The West Region (Vesturland) and the Westfjords (Vestfirðir) were regions of Iceland that didn’t seem to see nearly as many tourists as what we had experienced in both the South and the North. The reason for that could very well be that the Ring Road largely bypasses the scenic-yet-waterfall-rich regions of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and the Westfjords. Especially in the case of the Westfjords, the region was remote and seemingly cut off from much of the rest of the country. Even the roads throughout that corner of the country were pretty much unsealed. Couple that with some very fickle weather, and we could see why Mother Nature closely guards her secrets here.

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Nonetheless, the end result of taking the time to explore this region were some of the most powerfully memorable experiences we’ve had during our 2007 trip to Iceland. The waterfalls provided the excuse for us to come here (and believe you me there were certainly no shortage of these in this area), but the wild and largely untouched scenery coupled with the relative solitude to be had here was what really stood out to us.

Among the most notable waterfalls we’ve encountered here were Hraunfossar (where springs percolated out of an old lava flow creating one of the longest waterfalls we’ve seen) as well as Dynjandi, which was a clear favorite of ours in the Westfjords. We also opened our mind to staying in perhaps the loneliest hotel in Europe next to Djúpavíkurfoss.

With so much yet unexplored and so much to see for even those parts that we managed to glimpse during our excursions, the region still retains a good deal of mystery and intrigue to be revealed only to those willing to dive head first into the fog of the unknown.

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Click to see the expanded waterfall list

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