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Vestmannaeyjar: Nordic hidden pearl

New isles out of the sea

Vestmannaeyjar, in English: The Westman Islands, is a small archipelago off the south coast of Iceland. The island with the unpronounceable name lays just Southern Iceland, 3 hours far from the capital city Reykjiavik.

To get there, however, you have to catch a bus to Þorlákshöfn and from there the ferry that daily goes to the island, on a 2 hour 45 minutes trip that can become the trip of your life if the Nordic Ocean is rough.

But as soon you approach the island, the impression you get is that you are arriving at one of the hidden treasures of our beautiful planet. The volcanos' tops and the black lava cliffs hide themselves in the foggy air of the middle afternoon, and slowly reveal their beauty.

Heymaey, the little fishing village on the island, lays there waiting for you, to tell you stories of Nature's power and fishermen's daily adventures.

Vestmannaeyjar are volcanic isles that came out of the sea during the centuries and still belong to the sea that surrounds them.

Golf course on the Nordic Ocean

The last big dramatic volcano eruption dates from 1973, when in the middle of the night a wall of fire violently came out of the Eldfell volcano and started to flow down the mountain toward the village. The population was evacuated and many houses, during the next weeks, were swallowed by the red fire river. The lava flow calmed down six months and ten days later, leaving the geography of the island changed forever: the diameter of the island had actually grown by 2 kilometres.

360 houses were destroyed under 1.5 million tons of ash. The population of Heymaey came back to rebuilt the town, but the scars of such a dramatic event still remain, and "Pompei of the North" is now the name of the area under the volcano where it's still possible to visit the houses under the black lava and the works to save them.

Vestmannaeryjar got used to such a massive natural power. Having a walk on the cliff of the isles, possibly, if you are lucky enough, on a sunny afternoon at the sunset time, you can see the landscape surrounded by little isles or pieces of big rocks coming out of the blue and white ocean. The newest one is a little isle who came out after a sea eruption in 1969. It's one of the newest pieces of land of the planet, a paradise for scientists from all over the world who study how a new land comes to life.

Black lava cliffs

The most spectacular attraction of the isle is, of course, the natural beauty, a heaven for people who like hiking, horse riding or even playing golf. The main golf courses of the island have a location that is envied even by those who don't know anything about this sport: just in front of the ocean, in a natural amphitheatre surrounded by the volcano shape on one side and the white rough sea that meets the black cliffs on the other.

In this unknown masterpiece by Mother Nature, the black lava cliffs that stand up surrounding and protecting the island from the cold winds of the ocean are the most attractive and fascinating piece of landscape you can ever expect at this latitude.

Heymaey, the fishing village that beautifully lays at the feet of the volcano, is a calm and peaceful piece of paradise. There is the volcano eruption museum in the town centre, and the nice people who work there are proud to show you the original movie of the eruption if asked.

The inhabitants of this little town are famous for being the most friendly people of Iceland and the best way to get to know them is to go inside one of their family run restaurants and get a lobster soup or a puffin dish!!!

Sunset from the black cliffs

You will be amazed how many stories they have to tell you and how special you will feel for visiting their beautiful piece of heaven. The best period of the year to go to the islands is summer, due to the charm of the midsummer night, when the islands become the favourite spot of millions of puffins and it's possible to organize a daily trip with one of the locals to see whales.

However, just at the end of the Nordic winter, around March, when tourists are rare up here and the only people who sail the sea are the Icelandic or Norwegian fishermen, the Vestmannaeyjar reveal all their enchantment: on a clear night it's possible to see the Aurora Borealis colouring the sky and during the day the first shy rays of sun give a charming shape to the island's profile.

Black rocks meet the strong and fiery forces of the white sea; seagulls sing about their freedom on this beautiful spoiled land, the colours of the sunset paint the black, blue and green shape of this piece of land, and you will believe the real Wonderland is actually the one you have just stepped on.

CURIOSITY: From a small village called Bakke, in the South of Iceland, it's possible to take a five minute flight to Heymaey - Probably the shortest flight in the world!!!

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