Dynjandi Waterfall and Seafood Trail

Our morning started off at 9:30am for the Dynjandi Waterfall and Seafood Trail tour.  We were late leaving the ship because the fog was so thick.  After our tender ashore we could neither see our ship nor the town we were approaching.  Once ashore, we boarded our tour bus and headed on the 2 hour drive to the Dynjandi waterfall.  Along the way we passed through the 9.6 kilometer Breioadals tunnel which is one way after the split in the middle.  This means that you must pull to the side to let other traffic pass by while in the tunnel.  Not a problem here as there are only 2,700 inhabitants in the entire area, so you are unlikely to meet anyone else on the road.

We first stopped at near Sandafell mountain for a restroom break.  There was a small fishing town that is quite picturesque.  The fog was still thick so much of the scenery could not be admired or photographed.  We continued the drive another hour until we made it to Dynjandi.  The last 15 or 20 miles was on an unpaved road that crossed a mountain.  Again, boundless picture taking opportunities.

Once at the Dynjandi waterfall we had an hour on our own.  The tour company had purchased bagels, yogurt, fruit and water for anyone interested and left them on the picnic tables at the drop off point.  We grabbed a rye seed bagel and headed for the falls.  There are seven stages in total of the falls.  They start small and get continuously larger as you climb the terrain.  We climbed the hill along-side of the falls and made it through the first six with 23 minutes to spare.  Because it was so foggy we decided not to go up any higher as visibility was poor at best.  This would be a great site to visit on a clear sunny day.  We took our many photos, and headed back down.  We arrived at the bottom with 12 minutes until departure.

Now we retraced our steps on the steep mountain dirt road and headed back to the Breioadals tunnel.  The fog that had been with us all day had lifted and we were afforded many great views of the outside area.  Once inside the tunnel, we took the turn this time, and headed to the small fishing village of Sudureyri.

At Sudureyri (pop 268), our tour guide Elias took us around the village which seemed to rely entirely on the fishing trade to survive.    He first told us the history of the local church, talked to us about the marina then took us inside a working fish processing plant.  We had to don hair nets and lab coats to get inside.  Once inside we saw the catch of the day going through the descaling and filleting operations.  It was quite interesting if you are the factory tour type and don’t mind an intense smell of fish.  During the process we learned that the fish are caught in an Eco-friendly manner, with hooks only.  Once processed at the plant these fish can be found in supermarkets around the world in just 36 hours time.

Elias gave each of us a sample of dried fish and showed us how fish drying works.  Afterwards we were given samples of fresh cooked cod, prepared by his mother earlier that morning.  Yes, it turned out that Elias was born and raised in Sudureyri.  In fact, he owns the local café, cooking school and tour company.

The town was small and quiet and was a good change from the much larger cities we had visited throughout the cruise.  Though our tour was on a weekday only one car drove down the street during the one and a half hour visit.  The surrounding fjords and scenery were definitely a thing of amazing beauty.

Lastly, we learned that outdoor gear company 66 Degrees North was started in this town by a local man who wanted to create durable fishing gear.  The town of Sudureyri, you guessed it, is exactly 66 Degrees North.

Cruise Port: Isafjordur, Iceland

Tour Company: Fisherman

Tour Guide: Elias

Steps logged: 7,854