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The Volcano Islands at the South Coast of Iceland
Category

Culture

Est. Duration

6-8h

Age requirement

All ages

Message from Sophie

The Vestmannaeyjar islands are volcanic islands at the south coast of Iceland. The main island Hemaey is definitely worth a visit for everyone who is interested in volcanoes and birds.

I am personally a big fan of the main island of the Vestmannaeyjar islands called Heimaey. There are many things someone can do on a small area. You can climb volcanoes, check out the volcano museum, hike around the island and watch Puffins at special birdwatch places, and many more. You can stay for one day and decide on the spots you want to see the most, or you do it like I did it and stay a weekend. So you can take your time to enjoy the island and check out everything it offers.

You reach the main island Heimaey by ferry. On your way you will pass some smaller island which belong to the whole Vestmannaeyjar island group. You probably know one of them: A small island surrounded by a cliff with a single house on. It is the object of many memes on Social Media.

You can either bring a car with you to the island or explore it by foot. Or with 13,4km2 it is possible to hike around the island and reach all the sights and view points by foot.

The most recent event on Heimaey was the eruption of the volcano Eldfell in 1974 which enlarged the island about one third. Due to lucky circumstances no one got hurt but many houses were buried in ash. Around one of the houses a museum (Eldheimar) was built where it is possible to take a look into one of the houses which were buried.

Things to do on Heimaey: You can hike on:

  • Eldfell volcano

  • Helgafell volcano

  • Heimaklettur

  • Around the whole island

Birdwatchers can visit:

  • Fuglarskóðunarhús

  • Fuglarskóðunarsvæði To watch Puffins and other birds nesting around the cliffs. Heimaey has the biggest Puffin population of Iceland. (Note: Puffins season is from April to mid September)

Furthermore, you can check out:

  • Eldheimar Volcano museum

  • The Beluga whale sanctuary

  • Stórhöfðaviti lighthouse

  • Landlysthúsið

  • Stafkirkjan

  • Skansinn

You can find detailed information about the sights within my ”things to do”.

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