Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
The Hótel 1001 Nótt feels like the best hotel you can find on the island. It is located outside of Egilsstaðir and every room has giant glass windows to the outside world. On one side of the building there are the mountains and a large forest in front, on the other side it is the wonderful lake – both ones are amazing. Next to the hotel there is a waterfall and you can also use two hot tubs.
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One of the highlights on Iceland is what they make out of geothermic energy. In different places you’ll find amazing spas that are operated in summer as well as in winter times – because the necessary energy is taken from the earth. At Fellabær very close to Egilsstaðir they’ve created a very relaxing place, the Vök baths. In addition to the pools on land with good views on the Urriðavatn lake they’ve built two floating infinity pools with water up to 41 degrees Celsius hot.
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An island with massive volcanic activity also produces are lot of basalt structures: lots of columns and fields of octagons. A perfect place to discover them is the Stuðlagil canyon east of Egilsstaðir. It is a small detour from the ring road but one absolutely worth to do. The canyon was hidden under water until the Kárahnjúkavirkjun barrier lake was created in 2006. When the water was gone the beauty of the canyon was discovered and found its way into an aircraft magazine – and thereby started to attract many tourists.
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Puffins are cute birds and easy to recognize with their colorful beaks. They bread on cliffs in the far north and in fact 60 % of them bread on Iceland. Their population is continuously shrinking and therefore they are officially classified as a vulnerable species. Puffins are hunting fishes and crabs and fly over winter into the south: to the Mediterranean Sea and the north of Africa. If you’re visiting Iceland you’ve got different options to see them and you’ll be astonished how close you can get to them.
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When you’re exploring Iceland counter-clockwise as most tourists do, you need to take a decision once you reach Djúpivogur. From there you can follow Hringvegur / Þjóðvegur 1 along the coast (to see some more fiords and a gem collection) or take a shortcut to Egilsstaðir: the Öxi valley. I wouldn’t see it as a shortcut, because it is a fantastic experience to drive up this valley on road 939; you just need to be willing to take an untarred road and often to be ready to drive through the fog on top.
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In the East of Iceland you can find Djúpivogur, a small harbor city with a long trading history; merchants from Hamburg where the first doing business here. Today the village has 400 400 inhabitants working on fishing and tourism, sometimes smaller cruise ships anchor here underneath the 1,000 meters high and triangle-shaped mountain Búlandstindur. Most often tourists do have an overnight stop here because of the position on the ring road.
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The best place to see glaciers and icebergs is the Jökulsárlón glacier lake. It can be found directly at the ring road and the water is clear blue, a magic sight. It is at the southern end of the Vatnajökull glacier and the deepest lake of Iceland. Its water is running nearly directly via a very short river to the sea at a region known as the Diamond Beach. Standing at this river you can observe sea lions playing as well es icebergs drifting towards the ocean.
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The Fjallsárlón is the smaller of the two glacier lakes at the southern end of the Vatnajökull glacier. The Breiðá river connects it to the sea and the area is part of the national park and thereby protected. Once you’ve left your car and walked over a small mountain you can see the impressive white glacier and the icebergs drifting on the lake. If you want to there is the opportunity to take a boat cruise on the glacier lake and get closer to the ice.
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The Skaftafell oasis in the Vatnajökull national park is a welcoming place in an otherwise rough landscape. The visitor’s center provides you with everything you need and then it is up to you: waterfall or glacier? In one direction you can hike to the nice Svartifoss waterfall, in the other direction a geologically interesting path guides you to the Skaftafellsjökull glacier. But the way to walk has extended over the last years; because of climate change the glacier has reduced in size dramatically.
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After leaving Kirkjubæjarklaustur to the east you’ll see a magic scenery: a small settlement underneath high rocks and a slim waterfall (the Foss á Síðu) dropping down to the houses. On the other side of the road you’ve got a good opportunity for a break: Dverghamrar offers a parking area and small round course to volcanic remains close to the road. Large basalt columns line up between green fields.
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