Westman Islands

The Westman Islands or Vestmannaeyjar is an archipelago off the south coast of Iceland is a popular destination for both Icelanders and foreigners. It has incredible natural beauty, the world’s largest population, and rather interesting history as well.

In order to reach the Westman Islands, you have two options, you can take a ferry from Landeyjahöfn or from Þorlákshöfn, however, the faster method is flying from the Reyjavik Domestic Airport.

As we mentioned above, the islands have a rich history. The first person who permanently settled in Iceland was Ingólfr Arnarson. When his half-brother was murdered by two of their slaves, the slaves fled to Vestmannaeyjar but they could not escape the wrath of Ingólfr. The islands were named after these slaves since they were Irish and back in those days Ireland’s name was “Westman”. In the first few centuries living on the islands was rather harsh yet still manageable, but it all changed in 1627 when a tragic event occurred. Pirates, sailing under the flag of the Ottoman Empire captured 237 inhabitants and most of them lived their remaining lives in captivity, only a few were able to return to Iceland in 1638.

This was not the last event that stirred up the otherwise calm life of the locals. In 1973, a volcano, Eldfell suddenly erupted, destroying a significant portion of the islands’ capital, Heimaey. Fortunately, there were no casualties and the entire population of the island was taken to safety since the whole fishing fleet was docked due to the previous, stormy days. Close to 85% of the original population resettled on Heimaey, however, one-fifth of the buildings were destroyed.

After this miraculous recovery, the Westman Islands slowly became a beloved attraction for thousands of visitors. One can learn about the volcano eruption at the Eldheimar Museum or visit the Eldfell volcano crater.

Many others visit the islands in order to watch puffins, approximately ten million of them live here between May and September, nesting on the cliffs and they are a common sight even in the town because a lot of younglings get distracted by the city lights. Luckily, the local children always come to the rescue and place them back in their original habitat. The islands are also an ideal place for whale-watching, one can see fin, minke, and humpback whales during the summer and orcas throughout the whole year. The star of the beloved movie Free Willy, Keiko the orca was actually released into the wild around Heimaey in 2003.