On the road Reykjavik …
Last night’s cod dinner at the Lamb Inn was delicious! After dinner Jóhannes, Jacob (our driver), Kolfinna (our guide), and Larry serenaded the group with a selection of songs. The perfect way to wrap up our stay at the Lamb Inn!
Overnight, with a slight chance of seeing the northern lights, Mickey, Donna, and Carol are up at 1:30a for a two mile hike to look up at the sky. Too many clouds to see the Aurora Borealis, but the city lights make the clouds glow above Akureyri!
At 9:30a we’re back on the bus departing Akureyri and heading south towards Reykjavik on a grey overcast day. It’s an all day drive from Akureyri but we’ve got some stops along the way. About an hour outside of Akureyri the road goes up to 600 meters through a mountain pass during a snow shower.
Around 10:30a we stop in Varmahlíð for a mid-morning coffee. A little farther down the road we make a quick stop at a farm to see some Icelandic Horses.
A little after noon we pull off the main road and head several kilometers down a gravel road to see the falls at Kolugljúfur Canyon. I dig out the 20mm lens for a little wider view of these falls.
We stop for lunch at a roadside Nesti near Norðurlandsvegur. Another hour down the road we reach the Grábrók Crater volcano and lava field. After last erupting three thousand years ago the volcano now looms 550 feet over the surrounding lava field. It takes about 45 minutes to walk to the top to look into the crater then walk around the crater rim and back down. It’s very windy! And it is a great vantage point to the see the nearby landscape.
We leave Grábrók Crater and have about a two hour drive to Reykjavik. We’ll do a quick check-in at the hotel then head out for a lamb dinner. Tomorrow we explore the Golden Circle.
From the Lamb Inn …
After a late night at the Lamb Inn, breakfast is a little later this morning at the Lamb Inn.
At 9:30a half the group departs for a spa experience at Forest Lagoon in Akureyri. The rest of us head out from the Lamb Inn for a nature hike up Uppsalahnjúkur peak. After a few days on the bus it’s nice to do some walking. Jóhannes, the Lamb Inn proprietor, leads us up the trail. He makes this walk almost daily. The peak is 680 meters so there is a little bit of work to do. But the view is worth the climb!
After the hike we met up with the spa group for lunch in Akureyri. Lunch is a restaurant called Akureyri Backpackers. The specialty is fish and chips. It’s greasy and delicious! Don and I sample the local brew called Húsavík.
Next a whale watching aboard the Elding. The boat takes us an hour north in Eyjafjördur fjord. It’s cold and windy out on the water. I’ve got all my layers on and the boat provides a coverall. I’m comfortable on the deck of the Elding.
It’s start of the feeding season here at the beginning of May for humpback whales and we are lucky enough to see a couple! We also see several harbour porpoises and minke whales.
Humpback whale flukes are unique and are used to identify each whale.
Although it’s cold and windy out on the water, the views are gorgeous!!
Tonight’s dinner is cod back at the Lamb Inn. Then tomorrow we make our way back to Reykjavik.
From Myvatn …
Breakfast is at the Lamb Inn at 7:30a and we’re back on the road at 9:00a. Our first stop is an overlook above the fjord for a scenic view of the town of Akureyri.
After a 45-minute drive we’re at the Goðafoss waterfall. Here the Skjálfandafljót River plunges from 39 feet high and nearly 100 feet wide into a pool of turquoise water. Legend has it that lawspeaker Thorgeir Ljosvetningagodi tossed Norse idols into the waterfall after deciding Iceland’s religion should be Christianity.
After Goðafoss we’re back on the bus for the quick drive to the seaside town of Húsavík. We pickup some lunch supplies to eat on the bus while we’re driving. On the way to the Dettifoss waterfall we stop at an overlook at Kópasker above the fjord with birds nesting in the cliffside. We’re here to see Atlantic Puffins. And we’re in luck! They’ve just arrived up north for the breeding season before heading south again in September.
About an hour drive inland and we reach the Dettifoss waterfall. The water flows from the Vatna Glacier via the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river. This one is big! The waterfall is 330 feet wide and drops down 144 feet. And it’s powerful! The water flows over the falls at an average of over 250 cubic yards per second.
About 30 minutes down the road we reach the Lake Myvatn region. The lake was created by a volcanic eruption 2300 years ago, however, it’s a shallow lake averaging less than 10 feet of depth. During the winter months the lake freezes solid, but we visit the nearby high-temperature geothermal area called Námafjall. Sulfur fills the air.
We end the sightseeing portion of the day with a visit the Myvatn Nature Baths for a healing dip in geothermal waters heated 8,000 feet below the surface … and there is a swim up bar!
Tomorrow is whale watching!
From the restaurant and lounge of the Lambs Inn in Akureyri …
Breakfast is at Hotel Laugarbakki and at 9a we’re on the bus and leaving Hvammstangi. We’ve got a long drive to Akureyri in the northeast of the island. Much of the drive is the scenic route along fjords and the Iceland Sea. After the blur of the past few days it’s good to settle in on the bus and enjoy a few relaxing hours of the scenery rolling by.
Around 10:30a we stop at the Bakari in Sauðárkrókur for a mid-morning pastry and then drive to an overlook above the town for a view of the Skagafjörður fjord.
The road is mostly empty. We don’t pass many other vehicles. We do pass many fields with sheep, cattle, and Icelandic horses grazing. The fields have ditches dug through them for drainage so the land is dry enough for haymaking and grazing. As we travel along the northern-most shore of the island we pass about 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle.
Around lunchtime we arrive in Siglufjörður. We visit The Herring Era Museum, the island’s largest maritime museum. Here the story of Iceland’s herring fisheries and processing industry is told. But this museum is different from a traditional museum, the exhibits are housed in the actual buildings that were part of the herring industry, including the dorm where herring girls lived while working to process the fish. But the herring were overfished and in 1969 they did not return marking the end of the fishing industry here.
Then we’re back on the bus and through several long tunnels for the rest of the drive to Akureyri. As the Capital of the North, Akureyri is Iceland’s second-largest urban area and the cultural hub in the north of the island. It’s known for its beautiful fjord setting, and proximity to Lake Mývatn, Goðafoss waterfall, and whale watching in nearby Eyjafjördur fjord. We’re here to see all of that!
Dinner is appropriately lamb served in the restaurant of our hotel for the next several nights, the Lambs Inn!
From Hvammstangi …
We arrived in Reykjavik just after sunrise. Finally here after our 36-hour adventure with flight delays, missed flights, and rebooked flights. But that’s all behind now!
Our driver meets us at the airport for the 45-minute drive from KEF to our hotel.
The first impression of Iceland as we leave the airport is the barren landscape. No trees and lots of volcanic lava fields. We pass the most recent lava flow from a volcanic eruption and see the steam emerging from the ground.
After a quick breakfast at Hotel Cabin and a chance to freshen up we board the bus and begin our tour of the northern part of Iceland.
About 120 km from Reykjavik we visit the Hraunfossar waterfall formed by streams flowing out the Hallmundarhraun lava field.
Víðgelmir Cave is the largest in Iceland and one of the largest lava caves in the world with lava stalactites and stalagmites found deep inside. Viking archaeological artifacts were found here in 1993. Water flowing through the cave eventually reaches Hraunfossar Waterfall, but it takes a few years to make the of trip of about 11 miles (16.5km) from the cave to the waterfall!
The Deildartunguhver Hot Spring is hot at 200°F (97°C) and the most powerful in Europe with a flow rate of 50 gallons (180 liters) per second! This hot spring provides heat for homes in two nearby towns.
It’s been a long first day of travel and touring! We’re checking in tonight at Hotel Laugarbakki in Hvammstangi. A chance to rest and do some much needed travel organization!
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