An Arctic Paradise

Vigur is a slice of northern perfection in a far-flung corner of Iceland’s remote Westfjords - just south of the Arctic Circle. Closer to Greenland than to Europe, the island has a history stretching back to the original settlement of Iceland and first appears in the written record in the 11th Century. During much of that time Vigur has been a place of cultural influence for the surrounding fjord region and rich in natural resources. It is now a beloved capsule of Icelandic heritage - particularly the uniquely Icelandic tradition of collecting eiderdown - and a vital sanctuary for a stunning array of Arctic birdlife.

Member of the Small Islands Organisation since 2025

A Home for Polar Explorers

Polar Explorers, Gisli Jonsson and Felicity Aston have spent decades working and travelling in the Arctic and Antarctic. In 2019 they purchased the island of Vigur for conservation and made it their year-round home. Establishing Vigur as a private nature reserve, they founded the Vigur Island Foundation which works to protect and study both the nature and heritage on the island. Today, up to four volunteers a year stay on Vigur during the summer months to undertake a growing programme of research and conservation projects by the Foundation in collaboration with a number of national and international organisations and institutions.

A Family Project

The current family of Vigur are Gísli, Felicity and their son, Þráinn Freyr, who together look after the island year-round with their fraendi, Spencer. Gisli is originally from Reykjavik while Felicity is a native of the UK. Both Felicity and Gísli have spent most of their lives traveling in the Polar regions; Felicity on skis and Gísli in specialized vehicles. Vigur is their joint passion and they are determined to ensure the future of the island as a valued national treasure.

Geographical Magazine

Click on the image above to read the feature article about life on Vigur which appeared in Geographical Magazine in March 2021.

Geographical Podcast

To accompany her feature article published in the March 2021 issue of the magazine, Felicity takes part in this episode of the Geographical Podcast about her life on Vigur (starts at approx 23 minutes in)…

Gone Feral UK

Gone Feral, SEASON 3 joins a team of seabird researchers on a Puffin rally around Iceland! Using our wildlife photography skills, we captured images of Puffins in flight, to help the researchers determine what prey the Puffins were eating! For the role we happily accepted our job title for the next fortnight - ' The PUFFARAZZI ’. Join us as we visit the wonderful island of Vigur.

forbes

Forbes Journalist, Anna Haines, visits Vigur as part of the annual Vid Djupid Music Festival as discusses in her feature article ‘Why This Icelandic Music Festival Should Be Your Next Wellness Retreat’…

French TV

French TV station TF1 Le JT came to visit Vigur in the summer of 2021 as part of a tour of the Westfjords and made this short film about it. (click on the image to watch)

BBC Natural History Unit

The second episode of this landmark wildlife series focuses on parenthood in the natural world and features a segment on eider ducks filmed on Vigur (subscription necessary to view).

Lonely Planet

Asa Steinars explores the Westfjords for Lonely Planet and visits Vigur (around 7 minutes into the film).

The Daily Mail

Click on the image above to read the article in the Daily Mail about the island family and how they came to be the owners, inhabitants and farmers of Vigur…

Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic

After falling in love with Vigur Island while bringing travelers there on expedition eight years ago, renowned polar explorer Felicity Aston decided to buy it. Today, she and her husband oversee the annual eiderdown harvesting which Vigur is known for, as well as its charming cafe where you can enjoy a slice of traditional Icelandic rhubarb cake known as Hjónabandssæla. In this episode of Expedition Spotlight, Aston welcomes you to her home, a tiny  Icelandic haven for thousands of puffins, arctic terns, and eider ducks.

RUV - Landinn

Icelandic TV comes to Vigur to ask what it is like to live on such an island in wintertime (report in Icelandic).

National Georgraphic Explorer

The expedition ship, National Geographic Explorer, regularly visits Vigur and made this short video to explain what makes the birdlife on the island so special.

Rurik Gislason

Model and Influencer, Rurik Gislason, is lost for words after his day on Vigur…

Renewable matter

Italian lecturer in sustainability Francesco Cara spent a week in June on Vigur helping us with the collection of the eiderdown. Here is his article in Renewable Matter (available in Italian and English) about the almost uniquely Icelandic tradition.