5.4.2 Iceland: Einar Indriðason's travel tips
Description
This article is from the Nordic countries FAQ, by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson, with numerous contributions by others.
5.4.2 Iceland: Einar Indriðason's travel tips
[ From: Einar Indriðason <einari@rhi.hi.is> ]
As many people come to Iceland by a plane the first impression that they get
of the country is that it must be barren and covered with lava, as that is
the view they see on their way from Keflavík airport to the Capital. That is
not correct. Iceland has very varied landscape; it is magnificent in some
places while there's nothing special in other places.
Some popular attractions are the day trips from Reykjavík. One of them is
called the "golden circle" which goes from Reykjavík to Þingvellir, from
there to Geysir, Gullfoss and even a small visit in Flúðir. From there it
continues to Hveragerði, finally returning to Reykjavík. Another one is to
visit the "Blue Lagoon" (Bláa lónið) and take a bath in the lagoon.
Other tours are also popular but they take you out to the country and you
can expect to spend some days or even longer on such tours. Examples of such
tours include: (but do not fully cover them :-> Mývatn, Skaptafell,
Landmannalaugar, Húsafell, Sprengisandur, Kjölur.
What are those places mentioned in the above text?
Reykjavík City is the capital of Iceland, as you should know if you read the
"fact-sheet" on Iceland :->
Þingvellir is where the old parliament was located. It is now a national
park with some magnificent views.
Geysir is a hot water spring, and it blows occasionally. Much more alive is
its fellow 'hot-water-spring' named Strokkur. One can always count on
Strokkur to give some fancy shows if you wait ca. 5-20 minutes (depends on
the weather).
Gullfoss is a "two-storey-high" waterfall about 10km from Geysir. The view
there is magnificent.
Flúðir is a small town in the southern part of the country, not very far
from Gullfoss and Geysir, and is famous for it's mushrooms.
Hveragerði is also a small town in the southern part of the country about
45km away from Reykjavík. In Hveragerði there are many greenhouses powered
by the hot water from the earth.
Bláa Lónið (blue lagoon) is a pool of water that is located on the
south-western corner of the country. It is a bluish pool (hence the name)
which contains some stuff that psoriasis-patients find great to rub and
smear on their body. Others find the lake or pool a great place to relax.
The temperature of the lake ranges from warm to hot, and there are places in
the water where no-one should go to as the temperature gets too high there
and can cause a severe burns.
Mývatn is a lake in the northern part of the country. The landscape around
the lake is magnificent, and not only the landscape closest to the lake but
for some distance from it too. At Mývatn there are several birds and plants
that are rarely seen elsewhere in the country.
Skaptafell is an "oasis" at the root of a glacier in the south-eastern part
of the country. Even if it is at the root of a glacier it has a great views
and you will feel the nature. (But you must take the time to relax and feel
the nature!)
And how are you supposed to travel in Iceland?
Well, you can take your own car on the ferry from Scotland or Faroe Islands
to Iceland and use it to drive around the country. If you do, please bear in
mind that Iceland has some sensitive plants and that driving outside of the
roads is not nice to the nature. Also please bear in mind to follow all
instructions about a closed road or closed track and don't try to "bypass"
it, even if you are on some "highly-efficient-off-road" vehicle.
Or you could rent a car and drive around the country on it. (If you do, the
same applies to you as for those that bring their own car; be gently on the
land).
Or you could hitch-hike around the country.
Or you could buy a ticket with the buses here. Last time I checked, one
could buy two types of tickets. (Not counting the ticket that takes you from
place A to place B with minimum of hassle). I am talking about "unlimited
use of buses for some limited time" vs. "limited use of busses for (almost)
an unlimited time".
You can buy a ticket that says something like this: "This person can travel
with all busses during the period from XXX to YYY, and need not pay any
more; he has already paid for the trip."
And then there is the "This person can only travel in one direction on the
main-road, but can take as much time to do it as is needed. (Up to a limit
that is, but that limit is pretty high.)"
A question that is sometimes asked is: "What clothes should I take with me
to Iceland?"
Well, I am not sure if you'll believe this but I recommend that you take the
whole "spectrum"; light clothes for the hot and sunny days, clothes to
protect you from light rain and no wind, clothes to protect you from high
wind and heavy rain, and warm clothes to keep you warm those freezing
nights. (Yes, they do occur, even in the summertime. Especially in the
higher parts of the country).
You might get some cultural shocks here in Iceland in regard to food. But
even if you don't like the looks or the names or the smell or something
about some Icelandic food, do try it. Even just one bite of it. Looks,
names, smells can be deceiving.
One of the specialties occasionally offered is called "svið". Svið is a
burned sheep-head, which is boiled and eaten. It tastes good, but you might
be put off by the head looking at you while you're eating it :->
"Skyr" is a white, milky substance, which looks a bit like jelly, but has a
peculiar taste and no visitor to Iceland should leave without tasting skyr
first!
Lifrarpylsa is a mixed internals from sheeps and is boiled. It is eaten
either cold or warmed up.
A full day tour through the black rock desert to Herðubreið, the queen of
Icelandic mountains, and the fertile oasis at its foot, on across the lunar
landscape to the great Volcanic caldera Askja. Askja last erupted in 1961.
The crater Víti (hell) formed by an immense eruption in 1875 which buried
parts of the farmland in northeast Iceland in ashes, is now filled with warm
sulphuric water (good for bathing).
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