Our
plan: 16 days to go across Iceland and discover all the hidden wonders of the
island, or at least what we can in that time.
HOW TO TRAVEL
The
best option for travelling across Iceland is to rent a car. Everything is far,
there are few cities and villages and, although there are buses, you won’t want
to waste your time on the bus stop.
It’s a
volcanic island, and the Icelanders don’t worry about it because they live with
it every day. I mean that they don’t spend money in paved roads that lava can
destroy tomorrow. Only the Ring Road that goes around the island is paved but
not completely, you can find unpaved sections. All other roads that go to
villages and to the main natural attractions, are dirt tracks, well marked and
maintained.
In some
if the dirt tracks, specially those directed to the interior of the island, you
can find large signs indicating the dangers that we may find if we go farther,
such as fording rivers, water floods, etc. Very kindly, they remind you that no
insurance cover damages that your rented car may suffer for those reasons… and
if something happens, the problem is yours.
We
rented a small 4x4 and hired all insurance. Although there is not risk of
robbery, a stone can damage a window, the sump guard or cut a wheel. Never
hurts when you are spending two weeks driving on dirt tracks.
There
is not many traffic in Iceland, but you can see from far who are the locals.
Their cars are bigger, better prepared and, as they know the roads really well,
they drive super fast… or at least much faster than you can dare to go.
There
are not many animals in the island, but be carful with the Icelandic sheep…
they are very clear that this is their island and do not hesitate to get in the
way claiming their territory.
FIND ACCOMMODATION
Excluding
in big cities as Reykjavík, Akureyri and Höfn, it’s practically impossible to
find hotels in Iceland. But almost in every village there are bed &
breakfast, private houses with bedrooms for rent and a great net of farms (with
rental rooms) that even Icelanders use for their own holidays. You can check
them here: http://www.farmholidays.is/
You can also find accommodation in this official
website: http://www.visiticeland.com/Accommodation/
WHERE TO EAT
Ii’s
more or less like with the accommodation. Except in big cities, it’s no easy to
find restaurants… And, as everything in Iceland, they’re quite expensive. But
in almost all gas stations there is some kind of fast food that gets you out of
trouble. They also have those wonderful ice creams that seem to be the national
sport (together with hot dogs) and that are delicious to take at any time.
As we
usually do, every time we see a supermarket, we buy a little of everything,
just in case.
NATURAL PARKS
One of
the things that stands out is that everything is wild in Iceland. There are not
fences or guard houses. Nothing. You can go everywhere for free, but you do it
at your own risk. I mean that if you want to look out a cliff, throw yourself
in to a waterfall or go deep into a glacier… it’s up to you. They warn you
about the risks with some wonderful posters and that’s all.
There
are several companies where you can contract glacier hikes, journeys by plain
or helicopter to fly over the most remote areas, etc. Iceland is also one of
the best destinations for whale watching.
DATES AND ROUTES
Most of
the people make this trip between May and July to enjoy the midnight sun, good
weather is almost guaranteed. We went at the end of August. The disadvantage is
that the weather is not so stable. As it’s a mountainous island, the climate is
highly variable. The advantage is that there are far fewer people, so you can
visit any place more peacefully and there is no trouble to find accommodation.
The classic route is to go
around the island from Reykjavík to the east. If you have just a few days, you
can visit only the Golden Circle: it’s a 300 km loop at the south of the island
to go to Gullfoss waterfall, the geothermal area of Geysir and Þhingvellir
National Park. We made the entire round
but upside down, going to the west… And we need to go back to Iceland to visit
Landmannalaugar (in the center of the island), cause this requires three or
four more days, a 4x4 with good height and raring to go trekking.
Day 1. MADRID – COPENHAGUE – KEFLAVÍK (08.19)
We woke
up at 6:30 am and drove to Madrid Barajas Airport. Icelandic adventure begins.
We stop in Copenhagen, since the flight to Keflavík is not until 19:45. Danish
airport is like a big mall with runways for aircrafts. Everything is very
expensive and when I say expensive, I mean expensive: 2 burgers, 1 coke = 35€.
Boarding
is a chaos. All the people are thrown out of the waiting room, a mass of people
and luggage forms and Icenlandair hostesses make us get on the plane
haphazardly and without checking passports. Once in the aircraft they gave us
some snacks and a PSP to keep us entertained.
In the
seat beside is sat a Japanese woman who is part of a scientific expedition. She
must be very tired because as soon as she gets to the seat she falls asleep
(like the rest of her teammates) and during the three hours flight she adopts
very strange postures. We’ve taken some photos but will not post them because
of her privacy. Instead we show a selfie of our tired faces.
In
Madrid it was very hot, so I wore in flip flops, shorts and t-shirt without
thinking about the consequences ... consequences that already started to notice
on the flight and in the latter became unbearable. Luckily there were blankets
in which to wrap.
As we
approached the island, the views are spectacular… because of the odd landscape.
There is nothing, the land is steep and reminds me a chocolate bar once melted
and then re-solidify. There are many volcanic cones (some burst) that stand out
the surface of chaotic rocks (lava flows). Although it’s 10 pm, is still sunny.
The
only reservation we have is for tonight (and for the last one) at Bed & Breakfast Keflavík Airport, 5 minutes far from the airport… which is surrounded
by lava fields everywhere. We phone to the b&b and them came to picks us up
in a van. Our room is huge, clean and with good beds. Breakfast starts is from
4:30 (!!!!) to 9:30 am.
Accommodation: B&B Keflavík.
+354 426 5000
guistihus@internet.is
www.bbkeflavik.com
+354 426 5000
guistihus@internet.is
www.bbkeflavik.com
Day 2. KEFLAVÍK – STYKKISHOLMUR (08.20)
In
Iceland, one of the things that immediately strikes us is the silence. We have
slept really well. Unfortunately the breakfast is not very good, starting by
the juice, which should be made with powders.
The
b&b has a free bus service that takes you (or picks you up) to the airport.
So we go there to pick up the car we’ve rent. Not everything is adventure,
there are also some rocks on the way… and the rent-a-car office wasn't where it
was supposed to be. Besides, the
exchange office staff is not very kind… as soon as they see us, they put the
curtain down. So, we phone the rent-a-car office and a man comes to pick us up
(although actually the site was very close). The guy is really nice, he
explains us everything and gives us some advice. We pick up the Grand Vitara
keys and start our journey. The car is so clean, shiny and waxy that you can
see your reflection on the wheels!
We make
the first stop at a supermarket in Keflavík and buy some basics: bread, cold
meat, juice, sweet buns and some goodies. As soon as we left the village behind
we are amazed by the landscape: lava fields everywhere, craters, mountains in
different colors, rivers, waterfalls… It’s impressive.
We go
towards Þhingvellir National Park. There, a natural extension of the
mid-atlantic ridge can be seen, where American and Eurasian tectonic plates
are separating.
We take
8 thousand pictures at one side of the ridge, at the other, climbing the rocks
and even walking inside the crevice, where a forest is starting to grow. This
place is absolutely awesome and one of the few in the world where you can see
this geological phenomenon.
We’re
still far from the final destination of this stage, so we get going by a dirt
track that take us more time than expected because in the map is marked as a
paved road. Lesson learnt: most of the roads are dirt tracks and we cannot go
as fast as we would like to. Anyway, the dirt track is funny and takes us to
Borganes crossing striking landscapes.
Just
before reaching civilization we find a sign indicating “sheep doing their things on the track”, and after a few
meters we find the sheep! Lol!
Past
three in the afternoon, we have lunch at Borganes in one of those gas stations
with a little ”restaurant”. Icelandic burger with chips and a softdrink… and
our first local ice cream that is absolutely delicious (although we couldn’t
end it because it was too much).
It
starts raining and we have still many kilometres ahead, so we decide to go
directly to the b&b we’ve booked in case it gets dark. It’s Heimagisting
bed & breakfast at Stykkisholmur. Greta, the house owner, is a lovely woman
who rents three elegant rooms in her house, sweetly decorated.
Following
Greta’s advice, we go to the harbour to buy a ferry’s ticket for the next day.
They’re sold at an establishment that is at the same time a tourist information
centre and gift & handicraft shop. Of course, we bring home some cute
gnomes made with Icelandic sheep wool.
We
still have to visit the whole Snæfellsnes peninsula. There are still some light
hours, so we continue our way. Next stop is at Berserkjahran, an astonishing and
chaotic lava field that extends as far as the eye can see.
We pass
close to Eldborg crater, but it’s raining and we cannot find any track that
goes to the base, so we move forward looking for Mt. Kirkjufell, a volcanic
mountain located in Grundarfjörður
(Grundar’s fiord) that remind us Gandalf’s hat.
We stop
there to take some pictures. Unfortunately there is low tide and we cannot
capture that typical image with the waterfall and the reflection of the mount
in the water. Anyway, the place is beautiful.
It’s
getting late and we’re a little tired, so we must put some places in our
next-time-list, such as the stunning rock formations in the south coast of the
peninsula. If you are able to go, don’t forget these places: Arnarstapi, Djupalonssandur & Dritvik,
Londrangar & Thufubjarg.
Once in
Stykkisholmur, we enjoy the last sunbeams taking pictures of the sunset at the
harbour.
We take
a shower, look for tomorrow’s accommodation and get into the soft bed after
this day of travel.
Greatest moment of
the day: the seen and unseen artic fox.
We
were turning around to be at Greta’s house at a decent hour and when we saw an
artic fox coming out of the plants. When I left the car to take some pictures,
some vehicles passed at full speed scaring the fox so it hid in a burrow.
Distance covered: 430 km.
Accommodation: Heimagisting bed & breakfast
+354 820 5408
gretasig@gmail.com
www.baenirogbraud.is
Accommodation: Heimagisting bed & breakfast
+354 820 5408
gretasig@gmail.com
www.baenirogbraud.is
Day 3. STYKKISHOLMUR – ISAFJÖRDUR
Greta
wakes up at 5:15 am and starts making noise in the kitchen while preparing the
breakfast. People are going downstairs by turns to enjoy the “healthy
breakfast” that this kind lady offers with the accommodation. Everything is
homemade: wild berries juice, Icelandic yogurt with muesli, homemade blueberry
jam, different types of bread, smoked salmon, cheese, boiled eggs, fresh
cucumber, tomato and fruit. And the great surprise: freshly baked vegetables’
omelette. Everything absolutely amazing.
Note:
remember to ask for a room on the top floor so you don’t mind the noise from
the kitchen.
We take
the first ferry that takes two hours to Flatey Island (literally four houses on
a rock) and one more hour to Brjanslaekur.
As the
weather is unstable and there are storm clouds in the sky, is hard for us to
decide the way forward. Finally we choose the long way to see the Latrabjarg
cliffs, but the weather gets worse and we go directly to Patreksfjördur. Soon
the road becomes a dirt track and continues this way almost to the end of the
stage.
The
track goes up and down, even almost disappear in some areas due to the rain,
but the views are awesome.
The
outlook is rather bleak, is pouring rain and no where to shelter, so we eat
some sandwiches inside the car parked out of the track watching the stunning
Fjallfoss waterfall.
When it
stops raining, we approach to the waterfall base. It is 100 m. high, 30 m. wide
at the top and 60 m. in the widest part. We spend about an hour taking
pictures, although the sky and the light are not the best. We also use a public
toilet installed right there that, as everything in this country, is perfectly
clean.
We
continue the route before it starts raining again. A few kilometres from
Isafjörd we pass through a tunnel somewhat strange: only fits one car and
therefore there is only one lane; so who goes in preferred direction (marked by
a sign), can circulate safely, but if someone comes the other way, you must
wait in the area at your right allowing the other to pass. It’s scary! But
wait… in the midway the tunnel forks! Left side goes to Suðureyri, right side
to Isafjördur.
We
quickly reach our destination: Isafjördur.
We find
the guesthouse. The receptionist is a zombie. The other guests too. We booked a
room in the principal house but the receptionist sent us to a yellow house
nearby, to a room (sleeping bag) with shared bathroom. This has consequences,
because we are just next to the living room where people will spend the night
talking. So you already know it: if you decide for this place, make sure you
are on the principal house. We won’t never ever go back there.
We take
a warm shower, book accommodation for tomorrow and the next day (just in case
we don’t have internet in the following days). We go out looking for a place to
have dinner, but there is not much to choose but a pizza grill that is also
video store… and you can buy ice cream, goodies, accessories, guitars… they
even have slot machines! All in one! We order two burgers (yes, again) and soft
drinks. The coke cans are huge!
It
didn’t help to go out of the room twice in the night to ask people to please
keep the voice down. It didn’t help argue with the guy who seemed to be the
leader, not even when there were people who had to sleep on a sofa bed in the
living room… As long as you get into such a place, there are people who paid to
sleep and people who paid to bother the others. Almost at 1:00 am (and this too
late in Iceland) they keep quiet and go to their rooms. We finally can sleep.
Note: do you really want to spend the night here?
Accommodation: Gamla guesthouse
Managotu 5, Isafjördur
You can book by the internet
Day 4. ISAFJÖRDUR – VATNSHOLL (08.22)
We wake
up and go to have breakfast to the main house. We tell the receptionist what
happened through the night, but she doesn’t care. The weather report says:
“where it is not cloudy, it will be sunny”. Icelandic humour.
Today’s
route takes us through completely different fiords than yesterday. Located in
wide valleys, its waters are much quieter.
The
track is a little tiresome because it goes along the edge of the fiords (don’t
they know how to build a bridge?). At least we take the Ring Road and at 14:00
pm we are at the farmhouse where we will spend the night. At first it gives a little
scary (it was our first holiday farm), but once inside the ranch we realize
that first building on sight is a big shed and not a house. Andrea, the owner,
shows us the house where we will stay (she lives in another house) and gives us
freedom to do whatever we want. Se also turns on the hot tub so the water will
be warm later in the evening.
It’s
still early, so we go to have lunch to a cafeteria at Hvammstangi and later we
visit Vatnsnes peninsula, because Andrea has said that it’s a good opportunity
to see some seals living there.
With
the car full of mud because we're on dirt tracks all the time, we make the
first stop on Ánastaðastapi because we felt that a rock was moving on an islet.
We jump a wall, approach the cliff and check with the zoom lens that it is a
seal. I don’t remember if it was in Hamarsrétt or Svalbarð where we saw the
next one, quietly swimming a few meters from the shore.
We
park outside of the road and thanks to some guys that were coming through the
path, we sensed that we should go down the track just in front of the youth
hostel. 10 minutes later we are on a beach and, in a tongue of sand there are
about 50 seals quietly sunbathing in the black sand of their particular beach.
Some specimens were swimming close to the shore and even one of them pulled his
head out of the water and stared at with curiosity.
Back to
the farmhouse we stop at Borgarvirki, a natural rock fortress at the top of a
hill. From there, the views are impressive. We take a little walk around the
area and take some photos, but we are tired and numb with cold, so we leave the
place with the intention of getting into the hot tub as soon as we arrive.
Once in
the holiday farm, the other guests are already there. Actually, there are two
girls inside the hot tub. We take some time to place or stuff and talking with
a Belgian couple about whale watching tours in Husavík. They have some videos
and photos really interesting. We all get along really well and finally we end
all together inside the hot tub.
It’s
cold outside (it feels like 5ºC), it even sparkles at times, but inside the
water, which is 38’5ºC, is really confortable and no one seems to want to
leave… and we have to take turns to use the shower.
Greatest moment of the day: the demonstrating group of Icelandic sheep in the
middle of the road claiming for their land… they didn’t seem to get out of the
road no matter what you do, rush them, beep the horn or wild gesticulation.
They have that look in their eyes “if you get out of the car, we charge”.
Terrifying!
Second greatest moment of the day: the give-me-some-bread-Icelandic-horse. In the middle of nowhere, we found a herd of Icelandic wild horses (it
is said that on Iceland there are three times more horses than people). We
stopped to have a look… but they came to us as drawn by a magnet. They were
huge, without apparent owner nearby so we got back to the car, scared. But
animals on this island are obstinate and the leader of the herd quietly chased
us and even put his head inside the car through the window asking for some
bread. And we gave him some.
Distance covered: 480 km.
Accommodation: Neðra-Vatnshorn in Húnaþing
http://www.farmholidays.is/FarmDetails/266/nedra-vatnshorn-i-hunathingi
Accommodation: Neðra-Vatnshorn in Húnaþing
http://www.farmholidays.is/FarmDetails/266/nedra-vatnshorn-i-hunathingi
Day 5. VATNSHOLL – GOĐAFOSS (08.23)
We
really sleep well last night! We go to have breakfast at Andrea’s house and she
has prepared a blowout that we share with our Swiss friends. Home made flowers
bread, another one of banana and another of blueberries… also jam made by her.
Andrea
is really friendly and she let us use her computer to make some accommodation
booking and help us and phone a friend of her that has another holiday farm
between Myvatn and Husavík, so we may spend one day in each place.
We
start the stage whit the sun shining in the sky and very nice temperature.
We’re going to Kalfhamarsvík to see the volcanic basalt formations on the
coast, even though the light is not the best to take pictures now as the rocks
in the coast are in shadow.
There
are several farms and fish drying places in this area, near the seashore. All
very quaint.
It’s quite a surprise to find an impressive cliff with a waterfall to the see close to Dalsharn, in the same peninsula. Until now we hadn’t been able to enjoy a day with such a good weather, so we get the most out of every minute walking, taking pictures and exploring the area.
We
continue the route and soon we reach Glaumbæ folkloric museum with those
curious constructions that are typical of the Nordic countries: little houses
with grass on the roof (it’s not only decorative but also natural insulation).
In this place, seen from behind, they seem strange mounds or tumulus. Inside
the houses there are farm tools and other old objects, but what really attracts
attention is the group of buildings itself.
We
leave the dirt track and join the Ring Road. The car is so filthy and covered
by mud that the number plate is hardly visible, so in the proximity of Akureyri
we stop in a gas station and clean the car with a pressure hose with brush
included (remember this is free in Iceland!). We also go to the supermarket in
order to don’t run out of provisions and it’s the right thing because tonight
we will make a picnic.
We
continue up to Goðafoss, an impressive place. We booked a cottage very close to
the waterfall, so we leave our luggage, buy some post cards at the gift shop
and go for a walk to take some photos and explore the area. The time flies when
you are surrounded by such incredible nature.
Greatest moment of the day: the super crazy Icelandic sheep. We
were goofing around and taking pictures when a group of brow sheep comes
running at full speed towards us with the clear intention to mow us. These sheep are no normal! We’ve laughed out
so loud that our ribs hurt.
Distance covered: 350 km.
Accommodation: Fosshóll Guesthouse
http://www.godafoss.is/en/
Accommodation: Fosshóll Guesthouse
http://www.godafoss.is/en/
Day 6. GOĐAFOSS – MÝVATN (08.24)
Iceland
is a great place to sleep. We don’t know if it’s because of how much tired we
are, because of the silence, or both. After having breakfast and take a last
look to the waterfall, we heading south to go to Aldeyjarfoss. It’s no so easy
to get to this place. 40 kilometres of dirt track (speed: 95 km/h as locals
do), 5 kilometres of hard dirt track between chaotic lava pieces (4x4, really
slow speed) and 2’5 kilometres walking by a path in a lava field to arrive to a
huge hole in the land.
You can
see the spray from far and perfectly hear the sound of the water falling, which
indicates (judging by the distance we still have to cover) that this place has
colossal dimensions. The waterfall is awesome, the precipice is thrilling and
the colour of the water indescribable. We are lucky the sun has shine for a
moment so we can enjoy the place at its best. There are some people at the
other side, but we don’t know how they get there cause there is no way to cross
from here.
Those
2’5 km. walking really worth the effort, you have to go across a canyon made by
the river in the lava field. The whole area looks like something out of a
movie.
During
the back way we find a track not as good as the previous one, but allows us to
get to Mývatn lake saving a lot of kilometres and time. You can see the
fumaroles and Miguel starts to get nervous. As we approach the lake, we can see
small linked craters, covered by moss, forming a completely surreal landscape.
We are
quite hungry, so we stop to have lunch at Reykjahlíð, a small village (only 300 residents) in the lakeshore.
There is only one restaurant, so you can’t miss it.
After
lunch, we go directly to the “smoke zone”. As soon as we arrive, we see a
striking turquoise blue lagoon (of boiling water) that stinks like sulphur but
that leaves you amazed. And from then on, everything is completely different
from what we had seen so far.
Trying
to find everything we marked in the map and in the guide (remember that in
Iceland there are no many roads, but a lot of dirt tracks in all directions),
we find a huge crevice at Dimmuborgir.
We pick
up to German guys who are traveling across the country hiking and take them to
the campground. They’ve already been at Landmannalaugar area and recommend us
to ask in the information centre to know which is the best route to Askja and
Viti. So there we go. At the information centre they told us that the 4x4 we’re
using is not high enough to make journey comfortably till the crater because
it’s needed to ford 4 rivers that in this moment have a 60-70 cm flow; but they
give us a zone map with the most interesting places.
We
first go to Hverfjall crater. There are some crazy people walking around the
perimeter of the top of the volcano whit this but weather.
We also
visit the thermal area and natural pools of Jarðböðin við Mývatn. There
are only two couples bathing. No matter
how hot is the water, the weather is awful. There are odd rocks all around,
actually they’re just accumulated ash layers.
Later
we go to Jörundur area, a huge lava field with only two years old. Half of the
rock still smoke, and some of them are really hot. It’s extremely cold (feels
like -5ºC), the walk worthwhile. There
is a constant misty rain that makes the path very slippery and that gets you
drenched.
It’s
really spectacular to walk all around this area (properly marked out to not
step any dangerous part) knowing it has been so recently formed, feeling that
this earth is alive. It’s perfectly
visible the burst volcanic cones form, from where the lava came and how it
spread circulating in all directions. To reach the lava zone, you have to pass
trough an area of smoky ochre mountains with fumaroles and a little turquoise
boiling water lagoon.
Little
stop to visit Krafla volcano, currently flooded. The access is very simple, by
a little natural stairway. After, there is a path going around the crater.
Leaving
Krafla behind, we go the geothermal central. It’s impressive how many pipes
there are in the valley, even some that above the road forming an inverted U.
Parallel
to the road, a blue river of steaming water runs with that characteristic smell
of boiled eggs. Everything is quite strange and completely unordinary.
Finally,
we go to Hverir hot springs. These natural chimneys eject huge steam plumes
with sulphur odour; there are little craters and hot pots where mod is
bubbling. There are some enclosed areas for your security.
In some
moments it stops raining and it seems the sun is going to shine again. During a
few seconds there is a rainbow in the horizon, with both ends touching the
ground… but everything changes quickly here and, before we notice, it’s almost
disappeared.
It’s
20:00 pm., we are exhausted and still have to find the farmhouse where we will
sleep tonight. It’s at road 853. We find the track and after asking in two
houses where nobody talks English, we finally get to our destination: a little
farmhouse placed nearby a pond with quay.
We talk
about Askja journey and finally we decide that it doesn’t worth making the 100
km. dirt track (it’s said is one of the hardest in Iceland), ford 4 rivers,
take the risk of broke something in the car o get trapped… then walk 45 minutes
to the volcano, go down inside the crater and having to undo the way… all to
have a bath at 28ºC. It will have to be the next time.
Greatest moment of the day: monument to hot water
located in the geothermal central road. There, in the middle of nowhere, there
is a toilet and a shower with constant hot water. Icelanders are crazy!!
Distance covered: 195 km.
Accommodation: Farmhouse 853 road, Mývatn
Accommodation: Farmhouse 853 road, Mývatn
Day 7. MÝVATN – EGILSSTAĐIR (08.25)
Bergljot,
the farmhouse owner, has prepared a delicious breakfast. She’s very nice and
helps us with tonight’s reservation.
Today
we go to Husavík for a whale watching tour we’ve booked. We are nervous and
excited. We wrap up warm, the weather is not good and as soon as we get out to
sea, the cold is going to be unbearable.
We are
about 30 people in a 1950’s ship. Too many, in my opinion. Before sailing, they
give us warm jumpsuits. We seem astronauts in blue without helmet. The sea
seems calm, but the captain passes the waves laterally and the ship is like a
roller coaster. Everything moves a lot and we start to get sick. After and hour
and a half, out of the bay (and completely queasy) we see the first whale, but
another boat is closer.
Our
ship goes in that direction to see if the whale is accompanied. We are lucky,
there is another humpback whale and the captain starts chasing her. She
breathes twice, expelling water through the hole, shows the back and immerses.
Miguel has not time to go to the bathroom and his breakfast is thrown through
gunwale. I’m luckiest and can vomit privately in the toilet. We only could take
a few pictures before the whale immerses again during 40 minutes while we
return to the harbour.
After lunch we’re heading south. Our first stop is
Hljóðaklettar, a gorge also known as The Whispering Cliffs, in Jökulsárgljúfúr
National Park. It is the remains of a line of craters with strange basalt
formations.
We do
the way back sat, trying to recover and looking forward to getting soon and
everything ends. It’s incredible cold. The few people in the boat that is not
sick, is taking a hot chocolate with cinnamon rolls. Is not better to give some
biodramina??
Finally
on land, we need a little while to warm up and completely recover inside the
car. It’s funny how can an experience be the most beautiful of your life and
yet so hard and unpleasant.
Miguel
explores the village taking a walk in the surroundings. The harbour is so
beautiful with all those wooden houses so well maintained and converted into
restaurants, gift shops, sportswear for the sea shops…
A
curiosity about Husavík : is the only village with a Penis Museum. Yes. They
have 273 penis of 92 different animal species. And if you are thinking this is
not interesting for anyone… well, they have more than 11.000 visitors every
year. Maybe to see whale specimen that is 170 cm long and 70 kg weight.
The round trekking across the area takes about 2 hours
(5 kilometres), making a loop that runs between volcanic cones and goes to Rauðhólar.
Just close to the parking (where there is a drinking
fountain and toilets) there are several formations really spectacular in which
the basalt forms spirals.
There
are different paths that surround each basalt group, so you can explore all the
area. There are even caves. Everything is impressive.
Rauðhólar
is awesome. You cannot only have an almost aerial view of Hljóðaklettar, but
from the top of the hill you can also see the black and red slopes of several
volcanoes tearing apart and falling down into the river on the right side.
We have
a lot of fun taking pictures at the top of the hill, talking about photography
with a couple we’ve met in the way and, in general, enjoying the landscape.
It’s easy to lose all sense of time.
Back
into the parking we go straight to Selfoss, one of the most popular waterfalls
in Iceland. You can see the spray far from the dirt track.
Selfoss
water is dark due to the amount of sediments and volcanic ash it sweeps along.
It’s impressive how the basalt dikes slopes have collapsed by the erosive
action of water.
A few
minutes walking is Dettifoss, another spectacular waterfall, with a huge volume
of flow.
When we
watch the clock, it’s 8 pm. And we have to call the guesthouse to let them know
that we’re still 130 km far… It’s dark and raining. We drive on the Ring Road
at 120 km/h with the centre line as only reference and all car lights turned on
to see well the road.
With
the confusing indications that Berljot gave me and my tiredness, I get wrong
about the road (nearby the guesthouse) and we start climbing a pass with fog
and snowdrifts. The road is getting more and more dangerous. We phone the
guesthouse and the guy gives us the right indications. 14 km down the pass
again. But we are not the lasts, there is still people coming.
We eat
some sandwiches for dinner, look the map for a while planning next day route
and fall sleep.
Greatest moment of the day: the guesthouse’s mascot. The
place is absolutely clean, spotless, it’s really confortable and placed in a
beautiful place… but being in the middle of the countryside you have some extra
visitors. We named the mascot and marked it as another touristic attraction.
Spidersjokull!
Distance covered: 315 km.
Accommodation: Guesthouse Eyvindará II, Road 94
http://www.farmholidays.is/FarmDetails.aspx?No=520
Accommodation: Guesthouse Eyvindará II, Road 94
http://www.farmholidays.is/FarmDetails.aspx?No=520
