Ísafjörður one Lonely Planet´s Top Picks list
Every traveller knows Lonely Planet, the publisher of travel guides all over the world, TV shows and travel magazines.
In its latest edition about Iceland, Isafjörður is in second place of the LP Top Picks. “Take in Iceland’s most isolated town among a spectacular setting in the rugged Westfjords.”
One of the authors, Etain O’Carrol also puts a trip in the Westfjords among hers favourite:
“Despite the painfully slow driving on the long, windy and potholed roads of the Westfjords, some of my favourite Icelandic territory is on these lush, sweeping green fjords that covers the coastline. Few tourists make it here, which makes it all the more rewarding. For wildlife experiences the comic antics of the puffins on the cliffs near Látrabjarg really cen´t be rivalled – bumping into each other, crash landing and huddling round to watch a fight, they´re incredibly entertaining birds. Driving on between the sleepy villages from Patreksfjörður to Bíldudalur and past the thundering falls at Dynjandi is really spectacular.
The road snakes along the coast over some incredible passes and through otherwordly lunar landscapes. At the end of the long drive you´re rewarded with the sights, sounds and tastes of the very cosmopolitan Ísafjörður, a real treat after days off the beaten track. If there´s time, hiking in Hornstrandir offers some fantastic scenerey, towering birdcliffs, a massive icecap and plenty of challenging trails. Alternatively, the drive up the Strandir coast to Djupavik is magnificently peaceful and all but deserted by other travellers. Lined with rugged mountains and wild, craggy cliffs, it really feels like the end of the world.”
You might wonder what place was on top of Lonely Planet´s list. It was not Blue Lagoon, Gullfoss or Geysir. It was Austari Jökulsá (e. Eastern Glacier River) for its breathtaking river rafting and horse riding possibilities. I have to check it out.