Vestmannaeyjar

A typical Vestmannaeyjar activity

Vestmannaeyjar, which is sometimes anglicized as Westman Islands, is an 18-island volcanic archipelago off Iceland's South Coast. The only inhabited island is Heimaey, where we were headed. 

In addition to islands, Vestmannaeyjar has about 30 rock stacks and skerries

The ferry ride over takes only 45 minutes and, despite some worry about wind and rain, it wasn't too bad. 

It was a little rocky-rolly and damp, but nothing we couldn't handle!

On the way to the harbor, we passed several islands and outcrops, including the often-photographed, but-seldom-identified Elliðaey island.

An interesting island

You might notice, even after I said that Heimaey is the only inhabited island, a building that looks like a house in the photo. We learned by talking with fellow travelers and then later research that several of Vestmannaeyjar's remote, uninhabited islands have small, privately-owned hunting cabins or lodges maintained by local associations for "hunting puffins and storing equipment." Not sure what equipment is needed -- full bars?

 

These lodges can be seen on almost every island

After cruising by this unique island, we navigated through a narrow passage flanked by sheer cliffs into well-protected Heimaey Harbor. 

Going into the harbor

It's narrow and protected

Being tucked away seems like a vital feature in such a windy environment.

The route to the harbor; Maps: Google Maps

Once docked, we headed off to explore with admittedly no actual plan of what we wanted to do or see. I should have done some research. Still, many of the things we might have wanted to see may have been closed for the season.

Heimaey harbor

I had read a great deal about people on Heimaey catching wayward Pufflings (baby Puffins) and hurling them into the sea. I somehow thought that that activity might be front-and-center in Heimaey, but it wasn't. I'll get to that later. 

First, let me give you the scoop on Vestmannaeyjar. 

Vestmannaeyjar

Known for dramatic cliffs and the world's largest Puffin colony, the Vestmannaeyjar group is about 24 miles long and 18 miles wide, with the closest point about five miles from the mainland. 

A series of volcanic islands; Left: Wikipedia

Vestmannaeyjar came to international attention in 1973 with the eruption of the Eldfell volcano, which destroyed many buildings and forced a month-long evacuation of the entire population to mainland Iceland. Approximately one-fifth of the town was destroyed before the lava flow was halted by the application of 1.8 billion gallons of cold seawater.

Eldfell eruption, 1973; Photo: Perlan

That a volcano erupted is no surprise, the whole archipelago was formed by eruptions over the past 10,000-12,000 years. And, in geological terms, that is quite recent. There are 70-80 volcanoes, both above and below the ocean, in the system. 

A volcanic island

The oldest geological formations are in the northern part of Heimaey, where basalt and steep lava cliffs columns can be seen in many places.

Rugged volcanic landscape; Photos: Scott Stevens

In other places, the ocean has eroded the soft lava rock shoreline into picturesque coves and grottos.

An eroded cove

The Gulf Stream moderates the climate, resulting in little snow, but considerable rain. All of Iceland's seabirds can be found in Vestmannaeyjar: Black Guillemot, Northern Gannet, Black-legged Kittiwake, Iceland Gull, Northern Fulmar and Atlantic Puffin. 

Notrhern Fulmars

Migratory birds arrive in the spring and stay until autumn, with more than 30 species of birds nesting in the millions in the cliffs and grassy ledges and other species make irregular appearances. 

The Puffin is the most plentiful and, thus, is Vestmannaeyjar's emblem

The waters around the Vestmannaeyjar contain some of the North Atlantic's richest fishing grounds, with cod and haddock in abundance. Lobsters and ocean perch are found in the deep water to the southeast of the islands. Seals, small whales and other marine species are allegedly in large numbers around the islands. We didn't see any.

It's all about the ocean

Like the rest of Iceland, it is often windy. The highest wind speed measured in Iceland was 140 mph in Stórhöfði, the southernmost of the island's two major peninsulas.

The islands are named after Gaels who had been enslaved by Norsemen. The Old Norse word "Vestmenn" (literally "Westmen"), was applied to the Celts of Britain and Ireland, and retained in Icelandic even though Iceland is further west than Britain and Ireland. The Norse Gaels often called themselves Ostmen or Austmenn ("Eastmen").

Painting: Oscar Wergeland, Musée National de l'Art, de l'Architecture et du Design de Norvège

Not long after Ingólfr Arnarson, Iceland's first settler, arrived in Iceland from Norway in around 875, his blood brother Hjörleifr Hróðmarsson was murdered by some of his slaves. Ingólfur tracked them down to present-day Vestmannaeyjar and killed them all in retribution. So, the name has a pretty bloody origin story.

In 1627, in an event known as the Turkish Abductions, the islands were captured for three days by a fleet of three ships of Barbary Pirates from Algiers. They captured 234 people that they took to Algiers, where most of them spent the rest of their lives in bondage. 

Turkish raid; Painting: FishFocus

In 1636, ransom was paid for 34 of the captives and most of them returned to Iceland. After this, a small fort was built near Heimaey and an armed guard was established to keep watch from Vestmannaeyjar 's volcanic peak, Helgafell, for the approach of ships.

The fort (we didn't visit); Photo: Guide to Iceland

For centuries, the people of Vestmannaeyjar eked out a living from fishing and from gathering wild birds and eggs from the cliffs and offshore rock stacks. In 1904, when the population was about 600, motorized boats were introduced. By 1930, the population had risen to 3,470. The islanders became fishing and seafood processing experts and now run the most productive fishing center in the country. Fresh water shortages plagued Vestmannaeyjar until a pipeline was laid in 1968.

Vestmannaeyjar had two major volcanic eruptions in the 20th century. An eruption in 1963 that lasted four years, making it one of the longest in Icelandic history. That one created the new island of Surtsey. 

Surtsey; Photo: Perlan

The 155-day-long 1973 Eldfell eruption created a 660-foot-high mountain where a meadow had been and added about 0.81 square miles to Heimaey.

Eldfell eruption; Photo: Perlan

The ferry service has run from Landeyjahöfn since 2010, when that dock opened. The ferry can carry 550 passengers and 75 cars and runs seven days a week, with multiple daily roundtrips. Service is frequent and reliable in summer, but winter trips can be affected by weather, causing cancellations or rerouting to a longer route from Þorlákshöfn, 66 miles west of Landeyjahöfn.

The Vestmannaeyjar ferry

Vestmannaeyjar Airport was previously served by regular flights to Reykjavík; however, as of 2023, there are no regular flights. There are discussions of building an undersea tunnel to the mainland.

The islands are famed in Iceland for their major annual festival, Þjóðhátíð ("The National Festival"), which attracts thousands of people. The festival was first held in 1874, at the same time as the commemoration of the millennium of the settlement of Iceland. Vestmannaeyjar residents had been prevented by bad weather from sailing to the mainland for the festivities and thus celebrated locally.

Þjóðhátíð; Photo: VikingTours

We stayed at the Hotel Vestmannaeyjar, a nice euromodern hotel in the island's main town of Vestmannaeyjar (that's confusing!). It was lovely, but we didn't spend much time there.

Our hotel

Stórhöfði

Our first day's exploration took us to Stórhöfði ("Great Cape"), a peninsula and the southernmost point of the island. 

A new adventure for us

It is claimed to be the windiest place in Europe.

Braving the wind

And, Stórhöfði holds the record for the lowest on-land observation of air pressure in Europe. Low air pressure creates unsettled, stormy weather caused by rising air that cools, condenses and forms clouds and precipitation. It brings, as I said, high winds and clouds and can cause migraines, joint pain or sinus pressure. It's probably a better place to visit than to live.

Looking down from the top

Stórhöfði is the location of one of the oldest lighthouses in Iceland, having operated since 1906 (why does it seem that every lighthouse claims to be the oldest and/or the tallest?). 

Well, this one is certainly not the tallest

And, its other claim to fame is as a Puffin observatory.

You can see the edge of the observatory here perched on the cliff

Now, I was quite careful to temper my expectations because I know that by September, most Puffins have already flown out to the ocean, where they will remain until they return to land to breed.

But, the windswept hills ..

A panoramic look

Dramatic cliffs ...

Plunging into the sea

Ancient hiking path ...

A bit muddy, but what do you expect?

Grazing sheep ...

These were actually lazing more than grazing

Views of neighboring islands ...

Looking out toward lots of small islands

And, even a closer look at a hunting lodge ...

How do they even get to the lodge?

Made the trip up to Stórhöfði worth it already.

Then, we slogged our way to the Puffin observation deck, which looked down on a cliff that I imagine is teeming with Puffins mid-summer.

The cliff is full of Puffin burrows

No teeming here. But, enough Puffins to photograph!

It took us a minute to start noticing them up and down the cliff

They were flying out to the water, catching mouths full of small fish (herring or capelin) and returning to their burrows.

Coming in with a beak full

I always wanted a photo of a Puffin with its mouth filled with fish. 

I wish there had been less shadow and more fish, but I did get the shot

I hoped to see some Pufflings, but no such luck. Just adults carrying food into borrows that I imagined were filled with Pufflings hiding from us.

Venturing out of a burrow

To read about Atlantic Puffins, click here.

One more look

The cliffs and ocean below also delivered up some Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls ... 

Great Black-backed standing and Herring Gulls sitting ...

... and this Hybrid of the two species flying

Black-legged Kittiwakes ... 

Look at that blue water!

And, even Rock Pigeons ...

It's always a surprise to see Rock Pigeons in a natural setting!

Stórhöfði has a magical feel to it: ancient and wild. I am so glad we went.

A special place

Oh, and did I mention there were Puffins?

I think I did

Heimaey

We went back to town and walked around a bit. We stopped at Beluga Whale Sanctuary and Puffin Rescue Center. I was expecting a bit more than a few displays and one lonely Puffin, but it was worth a stop.

A rescued Puffin

The actual Sanctuary is in Klettsvík Bay, which is in an 8-square-meter inlet off the entrance to the harbor. 

Sanctuary enclosure; Photo: Whale and Dolphin Conservation North America (WDC)

From 1998 to 2003, Keiko, star of 1993's Free Willy lived there before being fully released into the wild. 

Keiko; Photo: Earth Island Institute

The Sanctuary is now home to two Beluga Whales, Little Grey and Little White, who retired recently from of Shanghai's Changfeng Ocean World Zoo. In the summer, there are boat trips to Kettsvik, where you can see Little Grey and Little White.

Little Gray and Little White; CW: WDC, World Animal News, Sea Life Trust

The downtown facility we visited is just for information and education. But, we witnessed a little education when we walked into the lobby and overhead a mother and daughter asking what to do with a found Puffling, which I could hear scratching in the cardboard box the little girl was holding.

So, here's the deal: When Pufflings fledge, they orient themselves to the ocean and, in an amazing act of bravery, jump off the cliff and half fall/half fly into the ocean, where they float away to sea. 

Leaving Vestmannaeyjar

Then, they spend about five years in the open ocean, feeding on fish and maturing. After five years, they return to land to breed and continue the cycle.

So, why was a little girl holding one in cardboard box?

Well, the Pufflings are not savvy to the ways of the world and are easily confused by city lights, which their intuitive brains mistake for the Moon. So, allegedly, it is common to find Pufflings wandering aimlessly around town with no idea how to get to the ocean. 

Nighttime capture; Photo: The Kid Should See This

Locals and lucky tourists scoop them up, carry them to one of Heimaey's many cliffs and throw them into the ocean.

The mom and daugther left and I started kicking myself for not asking to see the Puffling in the box. Maybe we'd find one of our own.

Puffling

Change in Plans

It got rainy and windy that evening and Scott wasn't really into Vestmannaeyjar (yet) and he was concerned about getting back after dark the next day in bad weather. So, he asked me to change us to the 11:00 a.m. ferry the next day instead of the 5:00 p.m.

We'd be leaving after about 27 hours on Vestmannaeyjar 

I made the change, but now regret that because we never went up to the top of the two volcanoes, Eldfell and Helgafell (we did start up, but turned back because of some major road construction).

A better view of the two volcanos than we would have gotten; Photo: Perlan

Plus, we didn't visit the Eldheimar museum dedicated to the 1973 eruption and we, as I found out later, missed more cool things. But, there is more story ...

The next morning, we got up early to some gorgeous sunshine and decided to go back to Stórhöfði to photograph Puffins in better light.

Cliffside Walk

On the way, we saw some pretty cliffs and decided to investigate. The area was gorgeous, so we got out of the car and headed to the trail. Scott was ahead of me because I had to assemble my cameras.

When I stepped out, I saw a family on the edge and realized that I had just missed watching them release a Puffling.

Drat!

Scott, however, captured it on video. The family left and we headed out to take scenery photos. It was stunning.

A nice path along the edge

Steep cliffs below

Dramatic islands

A spectacular view

Then we went in different directions to capture some more of the beauty of the dramatic windswept cliffs.

Not a bad assignment; Photo: Scott Stevens

Now, it turns out that we were taking pictures of one of Vestmannaeyjar's most famous sites: Elephant Rock. But we didn't even know it. 

It's even on Google Maps!

This natural basalt formation, formed by volcanic activity, resembles an elephant dipping its trunk into the Atlantic Ocean.

Can you see the elephant on the lower left?

There it is! Photo: Scott Stevens

We probably could have gotten more "elephanty" views, but I fell down on advance research, so I didn't even know what to look for. And, honestly, it was beautiful regardless of whether it looked like a pachyderm or not.

I was concentrating a bit on photographing birds (and having a few issues with how my old lens was connecting to my new camera) while Scott walked further down the path.

I did see a few birds ...

Northern Gannet

Northern Fulmar

Even though I hadn't seen a Puffling release or gotten a Puffling photo, I was pretty happy as we prepared to head back up to Stórhöfði before going to the ferry dock.

 

Sweeping view; Photo: Scott Stevens

Pufflings!

As we were getting in our car, we saw a small tour bus pull into the parking area. Probably here to see the cliffs, we thought, as we buckled our seat belts.

But, when the tourists and guides (all American and Canadian, I think) got out, we saw that they had cardboard boxes. We jumped out and leaned in a little. We heard the guides starting to explain how to release a Puffling!

This is what we came for!

This time, I wasn't shy and I asked if we could watch. They were so kind and allowed us to listen ...

Showing how to hold a Puffling

We got to meet the Pufflings ... 

Close view of an Atlantic Puffling (AKA Atlantic Puffin Chick)

We got to pet the Pufflings (yes, they let us!) ...

Everyone fell in love with them

A family showed up while we were watching and they were invited to participate as well ...

Showing the Pufflings to the mom and daughter

We got to watch the tosses ...

One of three releases

And, best of all, we got to take photographs ...

Me, in the back, trying not to be intrusive; Photo: Scott Stevens

The result

And Scott got to take videos ...

My perspective of Scott capturing a toss

You can see that video here.

Now, we didn't get to throw any Pufflings into the ocean ourselves ...

But it was fun to watch

And, we got photos ...

Scott doing his thing

Including some really nice shots of the birds

I asked how they managed to find not one ... not two ... but three Pufflings and I found out that they found them walking along the road the night before. Apparently, the secret is to be out after dark, which we were not.

Now, I know!!! But, we had to leave on a ferry in a couple of hours. So, maybe if we ever go back ...

Maybe we could find our own

Back to the Mainland

After that fun adventure, we headed back to town and wandered around the dock before boarding the ferry and heading back to the mainland. 

Our ferry

As we left the harbor, I was thrilled to see more Pufflings -- these smart enough to find their own way into the ocean -- and, I hope, smart enough to find their way out of the harbor. 

Pufflings by the ferry

I certainly didn't notice any when we arrived, but maybe I just missed them.

The ride back was also relatively smooth.

And, even sunny(ish)

I'll share how we spent the afternoon ad evening on the mainland in my next blog.

Learning about Iceland; Photo: Scott Stevens

Trip dates: September 5 - 28, 2025