Surtsey

Surtsey came out of the sea south-west of the Westman Islands in November 1963 and kept erupting until June 1967, ending as an island of about 2.7 square kilometres. From the beginning it was closed to everyone except a small number of researchers, and that has held for sixty years - which is the point of the place. Because nothing was introduced by people, the arrival of life on it has been recorded from the first year: mosses and lichens, then vascular plants carried by sea and birds, then gulls whose droppings enriched the soil enough for more to follow. It was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2008. Erosion has already cut its area by more than half.

Highlights

• An island born in 1963 - erupting until 1967.
• Closed for sixty years - research access only, and no exceptions.
• Colonisation recorded from year one - mosses, then plants, then nesting gulls.
• Shrinking fast - waves have removed over half its original area.

When to go

May to September, if taking a sightseeing flight or a boat that passes it. Part of a day.

Things to know

You cannot land, and no tour can arrange it - the closure is the reason the site matters. From a boat it is a low dark island at a distance. Flights are weather dependent and not cheap. The best views most visitors get are in the Vestmannaeyjar museums.

Nearby

Heimaey and the Westman Islands are north-east; the south coast is beyond.

Key facts