Surviving Iceland

The Westman Islands is a group of 15-18 islands. The biggest one is Heimaey which is the only one inhabited with a population of 4.400. The islanders have their own traditional culture, like bird hunting, egg collecting and cliff rappelling. In January 1973 an eruption began in Heimaey and lasted until early July. The ash ruined and buried almost 400 buildings. Shortly after the eruption came to an end 2000 of the 5300 people, who had lived in Heimaey before the natural disaster, moved back. The remains of the eruption are among the island´s most fascinating historical locales. Celebrating that 30 years have passed since the eruption a project has been started which is called the Pompei of the North. It is about saving the remains of the eruption and make them more accessible; including digging up 7-10 houses which disappeared under ashes. There are many activities in Heimaey: sailing around the island, bird watching, golf, hiking, horseback riding, museums, swimming, whale watching etc. There are daily flights to Vestmannaeyjar (e.g. from Reykjavík the flights takes about 25 mintues) and a ferry which runs scheduled trips daily between Þorlákshöfn and Westman Islands (the sailing time is around 2 hours and 45 minutes).The hostel is located in the towns centre and all services are close by. The reception is located in Hotel Thorshamar (the house next door) and is open 24 hrs.

Prices from
Bed price from: 2100.00 ISK
Double/Twin Room: 5800.00 ISK
4 Bed Private Room: 9250.00 ISK
5 Bed Private Room: 11350.00 ISK
6+ Bed Private Room: 13450.00 ISK

Opening times
Opening times (daily/weekly): 24h
Opening times (over the year): January 1st - December 31st

Directions
Parking: At or near the Hostel.
Sea port: Vestmannaeyjar Harbour: twice daily ferries from and to Þorlákshöfn.
Location: The hostel is located in the villages centre - in a walking distance from the harbor.
Airport: There are daily flights between Reykjavík and Vestmannaeyjar. There are also many flights every day between Bakki (on the south coast of Iceland) and Vestmannaeyjar. That flight takes only 10 min.