Northern Iceland, Fall

We will start with an early breakfast in Reykjavik, then off to the Hallmundarhraun Lava Field. Here we will tour and photograph the largest lava tube cave in Iceland, Viðgelmir, filled with sparkling ice formations.

After breakfast we will spend the morning visiting trolls around Hop, the largest saltwater lagoon in Iceland. We will investigate black sand beaches covered in rare alpine and arctic plants, as birds and horses vie for our attention.

After finding a suitable spot to enjoy our packed lunches, we will be going to Varmahlid for a 3 hour private rafting trip down the West Glacial River. We wind our way through the Vesturdalur Valley’s enchanting landscape; between rapids there are promises of hot chocolate made from the natural spring water bubbling up from the riverbank, and stops aplenty at spectacular scenery calling out to photographers!

After an early breakfast we explore traditional turf farmhouses, thought to have first been built on this site in 900 A.D. during the Age of Settlements. The buildings that we will visit were constructed between 1750 and 1879 of turf, stones and timber. These 13 buildings were inhabited until 1947, and after the people had gone an English benefactor donated money for renovation and preservation!

We will lunch in Akureyri, the largest “city” in northern Iceland with 18,000 inhabitants before traveling to the Goðafoss waterfall. This particular waterfall is connected with one of the most important events in Icelandic History, the conversion to Christianity in 1000 A.D. That year, Þorgeir Þorkelsson, Lawspeaker of the Icelandic Parliament, lived a short distance from the waterfall. During this time period Parliament was deciding whether Iceland should practice Paganism or Christianity.

After a night and day meditating under a fur blanket, Mr. Þorkelsson, who was a pagan priest, decided in favor of Christianity, converted to Christianity himself, and as a symbolic act of his conversion threw his heathen god idols into the waterfall. As a result, Goðafoss (Waterfall of the Gods) was named. It is worth noting that at that time, even with Christianity now the official religion, Paganism could still be practiced privately.

A leisurely drive will bring us to Húsavik, with a picturesque harbor. We will have dinner overlooking the water. In addition to the harbor, there are many exploration and photo opportunities all around the town. There is a lovely wooden church, gardens, a lighthouse, and whale museum.

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After breakfast, we will stop to pick up our lunch supplies. Day four brings us into the geologically diverse and spectacular Northeast of Iceland. A gigantic, horseshoe shaped canyon, Ásbyrgi, stands guard next to the northern entrance to Jökulsárgljúfur National Park, founded in 1973. The canyon is divided through the middle by a distinctive rock formation, called Eyjan “the Island”, for more than half of its length and contributes giving the canyon its peculiar horseshoe shape.

So, what happened here? It seems Sleipnir, the god Odin’s eight-legged gigantic flying horse, put down one of his legs in this place, stamping and leaving his hoofprint. Since then the huldufólk, the legendary hidden people, made Ásbyrgi their capital city. And they still thrive there in the cracks of the cliffs, legend has it…..In the amazing geology of Iceland it is possible to suspend one’s disbelief for moments like this.

However, science indicates that the canyon was more likely formed by a catastrophic glacial flooding caused by an eruption of the Grímsvötn volcano……

We will continue on to Vesturdalur walking trails and the strange basalt rock formations of Hljóðaklettar, which means “echoing rocks”. This mysterious stone “forest”was created by the interaction of fire and ice, when hot lava came into contact with glaciers and meltwater. There is a circular trail from the parking site which will take us past several distinctive, named formations such as Karl and Kerling, two petrified trolls, or Kastali Castle.

Today’s journey will begin with intense heat: geothermal fields and active volcanoes!

The unmistakeable odor of sulphur greets visitors as the road climbs up and over Námafjall. Temperatures in bore-holes here have been recorded as high as 608 degrees F! We are going exploring in the geothermal field of Hverir. There are walkways and paths running across the multi-colored clay, with steaming vents, hissing chimneys and bubbling hot pots of mud.

Hot Mud Pots in the Geothermal Area Hverir, Iceland

Next we head four miles north of Hverir, where the volcanic fields are known by the name of Krafla. This series of volcanoes last erupted in the 1980’s and are formed by the pulling apart of two oceanic tectonic plates beneath Iceland. It will be a glimpse of freshly formed primeval earth. Krafla is also an active geothermal power plant, whose pipes form a metal entrance-way to the magma reservoir.

After breakfast we start our last day together hiking to the top of a recent tephra cone: Hverfjall, which last erupted about 2500 years ago. The view from the top is spectacular and will provide some lasting memories of this fantastic trip.

We then will drive to Akureyri, with time to enjoy some lunch before our plane departs for Reykjavik at 4 pm.

Our trip is coming to a close now as we drive back into Reykjavik. Some of you may have night time flights back home, after 7 pm, and, if so, we will arrange transport for you to the airport in Keflavik. For those of you who fly the next day, or who simply want to stay longer, we can help you with finding accommodations in Reykjavik or closer to the airport, arrange an optional add-on trip to the Blue Lagoon, and/or help with arranging transportation to the airport when needed.

Northern Iceland Fall 6 Day