Iceland
Bakkagerði—also known by its older name Bakkagerði—is a village of perhaps fifty souls tucked into the head of Borgarfjörður eystri, a remote fjord on Iceland's eastern coast that the outside world might never have noticed were it not for two extraordinary attractions: one of Europe's largest puffin colonies and a landscape steeped so deeply in Icelandic elf folklore that the village maintains a designated "elf church" rock formation with something approaching civic seriousness.
The puffin colony at Hafnarhólmi, a rocky promontory connected to the harbor by a short causeway, is the village's primary draw—and it is spectacular. Between mid-April and mid-August, approximately ten thousand puffin pairs nest in the grassy burrows atop the rock, and an elevated viewing platform brings visitors within arm's reach of these charismatic birds without disturbing their nesting. The intimacy of the encounter is Hafnarhólmi's gift: puffins waddle past at eye level, their brilliantly colored beaks stuffed with silvery sand eels, seemingly indifferent to the humans photographing them from mere centimeters away. Kittiwakes, fulmars, and common eiders share the nesting grounds, creating a cacophony of seabird calls that echoes across the small harbor.
The landscape surrounding Bakkagerði is painted in the vivid mineral palette that defines eastern Iceland. The rhyolite mountains ringing Borgarfjörður eystri display bands of red, green, purple, and gold—the result of different mineral compositions in the volcanic rock exposed by erosion. The Víknaslóðir trail system, one of Iceland's finest multi-day hiking routes, threads through these mountains past hidden valleys, steaming hot springs, and coastal cliffs where the colors seem almost hallucinatory in their intensity. The hike from Borgarfjörður eystri to Seyðisfjörður, crossing several mountain passes, is widely considered one of the most beautiful treks in all of Iceland.
The village's relationship with the huldufólk—the hidden people of Icelandic folklore—adds a layer of cultural charm that elevates Bakkagerði beyond mere nature destination. The Álfaborg, a large rock formation at the edge of the village, is regarded as the capital of the local elf kingdom, and residents maintain a respectful relationship with their unseen neighbors that dates back centuries. A small chapel-like structure marks the "elf church," and local guides share stories of encounters and accommodations between human and hidden inhabitants with a mix of humor and genuine cultural sincerity that reflects Iceland's unique relationship with its folklore traditions.
Expedition cruise ships anchor in Borgarfjörður eystri and tender passengers to the small harbor, from which both the puffin colony and the village are easily accessible on foot. The fjord's remote location—accessible by road only via a steep mountain pass that can be closed by weather—makes arrival by sea particularly rewarding, as the fjord's colorful mountains reveal themselves gradually as the ship approaches. The puffin season runs from mid-April to mid-August, with June and July offering peak activity and the longest daylight hours. July also brings the warmest temperatures, though "warm" in eastern Iceland means around 12°C—a bracing reminder that this is the subarctic, where beauty and austerity are inseparable companions.