Grímsey Arctic Circle

North

Grímsey is the only part of Iceland that sits inside the Arctic Circle — a small island of around 5 square kilometers, 41 kilometers off the north coast. Fewer than 100 people live here, and from May through September the cliffs host large seabird colonies — puffins, razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes, and fulmars. The east cliffs rise over 100 meters from the water, and Arctic terns defend their nests aggressively enough in summer that the cliff path requires keeping your head down. Getting here takes a 20-minute flight from Akureyri or the Sæfari ferry from Dalvík, about three hours each way. The ferry runs several times weekly, arriving around noon and departing around 4pm — day-trippers get about four hours, enough to walk the perimeter path and find the concrete sphere marking the Arctic Circle. Around the solstice, the sun stays above the horizon around the clock. Mid-June is generally the best time: puffins are actively nesting and the daylight is continuous. The island has a small guesthouse, and the ferry north passes waters where whale sightings are common.

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