Half an hour across the Djup to a two-kilometre island with a puffin colony, an eiderdown farm, Iceland's only windmill and its smallest post office. The only landing you can make from this harbour.
You go ashore on an inhabited island and walk it, which nothing else leaving this harbour lets you do.
Along with Iceland's smallest post office and a working eiderdown farm, all on two kilometres of island.
A marked walk to the colony, which arrives in mid-April and starts leaving in early August.
The orientation is given by the island's own people, which is why travellers describe it as a conversation.
Included, and the rhubarb cake gets written about as often as the birds do.
There is room for everyone to sit under cover on the crossing of Ísafjarðardjúp.
Vigur is one of three islands in Ísafjarðardjúp, named for its spear shape, about two kilometres long and a few hundred metres wide. It is a working farm, a nature reserve and the only island off this town you can land on. The boat is the Nordic Star, an ex-ferry, and the crossing takes about half an hour each way with commentary on the fjord as you go.
Ashore you are met by a member of the family who own the island or by one of their guides, given the history, shown the historic buildings, and then left to walk the Puffin Path at your own pace. Travellers name that last part specifically: nobody herds you round.
Roughly thirty minutes across, two hours on the island, thirty minutes back. The walking is on mown grass paths and wild grass trails that can be uneven.
The puffin colony arrives in mid-April and begins departing in early August, with few sightings from mid-August; other seabird species build again through to the end of September. Eiders, guillemots and Arctic terns nest here too, and the eiderdown the island has harvested for centuries is collected only after the chicks have gone.
The terns come with a practical note. In July, when they are nesting, you are handed a stick to carry above your head as you walk — they dive at the highest thing they can see, and the stick is it. Whale and seal watching in the Djúp runs year-round, which is why several travellers who missed the puffins still came back full of what they saw.
The island's own directions are the clearest of any trip here, so follow them. Leave the dockside through the small security hut, follow the wooden fence on your right and take the first right; it is about a six-minute walk, and the boat has VIGUR written on it in large letters. If you have come ashore by tender you are already next door — the Vigur pier is the one immediately beyond the tender berth, a minute at most.
You want to stand somewhere rather than sail past it, and birds, farming and island life interest you as much as scenery. It suits couples, families with children from two, and anyone who has already done the waterfall. Travellers repeatedly call it the best thing they did in Iceland.
Dynjandi is what you came north for and you only have one slot. This trip does not go anywhere near it. Dynjandi Waterfall Day Trip from Isafjordur covers the waterfall in three and a half hours for a third of the fare.
| The fact | What to do about it |
|---|---|
| The puffins leave from early August | Come in May, June or July if they are the reason you are booking |
| Arctic terns nest in July | Carry the stick you are given; it is not a souvenir |
| Boarding is by steps with a handrail | No ramp or lift; the island team offer easier routes and observation points ashore |
| The paths are mown and wild grass, and uneven | Wear proper shoes; ask for the alternative route if you need it |
| Midges can be about | One traveller recommends insect netting |
| Smoking, drones and pets are not allowed | Assistance dogs are the exception; leave the drone on the ship |
★★★★★
Our host owns the island and answered every question we had. It is laid out so you can see the puffins, the Arctic terns, the eider ducks and the guillemots, and afterwards there was tea and rhubarb cake. The post office is unlike anywhere else.
Phyllis · couple · August 2026
★★★★★
The puffins had already gone by the time I came, and there was still plenty to see: other seabirds, seals, the nesting ground, and an explanation of how the eiderdown is collected and cleaned.
Debra · solo · September 2026
★★★★★
Being able to walk at our own pace instead of following a group round was the best part. We were there in mid-August and the puffins had not all left.
Elizabeth · couple · August 2026
Read all Isafjordur tours reviews
Prices, lengths and what each fare covers are on their own pages.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time, so the date is not a commitment you cannot unwind.
Check Availability