The most beautiful fjords in the world. Majestic Norwegian fjords Europe's southernmost fjord
A fjord is a narrow, winding sea bay cut deep into the land with steep slopes. Many people consider the fjords to be the symbol of Norway. This country truly contains some of the longest, deepest and most beautiful fjords in the world.
The length of fjords is usually tens of times greater than their width, and the shores are rocks and cliffs about 1000 meters high. They owe their origin to glacial activity and the movements of tectonic plates. North America, Chile, Norway, New Zealand's South Island are four of the most famous fjord destinations in the world. Fjords also exist in other countries, in particular in Iceland, on the island of Greenland, on the Arabian Peninsula and even in Russia.
The fjords are very popular among tourists from all over the world. These are very picturesque and beautiful natural attractions. Below you can look at our selection with photographs and see for yourself.
The most beautiful fjords - PHOTOS
1. Howe Sound, Canada
Howe Strait is essentially a southern fjord North America located immediately northwest of Vancouver. It is surrounded by high mountain peaks that rise straight out of the sea. The fjord is a favorite destination for Vancouver residents for sailing, fishing, diving, camping and a variety of other recreational activities. The fjord includes many interesting islands.
The Kenai Fjords are over 650,000 acres national park on the south central Kenai Peninsula. The park's dramatic scenery includes mountains with huge glaciers sliding between them into the sea. There are also kilometers of deep fjords that provide habitat for thousands of nesting birds and small marine mammals such as sea otters, seals and sea lions.
Lysefjord is a popular tourist destination in the southwest. The fjord is very beautiful along its entire length, but two points are especially popular. Preikestolen or Pulpit Rock is a huge cliff over 600 meters high. Its peak, approximately 25 by 25 meters, offers a magnificent panorama of the fjord and surrounding mountain scenery, and is almost always filled with tourists. The second popular place is the Kjorag plateau, 1084 meters high, but people climb here not for the scenery, but to see Kjoragbolton - a “pea stone”, a huge cobblestone with a volume of about 5 square meters stuck between two vertical rock walls.
4. Aisen Fjords, Chile
The landscape of the Aisen region in the south is marked by several glaciations that formed a large number of lakes, canals and beautiful fjords. Laguna San Rafael, part of the area of the national park of the same name, which can only be reached by boat or plane, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in this area. The park also includes some of highest mountains.
5. Misty Fjords, USA
The Misty Fjords are located within a remote and wild nature reserve in the southern part of Southeast. The area is often called the "Yosemite of the North" for its similar geology. Unfortunately, cruise ships cannot always sail into the narrow fjords surrounded by high granite cliffs. But they are popular here sightseeing tours on small planes, motor boats and especially group tours on kayaks.
The fjord is located near the city of the same name on west coast Greenland, 250 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. Filled with glaciers, the Ilulissat fjord stretches 40 kilometers from ice sheet Greenland to Disko Bay. This area is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This amazing place, where the speed of icebergs is one of the highest in the world (19 meters per day). Constantly moving blocks of ice create incredible fantastic landscapes every day.
7. Doubtful Sound, New Zealand
Doubtful Sound is a very large fjord located on the southwest corner of the South Island. The fjord is popular among tourists due to its nature, rich wildlife, as well as numerous waterfalls, the number of which increases to several hundred during the rainy season. Doubtful Sound is the second largest of the national park's many fjords.
8. Nærøyfjord, Norway
The largest fjord in Norway, and one of the most beautiful in the country. Its length is 17 kilometers, and its width at its narrowest point does not exceed 300 meters. On the shores of the fjord there are small villages and farms. Height steep cliffs reaches 1700 meters, the passage between them is cruise ship- one of the most memorable trips to.
Milford Sound Fjord is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Greece. Situated in the northern and highly accessible part of the Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound is the epitome of the most stunning coastal scenery with fantastic mountain peaks and deep blue waters. The frequent showers that occur in this area only add to the beauty of the island, sending numerous waterfalls from the cliff tops.
10. Geirangerfjord, Norway
Geirangerfjord is the sparkling jewel of the Norwegian fjords - snow-capped Mountain peaks, beautiful waterfalls, lush greenery and blue water. The fjord can be explored aboard one of the 130 cruise ships that visit each year. The small village of Geiranger, located at the base of the fjord, can also be reached by car ferry from the town of Hellesylt.
In any country there is a region that lies farthest, where it is most difficult to reach, where there are few people and a lot of nature. Iceland has a lot of nature and few people almost everywhere, but the peninsula in the northwest, which has a complex shape reminiscent of a deer antler or a crab claw, is washed on almost all sides by icy waters The Denmark Strait satisfies these requirements to a particular extent. Only two roads of poor quality lead here. Here, on the few convenient patches of flat land separating the gloomy table mountains from the sea, only a few thousand people live. Connected to the mainland by a narrow ten-kilometer isthmus, the West Fjords are considered the wildest places in Iceland.
Once upon a time, trolls tried to cut off the Western Fjords from Iceland by breaking a canal through this isthmus from Hunaflói Bay to Breidafjord. Why they needed this is not known for certain, but the attempt failed. The trolls got carried away with their work and, as usual, forgot about the sun. Two of them turned into stones on the western shore of the peninsula, and the troll that was digging from the east froze as a flat rock on the seashore in the village of Drangsnes.
The weather in the Western Fjords is cooler than elsewhere in Iceland. On the passes and in the middle of summer there are huge thick snowfields.
And it was in the Western Fjords that Iceland was called the “Land of Ice”. Norwegian Floki Vilgerdarson was the third Viking to see the island. He went in search of the land discovered shortly before by the Norwegian Noddod and the Swede Gardar. Floki and his men walked along south coast islands, circled the peninsula, later named Reykjanes, and went further north until they liked a place on the northwest coast. Floki decided to spend the winter here, but did not think about food for the livestock and all his animals died from lack of food. In the spring, when the sun began to warm up, Floki climbed the mountain and saw that the surrounding fjords were still covered with ice. In that moment of disappointment, he named the island Iceland.
The peninsula has an extremely rugged coastline. The Western Fjords occupy only ten percent of Iceland's territory, but more than fifty percent of the length of its coastline.
It would seem that it’s just a stone’s throw from that shore, but along the road it’s already a couple of dozen kilometers to the end of the fjord and then back the same amount.
There are no crossings across the fjords; there are too few people here who want to use such a service. All that remains is that it’s boring to drive along the coast, repeating almost every bend.
If the southern part of the Western Fjords is still more or less populated, then the northern Hornstrandir peninsula is a real kingdom wildlife and the most vicious Icelandic predator - the arctic fox.
Having passed the center of the Western Fjords - Isafjordur, the road ends in the town of Bolungarvik. Beyond Bolungarvik, there are only a couple of small farms, and a military radar on the mountain.
Ice Fjord is the most populous place in the Western Fjords. Half the population of the entire peninsula lives here.
The town was once called Airy, which means “sand spit.” The old name reflected the essence, Isafjörður is located on a large shallow in the middle of the fjord and is surrounded on three sides by water.
There are four roads from Isafjörður. One along the coast to the east, the second through a tunnel to the south, the third - sea and the fourth - air. IN bad weather all four may be closed, and the town will be cut off from the rest of the world.
The main material for the exterior decoration of houses in Isafjörður, as indeed elsewhere in Iceland, is profiled iron sheet.
Massive flat mountains surround the fjord and town like a horseshoe.
It is not difficult to climb almost to the very top along the first slope you come across. There are many paths trampled by sheep along the slopes. And the views from there, as usual, are wonderful.
The road from Isafjörður to the south, after crossing a tunnel, climbs into the mountains. At one of the turns a sign suddenly appears walking route with an arrow somewhere up. The route turns out to be passable on four wheels.
At the top there is a large flat area with hardware and a cellular antenna. The technological structure comes with good panoramas of the surrounding area.
The waters of Durafjord glisten under your feet with cold ultramarine. The village under the mountain is called Tingeyri, and the mountain itself is called Sandafell.
Having laid a large loop along the shore of Arnarfjord, the road leads to Dignandi, a waterfall that falls in wide cascades from a hundred-meter cliff.
Rounding Patreksfjord, a broken road, sometimes hidden in the fog and hanging over cliffs, leads to the Latrabjarg Peninsula, probably one of the most remote places in the Western Fjords. But at the same time one of the most popular.
It owes its popularity to the fact that here, at the Bjargtangar lighthouse, is the westernmost edge of Europe, unless, of course, you count Europe and Azores. And the fact that the symbol of Iceland, the Atlantic puffin, nests in huge numbers on local cliffs.
There are many birds here.
They let you get very close to them, you can literally touch them with your hands.
On the way back from Látrabjarg, it’s worth stopping a little at the Egil Olafson Museum with a monument to the dead fishermen, dismantled by a Douglas DC-3, which, judging by the inscription on board, once belonged to American Navy, and a bunch of different equipment in the hangar.
You can also slow down at the Gardar ship. It received the honor of being dug into the ground on the beach because it was the first iron ship in Iceland.
Patreksfjörður. Almost the only place in the area where you can find accommodation for the night at an affordable price.
By nightfall the wind subsides and the clouds clear a little. There is a ghostly hope that maybe tomorrow the weather will be good.
Today the whole world celebrates Fjord Day. On a holiday dedicated to the natural heritage of all humanity and one of the most beautiful things on Earth, it is impossible not to do at least virtual travel along the most majestic fjords on the planet.
One of two fjords located in New Zealand's Fiordland National Park. Doubtful Sound is especially beautiful during the rainy seasons. It was then that the already huge number of local waterfalls increases exponentially, turning this place into one of the most beautiful on Earth.
Stretching from the Jostedalsbreen glacier all the way to the ocean, forming a winding navigable road one hundred and six kilometers long, it is not for nothing that this fjord attracts thousands of tourists every year. At such a vast distance there are many beautiful and picturesque places - from massive glaciers to beautiful waterfalls.
Dotted with towering mountain peaks and green with numerous islands, Canada's southernmost fjord is a favorite vacation spot for city dwellers. Watching small pleasure yachts cutting through the waves, it’s hard to believe that these lands were once covered with ice.
One of the American national parks, consisting entirely of a huge fjord. Located on Kenai Island in Alaska, this impressive and inspiring testament to the power of nature attracts thousands of eco-tourists. A beautiful, untouched piece of paradise inhabited by many species of birds and northern marine mammals.
One of the many Norwegian fjords that are the honor and pride of this northern country. The place is famous not only for its beautiful winding cliffs, but also for Cathedral Rock (one of the most popular places for base jumping) and the famous pea stone - Kjeragbolten, which is a huge round cobblestone stuck between steep cliffs.
The most significant fjord in South America, on the territory of which it was formed national park, which can only be reached by yacht or tourist plane. In this unique natural reserve, which only the most determined guests of Chile have the honor of touching, there are also many of the highest mountains of Patagonia - a tasty morsel for climbers.
The name of this fjord was not taken from the sky - a bushy fog actually hangs over it almost constantly, only emphasizing the unprecedented beauty of these places. In this piece of Alaska, as is usually the case, a nature reserve has been formed, inaccessible for mass tourism - the bays of the Misty Fjords are too narrow for large cruise ships. But for kayak lovers best place You just can't find one for swimming.
The springiest of Norwegian fjords creates a bizarre, surreal picture in which alpine valleys and pine-covered cliffs are perfectly combined. This beautiful place glorified by the numerous orchards comfortably located along the banks - during the flowering period the nature here is unforgettable.
The most famous and impressive fjord in Greenland, mostly covered by relatively small glaciers. The fjord located near the city of the same name is famous as the place with the highest speed of iceberg movement in the world. The ice masses moving through the local waters change the appearance of Ilulissat every day, creating stunning views.
"King of the Fjords", the largest such natural formation in Europe and the second largest in the world. The royal size, combined with the royal luxury of the local views, fully justifies the unofficial nickname of the Sognefjord.
A large Icelandic bay, on the shores of which the picturesque town of Isafjordur is located. Dotted with many smaller fjords, it manages to make an impression even despite its impressive width. Living in one of the farms located on the islands of Isafjord is not a dream for a modern romantic?
The iconic landmark of Norway, cutting a good seventeen kilometers into the interior of the country, is the most visited of such natural wonders in this part of the world. Comfort and unforgettable experience tourists are guaranteed a walk on the water on a cruise ship - not exceeding three hundred meters in width, Nereus goes up the cliffs for more than one and a half kilometers.
Doubtful Sound's older brother and largest fjord south island New Zealand is a popular tourist destination - easy access to these places and their primeval beauty do their job. Forested mountain peaks rising from the dark waters will not leave anyone indifferent.
Another gem wearing the Norwegian crown. Geiranger is beautiful at any time of the year, but is especially charming in the spring, when the melting snow cover that has lain on the cliffs all winter turns into hundreds of waterfalls. Citizens of the town of the same name can claim without a twinge of conscience that they live in paradise on Earth.
The largest and deepest, this Greenlandic granddaddy of all fjords amazes not only with its size, but also with the amazing combination of gloomy gray rocks, many of which are decorated with glaciers, and snow-white icebergs floating in its waters.
