We are located almost in the centre of the southcoast. It is a perfect place to stay several days and travel both to east and west, fx to the west Gullfoss, Geysir „The Golden Circle“, Seljalandsfoss, to the east Skogafoss, Jökulsárlón/“the Diamond beach“, Dyrhólaey, Reynisfjara/„The Black Beach“, Sólheimajökull, Vatnajökull, national park Skaftafell. You can have a look at http://www.south.is/. Activities in the nearest neighborhood are many:
The waterfalls: We are located exactly between the two famous waterfalls Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss about 10 km each way.
Seljalandsfoss is lit up in the wintertime and you can easily walk behind the waterfall, maybe get a little wet but that´s ok.
At Skógafoss it is nice to hike above the fall and if you want you can hike further up the river, there are some more (26), but smaller, waterfalls.
At both of the waterfalls it a good view in the wintertime for the aurora borealis /northern lights.
There are also two other waterfalls, smaller but very beautiful. Gljúfrabúi (The Hidden waterfall) is just 400 meters from Seljalandsfoss, on the left side of it if you are standing in front of the waterfall, there is a hiking path
Kvernufoss is nearby Skogafoss, about 1 km east of it. You have to drive to the museum, Skogasafn, and hike from there about 500 meter, easy walk.
The natural hot spring swimingpool Seljavallalaug is about 4 km to the east. Then you to left on the crossroads beneath our farm, when you have passed the first bridge you turn to left, just by the bridge, drive straight, as far as you can and then you have to hike about 600 meters. It is not reccomended to go there in dark, because of the hiking path. And maybe mention that the changing room is very primative.
We live beneath the famous glacier Eyjafjallajökull. When the sky is clear it is easily seen, well, not from here but if you go 2 km each direction you will have a good view up on it. You can´t go there, up on the glacier, without a superjeep or walking but it is a very hard walk and you have to have a trained guide.
Lavacenter – In the town of Hvolsvollur (30 km west of us) there is a nice place to stop www.lavacenter.is a new exhibiton, interatctive, about volcano and earthquake, a very good one and the biggest one in Europe.
The folkmuseum Skógasafn, the biggest and most popular museum in Iceland, is 10 km east of us http://www.skogasafn.is/en/skogar-museum/ .
Our neighbors run a horserent in Skálakot, www.skalakot.com . There is also a horserent in Skógar, at the farm, during the summer. The icelandic horse is not big, almost pony, but it is very gentle, good mood and soft to ride.
In Vik (35 km) there is a horserent where you can ride on the black beach below the town, check www.vikhorseadventure.is
You just have to step out of the apartment to meet the elves because they live in the rocks and the big stones nearby the house. Just google „elves in iceland“ and you can read a lot of unbeliveble stories.
they live here in these stones
You are free to hike all over our property, just close a gate if you open one and take care not to step in a horse/sheep shit.
If you want to take a easy little walk then it´s nice to go down to the main road, turn left and walk beside the road about 500 m then you will enter a cave by the road Steinahellir it was once used for local, parlimentarial meetings (1820-1902). After that is was used as a sheepshed and barn for many years. http://www.katlageopark.is/afangastadir/steinahellir/
Many guests wonder about the bras on the fench, by the main road, about 200 m east of our farm. This property is owned by our friend and this bra-show is just for fun. He once heard about Australian farmer and his wife, they were working on the fields and got hot and sweat. The wife took of her bra, hanged on the fence and forgot it. Bypassers started to hang their bras on the fence also, so that is how things works in Australia and Iceland !
In the wintertime, if the sky is clear in the night, you can lay down in the snow and watch the northern lights/aurora borealis. The Icelandic Met office makes a aurora forecast http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/ . Here is also forecast http://www.aurora-service.eu/aurora-forecast/.
Sólheimajökull is a glacier in the neighborhood, about 15 km to east. In the summer you can go there on a normal car (and in the vinter also if it isn´t a lot of snow). Park at the parking area and hike about 1-2 km to the glacier. It is great to go there and touch and see the glacier but don´t go up on it your selve, you have to go with trained guide, see below
Dyrhólaey peninsula is 20 km away. In the summer you might see a puffin if you look down from the rocks. The puffin season is from ca 20th April until 20th August.
„Black beach“ – Reynisfjara (30 km east of us) is a place where you can feel the enormus power of the Atlantic ocean. Take very good care of the waves, it is higher and stronger, goes further up on the beach than you think and can crab you. It has happened that people have not been seen anymore.
Hjorleifshofdi „The Yoda cave“ – About 10 km east of the town Vik is this rock island on the black sand, named Hjorleifshofdi. You dan drive by the west side of it (when it not to much snow) and on the south end of it is this beautiful cave. When you are standing in the bottom of the cave and looking out of the gap it gives you the image of the the Star Wars character Yoda. The name was given by some tourist and then got stuck to it, silly tourists !
It is also very nice to hike on the top of the rock island. There is a marked path and on the top of the island is a burial place from people/farmers which once lived there.
Snowmobile, superjeep, ATV tours and hiking Thorsmork, Myrdalsjökull, Sólheimajökull or Eyjafjallajökull
www.arcanum.is,
www.mountainguides.is,
www.southadventure.is
www.midgardadventure.is
www.katlatrack.is
www.artictrucks.is
These companies can also take you somewhere else around on a adventure trip – have a look at their schedule/selection or contact them direct through their website for special arranged tours.
During the summer it is nice to take a daytour to Vestmanna Island from Landeyjahofn (the ferry harbour). It only takes 15 min to drive to the the harbour, here is the timeschedule: http://eimskip.is/EN/iceland_domestic/herjolfur/Pages/default.aspx.
In Vestmanna Island there is lot to do, for example ribsafari http://visitwestmanislands.com/product/ribsafari-small-island-tour, have a look at the puffins, Eldheimar museum http://eldheimar.is/en/ and go on a Segway tour http://www.visitvestmannaeyjar.is/en/product/segwaytours.
The canadian popstar Justin Biber made a music video from around here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfGaX8G0f2E there is an old plane wreck, Douglas DC3, and we don´t know why, but many tourists walk down to the wreck. It is about 15 km to east, you can park the car by road nr. 1 but you have to walk 4 km (and back again = 8 km) to south 63° 27,545’N, 19° 21,891’W (ISN93: 481.797, 328.264) or just follow the tourists. www.arcanum.is have a ATV tours to the wreck.
Katla Geopark www.katlageopark.is is a local project to protect the natural environment, promote local sustainable development, introduce local culture and place a strong emphasis on nature tourism.
ATV Quad sightseeing tours, www.obyggdaferdir.is/en/ located in Smaratun (Hotel Fljotshlid) about 20 km away west of us. Highly recommended tours if you want to try ATV.
Lava show in Vik. There you can see how the lava flows and what happens when lava meets ice. Address Vikurbraut 5 in Vik, tel: 8237777, www.icelandiclavashow.com and Lava show on facebook.
Zipline in Vik if you are not scared of height or speed you should try that, have a look at www.zipline.is.
If you want to visit an icelandic sheep, you can. During the summer the sheep wander around in the neighborhood, they are often below the cowhouse in the morning and are in a mood for bread and when they hear a „plastic bag sound“ they will come running. From November until May they stay inside in the sheepshed about 400 meters west of our house and are waiting for bread.
Hot dog ! On your way in Iceland you must stop and have a hot dog. It is sold in almost every gasstation and elsewhere. Then you ask for „eina með öllu“ or „one with everything“. „Everything“ means that you will have: Raw onion, fried onion, ketchup, senep and remoulade. If you don´t want all of that you say „One with everything except….“. The most popular stop/restuarant downtown Reykjavík is „Bæjarins bestu“ („Towns best“), a shed where hot dogs are sold.
And two more things you have to try: The icelandic lamb meat and the icelandic fish. It is the best in the world. The Icelandic lamb wander around in the wilderness during the summer and Icelanders are the best fishermen in the world and our fishindustry produces the freshest fish you have ever tasted.
Swimming
pool is almost in every small town in Iceland. It´s a
lifestyle in Iceland to go swimming before going to work in the morning or
after a busy working day. After swimming we rest in the hot tube, talk to our
partner, neighbors or just somone and solve the problem of living in this
world.
http://www.visiticeland.com/things-to-do/activities/swiming-poolsspas-in-iceland