short 5 minute drive and you will arrive at one of the few white sandy beaches of Iceland where the beautiful pier Holtsbryggja offers endless photo opportunities and the brave can even experience swimming in the blue waters of the Atlantic. In the summer months you can find groups of people even practising yoga out on the pier embracing the elements and surreal power that surrounds them.

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Holtsbryggja pier, what a backdrop for Icelandic Wedding photos??

Afterwards we drove over to the village Þingeyri and for you history and viking buffs, this is the oldest settlement in the Westfjords and you can still see remains of an old medieval assembly there.

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Ruins of a medieval booth since sometime around the 1800’s

Next up was lunch and city walk in the beautiful capital of the West - Isafjordur with a whopping headcount of over 2,500 people!

Isafjordur is popular with both locals and tourists and can be accessed by car, bus and the twice daily flights from Reykjavik. Isafjordur hosts two of the most celebrated festivals in Iceland, the Aldrei for eg Sudur (I never headed South) music festival held every Easter and believe it or not The European Championship in mud-soccer held yearly during the first weekend of August! Yours truly has competed 3 times and would class this as one of those once-in-a-lifetime kinda thing!

Isafjordur has some wonderful restaurants and the most famous being Tjoruhusid which offers the best and most fresh fish plates in the West as well as a stunning view and fantastic outdoor dining area perfect for the long summer nights!

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Tjöruhúsið restaurant down by the Dokkan harbour in Isafjordur

Like the rest of the world, Iceland has found a new love for novelty beers and many small microbreweries can be found around the island, one of them being Dokkan here in Isafjordur! They pride themselves in using only the freshest of water which has been naturally sieved by running through 14,000,000 year old lava fields and almost straight into your bottle!

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The brewmasters at work, the new beer from Dokka is infused with seaweed & Dokkan only uses recycled biodegradable plastic caps!

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A town is not a town unless it shows some rainbow love!

Leaving Flateyri after 3 amazing days, I promised myself that I will be back as soon as possible to enjoy this spectacular place! With a couple of more days to spare, we hit the road in search of some more adventures.

In less than an hour we were out of the car running towards one of the beautiful waterfalls that can be found in the area - I can tell you its location but even after looking through the Icelandic Road Atlas and travel maps, I am still unable to find its name.

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The waterfall with no name! Sigrunarfoss has a nice ring to it! Looking back down the amazing gorge

As we sat down and enjoyed the beautiful sounds of the water my travel partner spotted a person sitting there next to us who then disappeared as quickly as it appeared. It seemed like one of the Hidden People had paid us a brief visit but they are known to appear to people when immersed in the beauty and power of nature (that is if you believe in them!). Icelanders tend to have this naive belief in the hidden people and elves and having two sons myself, I will keep their stories alive!

We slowly made our way back to the car and headed towards our accommodation for the night - the unique Heydalur Country Hotel. After meeting with the lovely hostess Stella we packed a few cold drinks and made our way down to the hot pots that are filled directly with 40°C hot natural water. These hot pots were the perfect way to relax after all the driving in the last few days and I recommend jumping into one of these at any chance you get whilst travelling in Iceland!

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Westfjords nature pool - The Heydalur natural pool with a view!

Waking up with the sun shining through the windows, the sounds of the farm dogs and lone rooster we packed our gear and took a nice long dip in the pool which is impressively located inside a greenhouse where strawberries, apples, pears, cherries and fresh herbs are being grown!

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Embrazing the clean water and smell of spring! Natural archway amongst the apple trees!

Heydalur offers a great variety of accommodation with 19 en-suite rooms and 4 cabins as well as a campsite so it can easily accommodate both small and large groups!

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Hostess Stella and the greeter dog Bangsi (Teddy Bear). The local farm dog and friendly arctic fox Þóra (female Thor)

We left Heydalur grateful and with a large smile on our faces as the sun was still following us around and we had places to explore!

Making our way around Mjoifjordur we encountered some heavy traffic in the form of horses offering some great photo shots! They seemed extremely happy feeding on the spring grass starting to grow after a heavy winter

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Still embracing the winter coat & Fresh out of the barber shop

Twisting and turning our heads at everything this fjord has to offer, we spotted a lone pool down by the sea and with the car barely coming to a halt we are out the doors with our swimsuits and picnic! Leaving the pool was a lovely Icelandic couple with their three kids and they said they never missed the opportunity to give this pool a visit.  After 3 luxurious hours and three beers (for me) later we say goodbye to this magical spot again and start counting the days until we can return. You just have to pay the farmer a visit and ask their permission to use the pool.

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Icelandic infinity pool with a view, they even offer a changing room!

One last thing to mention in regards to travelling around Iceland during this time of year (and of course during summer) is that the days seem to be endless!! Early May the sun isn’t setting until 10:30 pm and rising again around 4.00 am! This gives you so many hours to drive and enjoy everything the area has to offer, stop for food when you are hungry and reach your destination at almost any time of day with still some daylight to spare.

We left the Westfjords having completely fallen in love with its sometimes overwhelming energy, beautiful nature and Icelandic people of the finest sort!

Dear Westfjords, thank you for refilling my batteries & charging my soul in these strange Covid times. I will be back before you know it! 💗

Birna Hannes and Eva Pink Iceland Owners
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Well hello Valdi - Pink Iceland Wedding planner extraordinaire - congrats on the amazing review! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Planning a wedding from North Carolina to Iceland was no small feat—especially without seeing anything in person. But from the moment we began working with Valdi at Pink Iceland, we felt a sense of calm, trust, and joy that carried us all the way to the big day. Valdi was incredibly professional and thoughtful, going out of his way to overcommunicate every detail so that we always felt informed and reassured, no matter how far away we were. My friends and family were skeptical—after all, how could you possibly plan a wedding halfway across the world without ever stepping foot in the country? But I had complete faith in Valdi, and I’m so glad I did. He and the entire Pink Iceland team made us feel genuinely seen, celebrated, and supported. Their love for love is palpable, and it was clear from the beginning that this wasn’t just another wedding to them—it was our wedding. '...' Valdi brought a sense of peace to what is often an overwhelming and emotional process. He put our needs above everything else, giving us space to be present, soak in the moment, and truly honor the meaning behind our day. It felt like we were surrounded by old friends, not just planners. It was, without question, our home away from home. Every vendor Valdi recommended overperformed beyond our wildest expectations. The quality, care, and professionalism of everyone involved left us completely blown away. We have to give a special shoutout to his photographer recommendation, Sunday and White—his work is nothing short of breathtaking. He captured our day in a way we didn’t even know was possible. Our photos are so beautiful, they honestly look like they belong in a magazine—and we will cherish them for the rest of our lives. We would recommend and trust Pink Iceland with all of our being. Valdi helped us create something so much more than a wedding—he helped us create a memory that feels like magic. I can say with full certainty that there isn’t a single thing I would change. Valdi and Pink Iceland dreamed bigger than I ever could have imagined. #pinkiceland #icelandwedding
C&J at the stunning Háifoss 🤩 In summer a new world opens up in Iceland when the roads to the inlands and highlands become accessible and Háifoss waterfall is on one of those roads so we're always happy to see it again come summer 📸 @sundayandwhiteweddings #pinkiceland #weddinginiceland #waterfalls #adventureelopement #weddingphotography #weddinginspo
Well hello Glóey - Pink Iceland Wedding planner extraordinaire - congrats on the amazing review! Dream Wedding Thanks to Glóey and Pink Iceland! Planning a wedding in Iceland from afar, especially with only five months, felt daunting at first. But from our very first conversation, Glóey assured us it was not only possible but that it would be wonderful. And they were absolutely right! My partner and I had no idea where to even begin, but Glóey made everything so incredibly easy. They listened to our vague ideas and magically transformed them into an absolute dream wedding. As someone who tends to be a bit Type A, I initially found it hard to let go of control when coordinating a wedding remotely. However, it was such a relief and joy to do so for our wedding, and Glóey made that possible. Their responsiveness, meticulous attention to detail, and ability to perfectly nail our vision quickly put all my worries at ease. They didn't just help us craft our vision and provide expert suggestions; they executed every idea flawlessly, surpassing any and all expectations we had for the day. Our ceremony site (Írárfoss) and our reception were STUNNING – and we really just provided our general vibe/preferences/and some inspo images to Glóey and they put that vision together. They did a fantastic job with all the details, while they also fostered an atmosphere that reminded us the day was about being in the moment. Beyond their excellent work, Glóey is simply a joy to be around. We had so much fun driving around Iceland taking photos with our fantastic photographer (Sunday & White, Laimonas) and Glóey before the ceremony. We genuinely wished we could have spent even more time together! I was initially unsure about taking photos before the ceremony, as we adjusted the schedule during planning, but Glóey suggested it, and I'm so incredibly glad we took their advice. That time before the ceremony was actually perfect for taking photos, laughing, and loosening up a bit. We cannot recommend Glóey and the entire Pink Iceland team highly enough. Thanks to them, we had an absolute dream wedding! 📸 @julietterowlandweddings & @sundayandwhitestudio
We love a matching flower crown moment 💐 Photos by @olyashev4enko #weddinginiceland #icelandicwedding #flowercrowns #weddingflowers #pinkiceland #weddingdecor
There is just something about this waterfall 🩶 You can book your Iceland elopement now, we are here to help! Photos by @kristinmarias #pinkiceland #elopement #icelandicwedding #waterfalls #secretwaterfall #adventureelopement @blomahonnun
We love @ionadventurehotel - what a beautiful setting for your Icelandic destination wedding! Photos by @sundayandwhiteweddings #weddingbells #weddinginspo #greenhousewedding #weddingvenueiceland #weddingphotography #iceland #goldencircle #pinkiceland
The hike and the getting soaked is worth it, when the spot is this beautiful! Photos by @sundayandwhiteweddings #adventureelopement #hikingelopement #elopementphotography #elopementplannericeland #pinkiceland #weddinginiceland
Cheers! 🥂 Celebrating your love, in Iceland, with your favorite people: it doesn't get much better than this! Photo by @kristinmarias #destinationwedding #adventurewedding #weddingphotography #iceland #icelandtravel #pinkiceland
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