Exploring Ísafjörður and the Dynjandi waterfalls, Iceland
This is blog post #17 from our tour of northern Europe. On Friday, July 11th, we were docked at Isafjordur, Iceland, from 07:00 until 15:00, and went on a 4-hour bus tour to experience the Dynjandi waterfalls. It was an excellent, well-balanced day.
My day began early as usual, with the north coast of Iceland barely visible in the distance. By 05:15 it was worth starting to record it, from the open deck behind my work station on Deck 9.
The community of Bolungarvik soon came into view.
All along this dramatic coast, I could see something that would become a memorable part of this day – rock/avalanche sheds over the highway, and highway tunnels in a few places.
As we neared Ísafjörður, our pilot arrived on the vessel Sturla Halldórsson.
A salmon farm just outside the harbour.
Just north of town, Route 61 disappears into the mountain.
Approaching the main cruise ship dock, which accommodates two large ships. Another large one, the Viking Mars, soon arrived, and before long two other docks would have two slightly smaller cruise ships docked.
Tour busses and vans of all sizes soon filled the parking lot below our cabin, and we went down to find ours.
Settled in to my bus seat, headed out at, 10:55…
Here’s a map of our route to Dynjandi. All but the last kilometer or so was driven on Route 60, the Vestfjardavegur (West Fjords Highway). See an interactive version here.
That’s Route 60 headed off into the mountains.
Icelanders clearly believe that no place is unsuitable for housing or a road – there’s an engineering solution to every problem. The rock/avalanche guards on this mountain were the most extensive I saw. They would just laugh at our problems with the escarpment in Whitehorse.
Iceland is so green! That’s the Tunguskogur Campground – there’s a 9-hole golf course just to the right.
Just 10 minutes from the dock, the world went dark as we entered Vestfjarðagöng (Westfjords Tunnel), the longest tunnel network in Iceland at 9.1 km. Not only is it long, it has 3 arms, which meet at a junction deep inside the mountain. Some of it is only one lane with passing areas, and we stopped a few times to let other traffic to go by – I think southbound traffic has priority.
Back outside, we were met with a view that set the stage for the rest of the drive. With a campervan, I could spend a week on this 60 km of road. Even on this dull day, it is stunningly beautiful.
I have no comment to make about many of the photos, but I want you to see this place.
The old road and its concrete bridges can be seen in many places, and some sections are drivable, though best with an ATV.
Looking back at the tunnel we had come out of.
Our first look at Dynjandi. WOW!
The one-lane bridge to access the park, part of the parking area, and toilets behind.
We were the second bus to leave the dock, so it was fairly quiet, but that changed rapidly as bus after bus arrived.
The first close look, from the bus door. Dynjandi is actually a series of six waterfalls, with the upper one, Fjallsfoss, being one of the finest waterfalls in Iceland. Below Fjallsfoss are Háifoss, Úðafoss, Göngufoss, Hundafoss and Bæjarfoss.
The busses kept coming…
Starting at the bottom, Bæjarfoss, for a good overall view.
Yes, this does call for a video 🙂
It was rapidly getting harder to get clear shots.
Progress to the top came to a stop many times. This scene reminded me of the photos of crowds lined up to reach the summit of Mount Everest. This was the worst I’ve ever experienced in what would be considered a remote place on days when no cruise ships were in town.
One of the falls has a steel deck that allows a great view directly down from the top of the falls.
A look back down to the parking area.
The top – Fjallsfoss, though the sign says Dynjandi.
The walk back down was perhaps even worse than coming up due to the crowd. But the visit was still worthwhile – it is a must-see. This was the first place we’d visited on this trip where I used all 4 cameras, including the 3D I borrowed – Dynjandi seemed perfect for a video that can be used for a Virtual Reality show.
Here are a few photos from the drive back to Ísafjörður.
Another piece of the old road with a concrete bridge. So much exploring to do under different circumstances!
There were now four cruise ships docked.
We took a break back at the ship, then there was still plenty of time to look around the town.
These little vehicles are a pretty popular way to get around town. Cathy has suggested getting one, but we haven’t done it yet.
Pubs of any type have been a rarity since we left Paris, but this microbrewery was doing a good business.
The original trading site known as Nedstikaupstadur, established in 1602, is now a museum area run by the Westfjords Heritage Museum. Four buildings from the 1700s still stand.
The Catholic church and cemetery are very scenic. I planned to circle back and go inside the church but never did.
I shot the next photo on my first walk past the police detachment.
Later, I spotted the back of a great-looking police truck, and going between 2 buildings to see it got me back to the detachment.
While I was shooting the truck, an officer arrived at the end of his shift and put his Tesla in the garage. I got the next photo, then the officer saw me, stopped the door from closing until I had my shot, and we got to chatting. His father was a cop, too 🙂
The 1925 hospital is a gem. It was considered to be one of the best hospitals in Iceland, and served as a hospital until 1989. It is now the cultural centre and houses the library, museum, and art gallery.
The search and rescue cutter Gísli Jóns.
Though we were the first of the cruise ships to arrive, were the third to depart. We got a good view of the World Traveller as we left the harbour.
A final photo as we headed out to sea. Next stop, Greenland!
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