Day 6 – August 6, 2025 – Isafjordur [ 9 am to 7 pm]

-



We woke up this morning anchored in Isafjordur, which is the largest town (2,200 inhabitants) in the Westfjords peninsula and known for its breathtaking landscapes. The town started as a trading post in the 16th century with growth triggered in the 19th century by salt fish production which is still the most important industry for the town.  


Fish Farming


After a full breakfast (no lunch where we are going today), we boarded the tender boat for a ride from the ship to the dock area. 




 Because we were 1.5 hrs. early for our excursion to the Dynjandi waterfall, we spent some time walking around the downtown area 

Town Museum





and stopping in several shops.  At 10:30 am we gathered at the bus pickup point and boarded for the 1+ hr ride to the waterfall.  The ride went through 2 tunnels, one being 7 km and the other 3 km in length, that took us from Isafjordur to three fjords to the west.  The scenery was very pretty 


with the hillsides covered in green vegetation and waterfalls.  



You can imagine what it must be like in the winter with the snow and the threat of avalanches on the steep hillsides.  Interestingly we saw the first seal we have seen in Iceland lounging on his/her back on a rock in one of the fjords. 


 Along the way, we passed small towns of about 200 to 300 inhabitants nestled in the fjords.  



Our first glimpse of the falls was as we rounded a bend in the road and there before us was the huge Dynjandi cataract waterfall.  


Dynjandi Falls in Center of Map


It is the largest waterfall in the Westfjords with a total height of 330 ft.  Below it are five other waterfalls:  Haifoss, Uoafoss, Congufoss, Hundafoss, and Baejarfoss.  At the top it is 100 ft wide and widen up to 200 ft at the bottom.  From the top to the bottom of the lowest of the five other waterfalls, the distance of 650 ft.  






Although you can climb up a rocky path to the base of Dynjandi, we chose not to do that. The weather was changing, and a light drizzle was falling.  Falling on slippery rocks was not going to be an option for us.  Instead, we walked partway on a good path and then returned to just enjoy the scenery of the area.  

We arrived back in town a little early and decided to get a coffee, mail postcards, and do a little shopping before catching the tender back to the ship.  We did our usual thing, relax in the lounge before dinner, dinner at the Luminae (lobster tonight with chocolate bar dessert), 



and then the theater show (Georgina Jackson – vocal and trumpet).  After the theater show we listen to some entertainment (50’s – 70’s music) in the central lounge area.  That genre of music does draw a big crowd!  


Tomorrow is an at sea day with packing for disembarking early Friday morning.

Comments

  1. EmilyAugust 7, 2025 at 2:53 PM

    What a beautiful waterfall! Glad you skipped the slippery rocks. 😊

    ReplyDelete
  2. OliviaAugust 9, 2025 at 6:24 AM

    The seal is so cute! Amazing wildlife and scenery yet again!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 4 – August 4, 2025 -- Akureyri

-
Image
We woke up this morning docked in Akureyri, which is located in northern Iceland.     It is the country’s second-largest city with a population of about 20,000 and one of the country’s most important ports and fishing centers.     The city is best known as the gateway to Iceland’s natural wonders – thundering waterfalls, gurgling lava fields, snow-capped mountains, sweeping fjords, and robust folk culture.     It lies just 62 miles away from the Article Circle.  Today we did the  Myvatn, Waterfall Hot-Springs & Volcanoes Tour , which introduced us to several of the spectacular natural wonders in this region.  The weather was perfect with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 50’s.  Our tour by Bus Travel Iceland began at 9:30 am and we headed toward our first stop – Godafoss Waterfall.  Godafoss (Waterfall of the Gods) got its name from the year 1000 CE when Iceland converted to Christianit...
Read more

Day 3 – August 3, 2025 – Seydisfjordur [7 am to 6 pm]

-
Image
  When we woke up, we were docked in Seydisfjordur.  Seydisfjordur is an eclectic little town, tucked away at the end of a deep fjord in the east of Iceland.  This town of 700 inhabitants was a former hub for herring fishing.  Now tourism from the cruise ships that stop here is the economic driver of the town.  Our ship anchored in the fjord and we were tendered to the dock; arriving on the dock at 10 am.  The fjord is beautiful with steep mountains rising sharply out of the water.   Once on land, we did the short walk to the famous rainbow-painted street leading to the pretty blue church.   Walking today was great, because the weather was just perfect – sunny and 56 degrees with a light breeze.  The rainbow-painted street is lined with small shops and restaurants.   From there we did a 2.5-mile uphill trek to the cascading Gufufoss waterfall, which is located along the highway leading up and out o...
Read more

Day 7 – August 7, 2025 – a Day at Sea Sailing to Reykjavik [arrive 5 am, August 8, 2025]

-
Image
Our last day is a day at sea making our way back to Reykjavik.     We packed this morning and attended a seminar on the volcanos of Iceland, which was most interesting.     The country is certainly a country of living geology with numerous sites of recent volcanos; not all of which are explosive.     Some just ooze lava!     Such an interesting place.     The rest of the day was spent relaxing and reading.     In the afternoon, we had clear sailing weather and had good views of the rugged, Iceland coastline.     We had dinner in the Luminae.     Bev had roasted guinea hen,  and I had roast lamp loin.     I had dark chocolate ganache for dessert  and Bev had strawberry sorbet.     Afterwards we attended the   On Broadway   theater show.   Tomorrow will be an early morning wake up so we can depart the ship at 7 am and catch the bus that will take us to the Reykjavik...
Read more