Iceland time
2014.12.17. 06:26
Iceland time
2014.12.17. 06:26
Meet & Greet at Keflavík airport with our driver and guide. After just 20 minutes drive we will experience one of the most unusual welcome to any country. We put on our swimming costumes and go bathing in the Blue Lagoon, a natural mineral-rich geothermal pool in the middle of a large and dramatic lava field, reputed for its healing properties. It is special and invigorating. After the bath we will continue our trip to Reykjavik. During the 45 minutes drive the guide will tell you about Iceland and give you a few practical information’s. Arrived in Reykjavik we will check in at our hotel for one night.
We drive along the shores of the scenic Hvalfjörður Fjord, stopping at the traditional and famous wool factory of Álafoss for a little factory outlet shopping offering best Icelandic woollen products and different handicrafts of local artists. We are passing the old extinct whaling station before we reach the peaceful farming district and valley of Borgarfjörður, the setting of Egil’s Saga, framed by mountains and glaciers that are backdrops to many of the best salmon rivers in Iceland. We go to Grábrók volcano, a 3000 years old crater surrounded by a nicely moss covered lava field – possible to walk up to the rim of the crater (20 min) for a splendid view over the lava field and its region. Next stop is the Deildartunguhver, one of the world’s biggest hot springs. We explore a multitude of natural springs under a birch covered lava field, which creates a waterfall of hundreds of meters wide, the magnificent Hraunfossar (Lava Falls) seemingly appearing out of nowhere across the bank. A 10 minutes walk up the river is the Barnafoss (Children’s Fall), which has carved out strange figures from the rock. We continue to historic Reykholt, where Snorri Sturluson lived, a brilliant 13th-century writer/scholar for the next two nights.
Today we drive to the Snæfellsnes peninsula with its national park and the dominating Snæfellsjökull glacier. The glacier is famous for the setting of the novel “Journey to the Center of the Earth” by the French author Jules Verne. According to him the entrance to the underworld lies at this glacier. The peninsula is often called Iceland in miniature because many national sights can be found in this area. We visit small fishing towns, drive through lava fields and enjoy the coastal scene. The Snaefellsnes Community is a so called green community and has recently become the first Green Globe Certified Community in Iceland & Europe and only the 4th in the world.
From Reykholt we drive via Kaldidalur highland tracks to the national park Þingevellir. It is the most important historical place of Iceland, the old parliament site, where in the year 930 ac. the national assembly was founded to rule the country. We will take short walk through the old sites trying to find the atmosphere of long gone times. Þingvellir is not only important for Icelandic history, but also it is a place of high geological interest, a place where the meeting of the two drifting continental plates can be seen. Driving on through the agricultural area of the south, passing the small village of Laugarvatn to drive over a mountain road only used in summer and reach Gullfoss which is known in Iceland as the Queen of Icelandic waterfalls and meaning “Golden Falls”. The water tumbles 32 meters into the canyon of Hvítá (the white river) after having travelled 30 km from the glacier Langjökull (the long glacier) in the north. Nearby is the fascinating geothermal area of Geysir. The most active geyser is Strokkur “the churn” which can spout up to seventy feet every five to seven minutes. We end our day at Hella where we stay for one night.
From Hella we drive to Skógar, a tiny village where one of the better Folk Museum can be found with a turf house in the garden and couple of old wooden houses to visit. After we visit the museum we stop at the waterfall of Skógar, falling gracefully 60m down the green mountain, a waterfall used more than once as a motive in advertisement. We drive through the southern most villages of Iceland; Vík, before driving through the black sands of Mýrdalssandur and through the lava fields of Eldhraun (fire lav) resulted from a yearlong eruption in 1783. This eruption was devastating for Iceland, and the years that followed are referred to as the “misty times” due to the volcanic ash lingering for along time in the air. We pass through the small village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur and drive over Skeiðarársandur, where the flood of 1996 temporarily cut of this road and some of its bridges, leaving iceberg scattered around the sandy plains. We will stay in Skaftafell for the next two nights.
Today we will enjoy a visit to the glacier lagoon, Jökulsárlón, the largest lagoon in Iceland. Jökulsárlón has been a setting for popular Hollywood movies such as 'Die Another Day', 'Tomb Raider' and 'Batman Begins'. We embark a boat and sail around the floating icebergs of the lagoon. After the boat trip we drive back along the south coast with Vatnajökull Glacier and the highest peak in Iceland, Hvannadalshnjúkur 2119m on our right. We have the opportunity to go on an optional tour to Ingólfshöfði nature reserve, a bird watching tour with a tractor drawn hay wagon to Ingólfshöfði, an isolated headland between black sands and the Atlantic Ocean, with thousands of nesting seabirds, especially puffins and the great skua. This historical cape is named after the first settler of Iceland, Ingólfur Arnarson, who spent his first winter in Iceland there in the year 874 AD.
Today we drive along the south coast and head back to Reykjavík. We stop at the black beach of Reynisfjara with Reynisdrangar, black basalt columns sculpted by the sea. An Icelandic folk tale says that they are former trolls which were caught outside at dawn. Our next stop is the outstanding Seljalandsfoss waterfall, falling narrowly 50m, possible to see from all sides as we can walk behind it – with care and with the risk of getting wet! Arrived in Reykjavík we will check in at our hotel for our last night in Reykjavík.
Unfortunately it is time to say goodbye. You will be picked up by a driver and brought to Keflavík International Airport for your departure flight.
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