Bakkargerdi Iceland, Borgarfjordur Eystri
6
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
HX Expeditions (5 Cruises)
Silversea Cruises (1 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
By Zodiac. The expedition ship anchors in Borgarfjörður Eystri and passengers are landed by inflatable boats: there is no cruise berth here. This is an expedition call, with all the weather dependence that implies.
Three things, all within walking distance: the puffin islet of Hafnarhólmi, the hill of Álfaborg, and the hamlet itself — around a hundred residents scattered between the shore and rhyolite mountains tinted pink, orange and pale green. Two to three hours cover the lot without rushing.
Yes, and it is the main reason for the call. Beside the fishing harbour, the islet of Hafnarhólmi is connected to land and fitted with wooden platforms and stairs. Each summer roughly ten thousand pairs of Atlantic puffins dig their burrows there, alongside fulmars and kittiwakes. You watch from a few metres away, with no giant telephoto lens or long hike needed.
From mid-April to mid-August. Outside that window the birds are back out at sea and the islet loses most of its point. It is the one part of the programme that genuinely depends on the calendar.
A rocky knoll whose name means "the city of the elves". Local tradition places the home of the queen of the hidden people, the huldufólk of Icelandic tales, on this hill. A short path, a quarter of an hour at most, leads to the top, where an orientation table takes in the roofs, the fjord and the jagged Dyrfjöll, the "door mountains".
No, and it is worth knowing before you arrive. Lindarbakki, with its turf walls and bright red front, is one of the last inhabited turf houses in Iceland: people live there. Photograph it discreetly from the road, without crossing the fence.
An altarpiece painted by Jóhannes S. Kjarval, one of Iceland's best-loved artists, who grew up in the district. It shows Christ preaching from Álfaborg, with the local mountains behind him — a major work in a tiny village church.
Waterproofs, even in high summer: weather turns fast in the Eastfjords. Boots or walking shoes for the Zodiac landing and the paths. On the islet, stay on the platforms and follow the guides' instructions, even when a puffin lands a metre away.
Very few. A handful of colourful houses, one café, a tiny harbour where nets dry — life here fits into very little, and that is exactly what visitors come for. Do not count on shops, ticket offices or a choice of restaurants.
Almost, except those who dread inflatable boats. Once ashore the distances are short and the ground manageable, with the climb up Álfaborg the only real slope. That said, this call appears on no list of great cruise destinations: anyone looking for monuments and shopping will be disappointed.
