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The Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar in Icelandic) is Iceland's best-kept secret. Rich in history, unique landscapes and welcoming locals, now is your time to uncover the magic of this hidden location. Amazing sights await you on the Vestmannaeyjar Island, Volcanoes and Puffins Tour, including Elephant Rock, Eldheimar Museum, Skansinn harbor and Mt. Eldfell Volcano. Vestmannaeyjar was selected as a top travel destination for 2024 by The New York Times.
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Your day in the Westman Islands will depart from your preferred location in Reykjavik. Once everyone’s on board, we’ll head to the Landeyjahöfn Ferry terminal. Here we'll hop on a ferry with Herjólfur and take a 30-minute ride to Vestmannaeyjar island. Once there, we'll start our tour with sightseeing, making a stop to admire the views of Elephant Rock (Halldórsskora). This beautiful formation is composed of basalt rock formed in a volcanic eruption of Eldfell. The rock is recognizable by its unique shape, which resembles an elephant’s head with its trunk dipping into the water.
We'll continue our drive to Stórhöfði cape for some puffin watching, offering ample photo opportunities to capture shots of the charming little birds.
Next on our agenda is the Eldheimar Museum, often nicknamed 'Pompeii of the North.' Here, you'll be able to learn about the 1973's volcanic eruption and the effects it had on the area. After that, we'll head downtown to have lunch (lunch is not included in the tour price).
After lunch, we'll make our way to the Skansinn, next to the harbor area, named after the fortress that used to stand here. There you will see Stafkirkjan, a Norse "Viking" Wood Church, a lighthouse, and an incredible view over the cliffs.
Afterward, we will set out on a hike up Mt. Eldfell Volcano, which last erupted in 1973. From the top, you will be able to see an amazing view of the surrounding lava fields, the town, and the island. After the hike, you'll get to stroll around the town on your own or explore the lava field on your way to the harbor. We'll meet at the harbor late afternoon to take a ferry back to the mainland and drop you off back in Reykjavik in the evening.
You’ll get picked up from Reykjavik between 7:30 am - 8:00 am based on your chosen pick-up location. It is important to be ready on time to allow the Westman Islands tour to run to schedule. We’ll drop you off back in Reykjavik around 8:00 pm at the same place we picked you up.
Available pick-up points: Arctic Adventures’ pick-up list.
These are two separate tours and if one of the tours gets canceled, the other will still be available for you to join.
This is a great question. We ask all participants to be ready from the start of the pickup time indicated. This is because you may well be the first pick up of the day. Please be at your assigned location at the start time that you chose when booking the tour.
Here you should wait for your guide.
Have your email and phone number listed with us so we can contact you if we run into any trouble finding you.
View our pick-up locations in Reykjavík.
Before and during activities on the multi-day tours consumption of alcohol is prohibited. If we suspect that a participant is intoxicated, we will prohibit them from joining the activity.
After the activities of the day are finished, you are welcome to have a drink and relax.
Your safety is our number one priority! Keeping this in mind, Arctic Adventures reserves the right to adjust the itinerary and/or take different routes depending on conditions. Please read more information in our cancellation policy.
Yes, there is a specially trained and certified guide on each of our tours. The only exception to this is for our self-drive tours.
All of our tours are guided in English.
No, for all your questions and concerns you would need to contact our customer service.
Our tours are split into four different categories that help participants to understand what to expect from the tour. The categories are Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Demanding. Each tour is rated making it easier to find tours that suit you.
For further information about the difficulty ratings and descriptions.
We’ve partnered with the Kolviður Fund in a new carbon offsetting program, which passengers can select to participate in at the time of booking.
The Kolviður Fund is the oldest, most respected carbon offsetting program in Iceland. With your support, one tree will be planted in special Kolviður forests in Iceland to carbon offset your tour with us.
Kolviður forests are strategically planted to absorb the maximum amount of CO2 and the forests are protected for a minimum of 60 years. During their lifetime the trees absorb carbon and store it in their root system, trunk, and branches. Trees also prevent soil erosion and maintain storage of carbon in the soil.
