For a few months every year this massive 440 meter high and 14 kilometer long cliff becomes alive with the nesting activity of millions of seabirds. This is a good place for rearing young, as some of the most bountiful and rich waters of the North Atlantic Ocean are nearby, providing nesters with abundant food for their nestlings. The seabird colonies at Látrabjarg are enormous, and they include the world’s largest known Razorbill colony at Stórurð, scree beneath the cliff. The puffins, which dig their burrows in topsoil at the cliff’s edge, are not the most numerous species, but arguably the most noticeable. Other auks that breed at Látrabjarg are Razorbills, Common Guillemot and the Brünnich Guillemot, a high arctic species that is at its southern breeding limit in Iceland, and is one of the target birds for any serious birdwatcher visiting the country.

Látrabjarg is as far west in Europe as any man will stand on solid ground, the continents westernmost boundary. It is one of the three largest bird cliffs in Iceland, with the other two being Hornbjarg and Hælavíkurbjarg in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve. Látrabjarg is by far the easiest of the three to visit as a road leads practically to the cliff’s edge and from the parking lot a walking path traverses the edge. In summer it is a popular tourist destination and the main attraction is the puffin. In few places in Iceland, if any, are the puffins more trusting towards humans. They are so fearless that if one crawls on the belly towards a perched bird, and slowly reaches out, some of these wild puffins can be touched without being flushed. This trust towards humans has been developed over a long period and there is an obvious reason for it. The Látrabjarg cliff is not harvested – these puffins are not caught.

The Atlantic Puffin is the most abundant bird in Iceland. The breeding population is estimated at 3 million pairs, which is more than half of the world population of this particular puffin species. They are interesting birds to observe and exhibit all kinds of strange and amusing antics. Therefore, they are so popular, which is enhanced by their appealing look. They are such beloved creatures that their admirers worldwide have established puffin lovers clubs, which are active on the Internet, selling t-shirts, caps and mugs decorated with colorful puffin images. It could perhaps be called the most loved bird in the world.

Birdwatchers, photographers, puffin lovers and the average tourist, will all have a tale to tell of their visit to Látrabjarg. It is where I saw my first Brünnich Guillemot, it is a great place to photograph seabirds, it is where I came face to face with a puffin, and it was a wonderful location where I witnessed the arctic sun bounce on the horizon at midnight. As many different tales as there are travelers. And I have my own to tell, which is becoming a sequel as the years pass. I make an effort to visit Látrabjarg once every summer. Not only because of the cliff itself, and certainly not only for the birds, but because there is something there that has gotten a hold on me, something that I cannot grasp or put into words – a feeling perhaps.

It is fitting that Látrabjarg itself is at the end of a road, as it marks the end of a continent, and to get there one has to pass through Látravík, a cove leading to the cliff and a magical place in its own, complete with a golden sand beach guarded by a colony of aggressive Arctic Terns. There is a camping ground in Látravík, close to where the road to Látrabjarg starts to curve around a mountain, leading up, and ending at the cliff’s edge. And for some reason, perhaps just pure luck, the weather has always been as good as it gets in this part of the world when I have stayed in Látravík. A beautiful place in good weather creates fond memories, good feelings, and a strong bond. What is it that makes us yearn to return to a certain place, where we have felt peaceful in the past and experienced positive emotions? Do we leave a part of ourselves behind? Is it calling us back? Or does the place itself plant within us a seed that longs to return to its source? There is so much more to this world than we can imagine – even in our wildest dreams.

Gravel road number 612 is the path that winds to Látrabjarg from Patreksfjörður. It is a bumpy ride, a bit like life itself at times, winds up and down, up and down, and a moment of carelessness on this road might be the last moment lived, this time around. There is a small settlement, and even a historical museum at Örlygshöfn, but the whole area is still quite rural. Growing tourism is giving rise to better infrastructure and there is now a fine guesthouse at Breiðavík (passed along the way to Látrabjarg), which has opened up the area to organized tours that require comfortable accommodation. From their base camp in Breiðavík groups of photographers make day trips to Látrabjarg cliff, returning to the guesthouse in the evening where a delicious meal awaits them, and the comfort of a bed. Bird photography as a hobby is rising in popularity and although there are less than 80 species that breed regularly in Iceland it is still a very eciting location to photograph at since birds are quite accessible, and the numbers of individuals are just staggering. And Látrabjarg is claimed to be the best place in the world to photograph puffins! I have no idea if that statement is true since I have never visited a puffin colony outside Iceland. It is a statement made by a tour leader, and expert nature photographer, whom I met at Látrabjarg a few summers ago. He told me he had been to all the best puffin colonies in the world and this one (Látrabjarg) was simply the best. He spoke with authority and his words carried weight – I have no reason to doubt him.

The nature experience brought home by visitors to this remote location in the Westfjords will undoubtedly benefit both man and birds in the evolution of a better world for both. There have been propositions to make Látrabjarg a nature reserve and hopefully the authorities will have the vision to see it through. It is our duty to preserve and protect such natural gems, so that people from generations to come can have the possibility to lie flat on their stomach, at the westernmost edge of Europe, and look a puffin in the eye.

Photo captions:
Top image: The Látrabjarg cliff
Middle image: Brünnich Guillemot
Bottom image: Látravík, which leads to the cliff

The article first appeared in Icelandic Geographic magazine, issue 3, 2004

Text and photographs: © Daniel Bergmann