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After our stop in Vestmannaeyjar, we are travelling east along the south coast, which offers a lot of highlights. Skógar We spend a night very close to the Skógafoss, one of the most famous and highest waterfalls in Iceland. When following the hiking path further inland, there are some more waterfalls which are no less beautiful.   Vik The small village Vik is situated in the center of the Katla UNESCO Global Geopark. It is Iceland’s southernmost village on the mainland. Due to the sandy beaches and the rough sea, it remains the only village at the coast which has no harbour. As Vik is nestled between black sand beaches, mountains and white glaciers it offers many views and hikes which are very attractive.
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Before I start to write further about our Iceland trip, I think it is important to know some information about the weather conditions here: In contrast to middle Europe, spring in Iceland is very short and begins in mid-May. This means the conditions in April are often cold and can change very fast in a short time. Hveragerdi Hveragerdi is a small town in the southwest of Iceland, about half an hour from Reykjavik. It is often nicknamed as ‘the Earthquake Town’ or ‘the Hot Spring Town’, due to the active geological and geothermal forces in its region. We decided to visit this place on the way to the south coast. Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands) The Westman Islands, or Vestmannaeyjar, are an archipelago consisting of 15 islands and 30 rock stacks at the south coast of Iceland. They are our second stop on our trip to the south. Apart from their incredible natural beauty, the islands have the world’s largest population of nesting puffins in summer (but they aren’t still there during our stay). Vestmannaeyjar is connected by a ferry to the mainland, the crossing lasts about half an hour. After our time in the town, we decided to travel in the western part of Iceland. The area around the Snæfellsjökull national park is easily accessible all year round and not so far from the capital area. The Snæfellsnes peninsula has a lot to offer, from untouched lava fields, old volcanoes, mystical glaciers, black beaches, white beaches to hazardous cliffs along the coastline. We visited the northern coast of the peninsula and are planning to go back at the end of our trip to see the southern part as well. Grundarfjordur Grundarfjordur close to the famous Kirkjufell mountain was our first stop. We were surprised by the very cold onset of winter with strong northerly winds, but they were compensated easily by the beautiful and unique surroundings. Fortunately, the wind became a little weaker during our stay. Hellissandur Hellissandur is one of the first and oldest fishing villages in Iceland and can be traced back to the 16th century. We stayed in the former library of the village, which was an unforgettable experience. Olafsvik Olavsvik was our last stop on the peninsula. The village has a fishing harbour, and the beautiful Baejarfoss waterfall is directly behind the outermost houses. At 23 degrees 42 minutes West, Olafsvik is the westernmost settlement of its size (around 1000 inhabitants) in Europe (source: Wikipedia). Reykjavik area part II Because we have so much time for our stay in Iceland, we decided to spend some more days exploring Reykjavik and its surroundings: Hallgrimskirkja, Mosfellsbær and Akranes. The old Akranes lighthouse is a particularly recommended place to visit. Golden Circle A very popular tour which is accessible in one single day all year round from Reykjavik is the so-called “Golden Circle''. It includes some of the most famous places on the island: Gullfoss, Faxi, Geysir and Þingvellir. Under normal circumstances, we are not looking first and foremost for popular and often crowded hot spots, but during pandemics we will not miss the chance to enjoy these beauties without a crowd around us. Furthermore, the weather was so beautiful during this day, that the decision to do this tour was absolutely worth it. Reykjanes Peninsula: Garður and Sandgerði After our quarantine stay in Keflavik we explored the region near Keflavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Garður is at the very tip of the peninsula and provides excellent views, two famous lighthouses (the oldest and the highest one) and a long, beautiful beach. Geldingadalur volcano During the time of writing this blog entry, Iceland is popular in the world news because of the eruption of the Geldingadalur volcano, which is a fabulous nature spectacle and has grown in a very short time to an extremely popular spot. We therefore quickly realized that we won’t miss this unique experience either (the eruption site is very easy to reach from Reykjavik and lies near Grindavik on the southern peninsula of Iceland). There are no more words needed than “WOW”! It is absolutely worth the hike, and easily understandable that this volcano is so popular with the local population and the few tourists in the country. If there were no COVID-19 pandemic, this spot would probably be overcrowded - by now it is only crowded ;-). There is also installed a livecam at the eruption site: New Webcam: Livestream of Fagradalsfjall Eruption - YouTube Reykjavik area Beside the eruption site, we spent a lot of time discovering the area around Reykjavik: Seltjarnarnes, Álftanes, the small but beautiful Kermóafoss and the (reforested) wood around Elliðavatn. Every single place can be absolutely recommended to visit and is very easy to reach from the main city. |
