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Scenic Island Tour
 Duration: Approx. 2.25 hours
Heimaey is the largest and only inhabited island of the
Westman Islands group. The town suffered a volcanic eruption in 1973,
which created a new mountain, Eldfell - Mount Fire with a height of 900
feet and covered a large part of the town with ashes and lava. Our
sightseeing tour will include the main attractions of the island and,
after driving along the harbour area, the first stop will be at Sprangan,
a cliff where the young islanders are taught the art of rope swinging. The
sport has been developed from the old method of the egg-gatherers who
collected guillemot eggs from the steep cliffs around the island. We
continue to the Herjolfsdalur valley where there are ruins of old
farmhouses dating back to A.D.650 and along the west of the island which
has good views of the outer islands like the newest one, Surtsey, which
was born from a volcanic eruption in 1963. Our next stop is at Storhofdi,
which during the spring and early summer is home to the largest puffin
colony on Heimaey. From here we have an excellent view over the island
towards the glaciers of mainland Iceland. Heading back towards the town,
we pass between two volcanoes of contrasting ages, Helgafell (Holy
Mountain) at 5,000 years old and Eldfell (Mount Fire), from the eruption
of 1973. A final stop is made at a viewpoint at the base of Eldfell,
before the tour continues over the new lava fields into the very centre of
the crater. From here we drive directly into town, passing the ruins of a
house buried in the lava, and along the main streets back to the harbour.
By coach, subject to a minimum of 30/maximum of 150 per
departure. Please note: This tour will operate with two departures owing
to the limited transport capacity on the island. |
