The Westman Islands are an archipelago off the south of Iceland. There are 8, islands but only one, Hiemaey, is inhabited. It can be reached by a ferry or by a local flight from Bakki Airport; the latter of which only takes six minutes. Hiemaey's attractions include bird cliffs, hiking trails and the residue of the last volcanic eruption in 1973, including a 'mini-Pompeii' of ash-covered streets. Back on the mainland, the area around Bakki Airport is quiet and undeveloped. There are only a few farms here and the small ferry harbour, but no town.
Bakki is a local airport in the south of Iceland. It stands near the shoreline at a sparsely-populated spot and serves the Westman (or Vestmann) Islands off the south coast. There's a small ferry pier at the beach too, known as Landeyjahöfn. If the weather is bad, however, the ferry has to use the more secure harbour at Thorlakshofn, further west along the coast. Visitors who hire a car in Bakki can take it on the ferry to the Westman Islands, or travel as a foot passenger.
