Borgarfjörður is renowned for its beauty. Mostly covered in old, rough lava, with rivers and streams running in between, creating some of the most stunning waterfalls in Iceland. This is an area that Icelanders have spent weekends and summers for decades, hence the numerous cabins built in the area.
We will drive directly to Deildartunguhver, the most powerful hot spring in Europe, located just by the road. The water of Deildartunguhver hot spring pumps up 180 litres (40 gallons) per second of boiling hot water.
Optionally our next stop is Reykholt, historically one of the most important places in the country which hosts a center for medieval studies; Snorrastofa. It is named after writer and chieftain Snorri Sturluson, author of Snorra-Edda and Heimskringla. Snorri’s Edda is the main source of knowledge we have about the olden northern gods and the history of Scandinavia.
Then we will visit Hraunfossar (lava waterfall), one of the most beautiful waterfall in Iceland. It’s not great or powerful and It doesn’t come from a visible stream or a river, it comes from under the lava field and falls down into Hvítá (white river).
A two minutes hike North of Hraunfossar there’s Barnafoss (children’s waterfalls). A very different sort of waterfall. Barnafoss is in Hvítá itself, which is a milky white and relatively big glacier river (117 Km / 73 miles) which passes through the fjord all the way down to the sea.
Our next destination will be Húsafell, known for great weather, sheltered from winds by mountains and Langjökull glacier looming over. There is a local swimming pool, a small shop, and a four star hotel (Hótel Húsafell) with a restaurant. All in all, it’s a perfect stop for lunch.
After lunch we can choose between two very different and amazing things to do in the area; see the greatest lava cave in Iceland, or visit the inside of a glacier. Sorry to say you won’t manage to do both in a day trip.
The lava cave (Víðgrelmir) was formed just over 1000 years ago. It was closed off for a long time, but reopened for tourists recently which means all the beautiful lava formations are untouched and in pristine conditions. In the tour (which is at extra cost) you hike just under 700 m inside the cave, on a platform to protect it. The hike is easy and the tour is family friendly.
A very different sort of “cave” exploring (at extra cost). It’s a man made ice cave in Langjökull, Iceland’s second largest glacier, created a few years back. The ice cave is 800 m long and reaches 30m into the glacier, lit up for you to see the array of blue and white glacier colours. It’s without a doubt one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area.
If time permits, we can visit Geitafjársetrið (Háafell), a farm that specializes in preserving the Icelandic goat, which is an endangered species. Geitafjársetrið is a unice farm where you can meet and pet goats and buy the local goat cheese and other products.
If we still have time and energy after a full day of sightseeing, we can stop at The Settlement Center in Borgarnes which is a great way to get to know Icelandic history and culture through the Icelandic sagas from the area. They also have a restaurant where you can have dinner. Alternatively we can skip The Settlement Center and drive straight to Reykjavik for dinner.
Instead of going to Borgarnes on the way back we can go on a rugged road, Kaldidalur, on our way to Reykjavik. It will take longer but note that it is only open in the summer.
Details
MEAL – not included, but we’ll stop for lunch and dinner break
Note: Your driver guide will pick you up at your hotel and drive you back there in the end of the day.
Main features:
- Glaciers
- Ice tunnel
- Lava caves
- Waterfalls
- Rivers
Additional activities at extra cost:
- Into The Glacier (ice caving tour). Duration: 2.5 hrs summer / 4 hrs winter (ice tunnel tour with guide for one hour). Adult 24.900 ISK per person, Teenagers (12 – 15 years old) 15.600 ISK per person.
- Lava caving tour into Vidgelmir. Duration: 1.5 hrs. Price: adults 7.500 ISK per person, children (7 – 15 years old) 4.000 ISK per person, (0-6 years old) free of charge.
- Horseback riding. Price: approx. 12.000 ISK per person, per hour.
Price
- Price: Private tour = ISK 211.500 (Total, not per person)
- (1-6 passengers per vehicle, 1-5 for comfort).
