Cruise Stopover in Heimaey: Self-Guided Walking Tour and ATV Adventure Options

While it’s fun being at sea, when you arrive in port during a cruise sometimes the last thing you want to do is book a boat trip. For those passengers keen to stay on land during their visit to the Westman Islands, nothing beats the combination of an adrenaline packed ATV tours with time spent exploring on foot. In this article we’ll offer a Heimaey cruise itinerary with suggestions about what you can do and where you can go with limited time at your disposal. 

Heimaey is the only inhabited island in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago but it’s also where there’s most to see and do. Beginning at the port, it’s just a short stroll along the waterfront to the Beluga Whale Sanctuary. The place is home to two remarkable residents: a pair of cetaceans which are slowly being rehabilitated with a view to releasing them back into the open ocean. The place also acts as a puffin hospital and there are a few permanent feathery residents whose condition makes it impossible for them to return to the wild.

After your visit to the sanctuary, you might wish to stretch your legs. Hikers will be pleased to learn that there are a number of short and easy trails that lead from the quayside to sites which are culturally or geologically significant. For example, you might focus on the Skansinn area and take a closer look at the historic stave church which overlooks the coast here. You’re looking at about a 10 to 15 minute walk from the harbour.

It’s also possible to take a walk up to the summit of the Eldfell volcano where you can see the lava field created during the eruption in 1973. This unexpected event led to the successful evacuation of the island’s population. No lives were lost but many houses were a casualty of the lava flows – one of which has been preserved as the main attraction of the Eldheimar museum. The museum itself is only a 20 minute walk from the waterfront; though you’ll need to allow more time to summit Eldfell itself it’s still easily doable for cruise ship passengers ashore.

For something more challenging, you might consider hiking up to the Heimaklettur (Home Rock) viewpoint. It’s a challenging route, steep in places and not for the faint hearted but if you are an experienced hiker the outlook from this lofty vantage point will definitely appeal. The walk to the start of the trail from where you access the ladders takes about 20 minutes, after which you should allow about an hour to reach the peak.

When you’ve worked up an appetite, we’d suggest you call in at one of Heimaey’s cafes or restaurants, many of which are conveniently located close to the harbour. Here you can pause your cruise port tour of Iceland’s most diverse island and refuel. Try Gott, næs or Slippurinn, all of which offer great food.

Alongside those short hikes in the Westman Islands, you’ll be keen to see some of the more distant parts of the island. With limited time at your disposal it’s not practical to try to see everything on foot, so we recommend that you take advantage of our ATV tours to cover more ground. 

It’s a long walk up to the Stórhöfði bird hide, for instance, but our ATVs are the ideal form of transport and will get you there more quickly. Here, throughout the summer, you’ll be able to observe puffins coming and going from their cliff side burrows – part of the largest puffin colony in Iceland. 

We’ll also take you to some of the island’s remote spots including Prestvik Beach – site of the Pelagus – and to Herjólfstown, the place where many centuries ago Westman Islanders encountered Barbary corsairs in one of the most frightening but fascinating episodes in the nation’s history. 

Our ATV tours start and finish in downtown Heimaey so you won’t be far from the ship; this makes it easy to slot us in to your itinerary without any stress about it leaving without you. Why not make a hike and an ATV ride part of your Heimaey cruise itinerary?