Planning a trip to Strandir Coast

Getting There -- No public buses venture up the Strandir coast past Hólmavík and Drangsnes, so a rental car is almost indispensable. Car rental is not available in Hólmavík or Gjögur, Strandir's only airport, so drivers usually arrive from Reykjavík, Ísafjörður, or Akureyri. Hólmavík, a village at the base of Strandir, is along Route 61, 224km (139 miles) from Ísafjörður and 274km (170 miles) from Reykjavík. A few kilometers north of Hólmavík, Route 643 branches off from Route 61 and heads up the coast, ending 96km (60 miles) later at Norðurfjörður.

Eagle Air (tel. 562-2640; www.eagleair.is) flies once a week from Reykjavík to Gjögur (from 12,000kr one-way; 40 min.), 16km (10 miles) southeast of Norðurfjörður.

Straeto buses (tel. 540-2700; www.straeto.is) connecting Ísafjörður to towns outside the Westfjords stop at Hólmavík. On Fridays, the Trex (tel. 587-6000; www.trex.is) bus from Brú (on the Ring Road) to Hólmavík extends a bit farther up Strandir to Drangsnes.

Visitor Information -- The visitor center for all of Strandir is in Hólmavík, Norðurtún 1 (tel. 451-3111; www.holmavik.is/info; June 10-Aug daily 9am-5pm), at the community center. Off season, rely on the tourist office in Ísafjörður.