Tour of Iceland

The story · 1 days

Iceland 17 to 26 June 2010

The images of this trip: lunar landscapes, the lava and the mosses, the skies and the lights, the waterfalls, the fumaroles, the geysers. Top five: Myvatn and surroundings, Dettifoss, Hveravellir, the Snaefellsnes peninsula, the glacial lagoon.

Thursday 17 June

We leave from Milan Malpensa with a SAS flight to Copenhagen. In two hours of flight we reach Copenhagen; having about 6 hours of stopover, we take the opportunity to visit the city centre. A magnificent day with about 18º - 20º. From the airport we reach the city centre by metro (about 10 minutes). We get off at Christianshavn, we visit Christiania with its colourful houses, the artists' studios, the little stalls with hashish on display. A bresaola sandwich, along the canal, a visit to the area of the royal palace (Christiansborg) and the pedestrian area up to Koniglatz. Copenhagen is invaded by bicycles; there are all types and sizes, with little trailers, with carts, tandems and whatever else you can think of. We return to the airport and at 19:45 we board for Reykjavik with an Icelandair flight, about 3 hours of flight. Landing at Keflavik airport, light drizzle and 10º.

We pick up the car at Budget, booked through "autoescape", we buy a phone card, collect the information material at the information office and head for the Hotel Keilir, located on the main street of Keflavik, 2 rooms with a sea view and a red sunset towards one in the morning, when the clouds open a crack on a hope of sun for the following day.

Friday 18 June

Keflavik – Selfoss – 170 km Abundant breakfast at the Hotel Keilir, exchange at the bank 1 EUR = 153 ISK. Shopping for the day at the supermarket 10/11 and we set off to discover the Reykjanes peninsula. We take the road in the direction of Hafnir, among fields full of little blue flowers (blue lupin), heather and sea roses. Immediately Iceland makes itself felt with its desolate and lunar landscapes. First stop at the "Bridge between the two continents", where the two tectonic plates of America and Eurasia meet. After a few glimmers of sunshine the sky darkens again and a light drizzle falls. Having reached Grindavik we take the turn-off for the Blue Lagoon. It is a geothermal spring rich in silica, minerals and microalgae, which give the water a milky blue colour. The water of the thermal area is at about 38º - 40º.

The entrance ticket of 28€ per person gives the right of access to the pools and the saunas (dry and steam). The temperature outside is about 13º, but inside the water it is divine. A snack at the SPA café, the ritual photo from the little terrace overlooking the entire geothermal area, and we set off again in the direction of Hveragerdi. Hveragerdi is located in an area of geothermal activity; several fumaroles and solfataras can be seen emerging from the walls of the mountain that overlooks the little town. At the end of the main street an enormous golf course stretches between the various fumaroles. A walk on foot along the edges of the pools of boiling water. We arrive at Selfoss at the Fosstun Apartments towards 20:00. The mini apartments are equipped with a fitted kitchen, and we take the opportunity to prepare ourselves a salmon pasta.

Saturday 19 June

Selfoss – Selfoss 380 km The day is dedicated to the visit to the Golden Circle. The day begins with low clouds and at times a light drizzle, making the atmosphere even more muffled. Heading towards Pingvellir, we skirt the shores of an enormous lake. Having reached Pingvellir we visit the site starting from the car park near the church; you go up into the rift above that divides the American geological plate from the Eurasian one, and we reach the highest point from which you enjoy a fantastic panoramic view over the lake. The greatest interest of the site, however, lies in the fact that here, in 930, the first European parliament was established; moreover, in 1944 it was here that the current republic of Iceland was created.

We continue our itinerary in the direction of Geysir, the famous area rich in fumaroles and jets of steam where until 1930 the famous "Geyser" that gave its name to these natural phenomena was active. Currently Geysir is inactive, but a close relative of it, Strokkur, is still functioning with regular jets at intervals of about 4 minutes. The frequency of the jet depends on the speed of the inflow of water into the underground chamber and can therefore vary in different periods of the year. Besides Strokkur, in the area there are other pools of boiling water. Hot soup at the restaurant of the service station beside the car park, and meanwhile the clouds have cleared, leaving room for an intensely blue sky. Used as we are to always paying for everything, the thing that strikes us is the fact that in Iceland access to parks and to areas of natural and tourist interest is completely free.

With the sun the landscape takes on another light and the blue lupin fields contrast with the dark outlines of the mountains. Blue lupin is practically invading Iceland and, apart from the fantastic colour effect, especially on sunny days, it is constituting a serious problem for the conservation of biodiversity. We reach Gulfoss, an imposing and very scenic waterfall. Shortly after Gulfoss the road 35 that crosses Iceland from south to north becomes gravel, but in good condition nonetheless. Attracted by the beauty of the area and above all by the description of the Hveravellir area, we decide to continue as far as this place located about 90 km north of Gullfoss. With our ordinary car we must however be careful of the stones scattered on the roadway that could seriously damage the car. Thus we enter the first territories of the trolls and elves.

The Icelandic legends are deeply felt; the map of Iceland that you can find at the airport details all the areas populated by trolls, ghosts and elves. Unfortunately these legendary characters circulate in their territories only at night, but in the month of June there is no night in Iceland; the sun drops below the horizon line towards one in the morning to reappear a few hours later, but everything remains as bright as in broad daylight. So, little chance for us to meet ghosts, elves and trolls. In any case, there are numerous trolls in this area that rashly exposed themselves to daylight and therefore turned into stones. Shortly before Hveravellir we also come across a sign indicating the presence of ghosts. Hveravellir is a geothermal area in the middle of a desert; you reach it after crossing extensive lava fields and expanses of sand.

On the spot there is a campsite, a dormitory in the refuge and a pool of thermal water. The colours of the area range from burnt to sulphur yellow, to volcanic black; from a cone of earth a jet of steam emerges with force. After a walk among the fumaroles and a coffee break we take the way back towards Selfoss. The sun, which drops towards 8 and 9 in the evening, gives the landscape incredible colours and plays of shadow.

Sunday 20 June

Selfoss – Smyrlabjorg 390 km A sunny day, we set off. First stop at Seljalandsfoss waterfall; the path that passes behind the waterfall is fascinating. We are in the area of the recent eruption of Eyjafjallajokull; clouds of dust carried by the wind invade the environment; in some stretches it feels like being in the middle of a sandstorm. The landscape is evocative; entire areas are still covered by volcanic ash. A stop at Skogarfoss waterfall; the effect of the sun gives the impression of walking inside a rainbow. We fill bags with volcanic ash and set off again towards Vik and the Skaftafell national park. First

Day 120 Jun 2010

Unfortunately there isn't enough time for the dog-sled excursion that they organise near Vik, on the Myrdalsjokull glacier. The immense shape of the Vatnajokull glacier appears on the horizon with its glacial tongues and the immense expanses of sand. The expanse of Skeidararsandur is about 1000 sq km. At Skaftafell a walk to the Dettifoss waterfall (1.5 hours), striking because it falls into an amphitheatre of black columnar basalt. A snack with a view of the glacier and we set off again towards the Smyrlabjorg farm, but the long day is not over yet. The lowering sun creates a special light on the mountain range, and when we reach the glacial lagoon the lights are like a "North Pole expedition", simply fantastic. The farm is located about 35 km north of the Jokullsarlon glacial lagoon.

Monday 21 June

Smyrlabjorg – Hallorstamdur 420 km A sunny day. The breakfast at the farm we rated as the best in Iceland. Several homemade products including an excellent roast lamb, a cod pâté and legendary jams. We retrace our steps towards the glacial lagoon to see it in a different light. The blocks of ice float in the lagoon until their size allows them to pass through the narrow passage that connects the lagoon to the sea. On the beach, large blocks of ice are stranded, with the sea waves breaking against them. We set off towards the eastern fjords. Along the road we spot whales near the Lon lagoon, then numerous swans, eider ducks, Arctic terns, gulls, snipes and jack snipes. The road along the ocean offers panoramic views at every turn.

The lunch stop is in a dreamlike position, the cliff sheer below us and on the black beach hundreds of eider ducks (Eider) that take turns moving onto the shoals of fish. A few whales surface from time to time. We leave the N1 to take the 939. Within a few kilometres we go from the ocean to a high-mountain landscape with snow on either side of us. We rejoin the N1 and before reaching Egilsstadir we turn left towards Lake Lagarfljot, where they say a monster lives, a distant relative of the Loch Ness one. We settle into the guesthouse of the Hallormastadur Hotel and, considering that it's only 7 o'clock, we decide to take an evening excursion to the Seydisfjordur fjord. To reach Seydisfjordur you pass through a mountain pass surrounded by frozen lagoons. Although it's the month of June, the outside temperature is still 6 degrees.

The descent to the village is set among a landscape of waterfalls and little waterfalls, with the ever-present sheep providing the backdrop. The village has a central core with about twenty wooden houses that have been restored. Hot chocolate at the café of the Hotel Snaefell and back to Hallormstandur.

Tuesday 22 June

Hallormstandur – Myvatn 410 km Cloudy, but with wide clearings. Today's first destination is Borgarfjordur for a visit to the puffin colony. The puffins arrive on this cliff between April and May for breeding, they dig nests in the ground and around mid or late June the chicks are born. Near the harbour there is a small island considered a nature reserve on which there is an enormous quantity of puffins in a frantic coming and going in search of food to feed the pufflings. Back on route 1 we take a left turn onto the track that leads to the Haskja crater. After 8 km we reach the Fjalladyrd café in Modrudalur, where we treat ourselves to the famous mutton soup. We set off again heading north and after about 40 km we take the 864 track on the right which leads us to the Dettifoss waterfall.

Impressive!! The dark grey sky, the dark chestnut-coloured water, which crashes with a tremendous roar into a gorge of basaltic stones, really seems like the end of the world. A little further upstream from Dettifoss is the Selfoss waterfall, with a series of amphitheatre-shaped falls, not very high, but majestic. We retrace the path that leads us to the car park near Dettifoss and set off again for the Myvatn area. Before crossing the last hill and then descending to Myvatn, on the left opens up the infernal spectacle of Namafjall (Hverir) with its pools of boiling mud and fumaroles. We settle into the Guesthouse Helluhraun, a private house with 3 guest rooms. The owner is a very welcoming lady who lets us use the kitchen to prepare a plate of spaghetti. We decide to stay 2 nights, so we can calmly visit all the worthwhile surroundings of Myvatn.

Wednesday 23 June

Myvatn – Myvatn 95 km A day dedicated to the surroundings of Myvatn. First stop of the day is the Viti crater, located above the geothermal station, an enormous crater with ground still boiling and shades that vary from yellow to red to black. We go down to the Leirhnjukur area with its enormous tongues of lava, pools of boiling mud and fumaroles emerging everywhere; in some areas the ground is still very hot. We return towards Reykjahlid and make a stop at the spectacular site of Namafjall (Hverir), solfataras and boiling pools, the clear sky and incredible colours from yellow to orange to grey. Steam comes out just about everywhere. We return to Reykjahlid for lunch at Gamli Baerinn, to try the local typical dish: smoked char with the typical bread baked in lava. In the afternoon the weather deteriorates, strong wind and light drizzle.

We climb the Hverfjall crater, then immerse ourselves in the fairy-tale atmosphere of Dimmuborgir, then continue with the tour of the lake with the area of pseudo craters, the Grjotagja caves, and return to Reykjahlid to go back to the Gamli Baerinn restaurant. Thursday 24 June Myvatn – Grundafjordur 520 km A big transfer stage to reach the Snaefellsnes peninsula. First stop to visit the Godafoss waterfall. Once we reach Varmahlid we turn off towards the Glaumbaer farm, a complex of turf buildings with various rooms that recreate the atmosphere of rural life in old Iceland. Next to the farm you can't miss the Askaaffi with its fabulous buffet of sweets, lamb ham, smoked trout and the inevitable Skyr. We set off again towards the west and reach the Snaefellsnes peninsula, with fantastic light.

A brief stop at Stykkisholmur and then continue towards Grundarfjordur where we settle into the Hotel Framnes, quite expensive in relation to the service offered (20500 ISK for a double). Photos at the midnight sun (even though it actually sets at almost one in the morning).

Friday 25 June

Grundafjordur – Keflavik 315 km A day dedicated to the Snaefellsnes peninsula. First stop at Djupalon beach with its black stones and the remains of the English fishing boat that ran aground in 1947. We have lunch at Arnarstapi, an outdoor terrace on the pebble beach. Visit to the columnar basalt cliffs and again on the south coast of the peninsula. We set off for Reykjavik for a brief evening visit. Starting from the cathedral we go down towards the centre, where we have dinner at the Austur, not bad at all! We set off for Keflavik for our last night in Iceland at the Hotel Keilir.