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114

Southwest Iceland

SOUTHWEST ICELAND

Geysers spout, waterfalls topple, black beaches stretch into the distance, and brooding

volcanoes and glittering icecaps line the horizon. The beautiful southwest contains many

of Iceland’s most famous natural wonders – and is consequently a relatively crowded corner

of the country. But get off the Ring Rd (Rte 1) and there are plenty of quiet valleys and

splashing streams you can have all to yourself.

Almost everyone who comes to Iceland visits the Golden Circle, east of Reykjavík. Here

you’ll find the gorgeous national park Þingvellir, a Unesco World Heritage site; the bubbling

springs and spouting geysers at Geysir; and one of the country’s most dazzling rainbow-

tinged waterfalls, Gullfoss.

On the coast, you can visit the entertaining little fishing villages Eyrarbakki and Stokkseyri,

or walk the black beaches at drop-dead beautiful Vík. Just offshore, the charming Vestman-

naeyjar are filled with fearless puffins and friendly people. Inland you’ll find one of Iceland’s

best museums at Skógar; important saga-age ruins in the Þjórsárdalur valley; or wonderful

walking at Þórsmörk. And, if you want more of an adrenaline rush, try snowmobiling or

dogsledding on the M�½rdalsjökull glacier.

TOP FIVE

Wait for water to shoot skywards at

Geysir

(p120), or watch it tumbling down at

Gullfoss

(p120)

Go dogsledding or snowmobiling on

M�½rdalsjökull icecap

(p140)

Scream like a girl at the

Stokkseyri Ghost

Centre

(p130), or enjoy a dose of culture at

the brilliant

Skógar Folk Museum

(p138)

Fall in love with puffins, volcanoes and

teetering cliffs on the wonderful

Vestmannaeyjar

(p142)

Stroll black-sand beaches at

Vík

(p140)

and

Reynisfjara

(p140), and watch

otherworldly ocean sunsets from nearby

Dyrhólaey

(p140)

Geysir

Gullfoss

Stokkseyri

M�½rdalsjökull

Skógar

Vík

Vestmannaeyjar

Dyrhólaey

Reynisfjara

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T H E G O L D E N C I R C L E • • Þ i n g v e l l i r

115

GETTING THERE & AROUND

For information on bus routes and schedules

in the southwest, contact the

BSÍ bus station

(

562 1011; www.bsi.is)

, or bus companies

Aus-

turleið Kynnisferðir

(

562 1011; www.austurleid.is)

Þingvallaleið

(

511 2600; www.bustravel.is)

Frequent organised tours visit this area

(see p80 for ideas). Hiring a car can work out

cheaper; most southwestern roads are suitable

for 2WDs.

THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

Gullfoss, Geysir and Þingvellir are unique sites

commonly referred to as the Golden Circle.

These sites make up Iceland’s major tourist

destinations, offering visitors the opportu-

nity to see a wild, roaring waterfall, spouting

hot springs and the country’s most important

historical area in one condensed, doable-in-a-

day tour. Although they’re mobbed by coach

parties year-round, they’re still worth visiting

for their undeniable natural beauty.

Hiring a car will mean you’ll be able to enjoy

other nearby highlights. Nesjavellir is great for

its surreal other-planet landscape; on clear

days, the active volcano Hekla is a sublime

sight; and there are interesting Viking ruins

in the scenic Þjórsárdalur valley.

country, instead creating district

þings

(as-

semblies) where justice could be served.

Eventually, a nationwide

þing

became nec-

essary. One man was dispatched to Norway

to study law, while his foster brother trav-

elled the country looking for a suitable site.

Bláskógur – now Þingvellir (Parliament

Fields) – lay at a crossroads by a huge fish-

filled lake. It had plenty of firewood and a

setting that would make even the most tedious

orator dramatic, so it fitted the bill perfectly.

Every important decision affecting Iceland

was argued out on this plain – new laws

were passed, marriage contracts were made,

and even the country’s religion was decided

here. The annual parliament was also a great

social occasion, thronging with traders and

entertainers.

Over the following centuries, escalating

violence between Iceland’s most powerful

men led to the breakdown of law and order.

Governance was surrendered to the Norwe-

gian crown and the Alþing was stripped of its

legislative powers in 1271. It functioned solely

as a courtroom until 1798, before being dis-

solved entirely. When it regained its powers

in 1843, members voted to move the meeting

place to Reykjavík.

SOUTHWEST ICELAND

Information

On Rte 36, the

Park Service Centre

(Þjónustumiðstöð;

482 2660; www.thingvellir.is;

8.30am-8pm daily Jun,

Jul & Aug, 9am-5pm daily May & Sep, 9am-5pm weekends

Oct-Apr)

contains a café and a seasonal tourist

ÞINGVELLIR

This

national park,

23km east of Reykjavík, is

Iceland’s most important historical site and

a place of lonely beauty. The country’s first

national park, it was finally made a Unesco

World Heritage site in 2004.

The Vikings established the world’s first

democratic parliament, the Alþing, here in

AD 930. As with many saga sites, there aren’t

many Viking remains to be seen, but the park

has a superb natural setting, inside an im-

mense rift valley caused by the separating

North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Its undulating mossy lava flows are scarred by

streams and rocky fissures. It’s particularly

awesome in autumn, when the dwarf birch

forests glow with brilliant red, orange and

yellow hues.

desk, with books and maps for sale.

Above the park, on top of the Almannagjá

rift, is an interesting

multimedia centre

(admission

free;

9am-7pm daily Jun-Aug, 9am-5pm daily Apr, May,

Sep & Oct, 9am-5pm weekends Nov-Mar)

exploring the

area’s nature and history.

Sights & Activities

THE ALÞING

History

Many of Iceland’s first settlers had run-ins

with royalty back in mainland Scandinavia.

These chancers and outlaws decided that they

could live happily without kings in the new

The Alþing used to convene annually at the

Lögberg

(Law Rock), between the Flosagjá and

Nikulásargjá fissures. This was where the

lög-

sögumaður

(law-speaker) recited the law to

the assembled parliament each year. After

Iceland’s conversion to Christianity, the site

shifted to the foot of Almannagjá cliffs, which

acted as a natural amplifier, broadcasting the

voices of the speakers across the assembled

crowds. The site is marked by a flagpole, and

a path leads down to it from the multimedia

centre at the top of Almannagjá.

SOUTHWEST ICELAND

F35

SOUTHWEST ICELAND

To Akureyri (350km);

& M�½vatn (390m)

30 km

20 miles

Tunnel

See Þingvellir National

Park Map (p117)

Geysir Haukadalur

Gullfoss

Geothermal

Field

Brattholt

Þingvellir

Kálfstindar

Skálabrekka

Háifoss

Sultartangalón

ór

F26

Þj

ór

sá

Þórisvatn

Skálafell

365

Laugarvatn

Reykholt

Sel

Kaffi Sel

Hrauneyjar

Asólfsstaðir

208

F225

Brúarhlöð

Drumboddsstaðir

Bláskógar

Hydroelectric

Plant

Mossfell

Stöng

Þingvallavatn

Laugarvatn

Lítlisjór

Langisjór

Apavatn

REYKJAVÍK

Gjáin

Þjóðveldisbær

435

Nesjavellir

Úlfljótsvatn

Svínavatn

Árnes

Flúðir

Skálholt

Laugaras

Syðra-Langholt

To Keflavík

(40km)

Hveragerði

Leirubakki

Ingólfsfjall

(551m)

Þjó

Hekla

(1491m)

öll

F210

rsá

Trollkonuhlaup

Rjúpnavellir

í Landsveit

Núpar

Herriðarhóll

Laugaland

Hestheimar

Brjánsstaðir

Raufarhólshellir

Selfoss

Bitra

Fjallabak

Nature

Reserve

Landmannalaugar

F208

116

T H E G O L D E N C I R C L E • • S o u t h w e s t I c e l a n d

Urriðafoss

Hekluhestar

268

Ytr

Vat

nafj

Laufafell

Hrafntinnusker

Egilsstaðir

Torfajökull

427

Þjórsá

Þorlákshöfn

Hella

Árbakki

Flói Nature

Reserve

Eyrarbakki

Kálfholt

Súluholt

Stokkseyri

Oddi

264

llir

Keldur

Baugsstaðir

Tindfjallajökull

árv

ang

Álftavatn

F210

Eyrarbakkabugur

Hó

261

lsá

Hlíðarendi

Smáratún

Stóra-Dímon

Fljótsdalur

Hvolsvöllur

F261

ið

Hengill

(768m)

Kerið

dal

Búrfell

(669m)

ivö

Sólheimar

Efri-Brú

Seyðishólar

Hjálparfoss

F235

To Kirkjubæjarklaustur (95km);

& Höfn (460km)

rry

Markarf

ót

F249

Þórsmörk

Valahnúkur

(282m)

M�½rdalsjökull

öl

Fimmvörðuháls

Stóra-Mörk III

Bergþórshvoll

Gljúfurárfoss

Eyjafjallajökull

eim

Ásólfsskáli

Seljavellir

Skógaheiði

Katla

(1250m)

Seljalandsfoss

Bakki

ök

Mælifell

(642m)

Só

Skógar

Drangshlíð

See Heimaey Island –

Vestmannaeyjar Map (p143)

Þakgil

222

Solheimahjáleiga

Brekkur

Vík

Hafursey

(582m)

Reynisbrekka

Álftaver

M�½rdalssandur

Þykkvabæjarklaustur

NORTH

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

Vestmannaeyjar

To Surtsey

(5km)

Heimaey

lonelyplanet.com

Reynisfjara

Country Hótel

Höfðabrekka

Dyrhólaey

Reynisdrangur

Hjörleifshöfði

(231m)

lonelyplanet.com

ÞINGVELLIR NATIONAL PARK

To Skógarhólar (1km);

ás

gjá

Sle

361

llu

rin

ön

gin

Öx

ará

Lö

ett

Park Service

Centre

Þingvellir

Camp Sites

Sky

ggn

Christian-Era

Lögberg

Original

Lögberg

já

Öxarárhólmur

Flo

rennugjá

sag

já

gjá

Þingvallahraun

Biskupabúð

gjá

Flo

gjá

sag

já

Öxará

Þingvallabær

Vatnskot

Camp Site

Lambhagi

361

Þingvallavatn

Fjo

See Enlargement

sag

Þórhallastaðir

(deserted farm)

Hótel

Valhöll

já

Miðmundartún

Sei

glu

Skógarkot

(deserted farm)

Kirkjugarður

gjá

Pen

To Multimedia

Centre (50m)

inga

gjá

Þingvallakirkja

200 m

0.1 miles

Vellankatla

Þingvallavatn

Vatnsvík

To Selfoss

(40km)

Gjábakkahraun

To Laugarvatn

(16km)

Chasm/Gorge

Decisions were reached by the Lögrétta

(Law Council), made up of 146 men (48

voting members, 96 advisers and two bish-

ops) who are thought to have assembled at

Neðrivellir

(Low Fields), the flat area in front

of the cliffs.

FISSURES & WATERFALLS

The Þingvellir plain is precariously situated

on a tectonic plate boundary – here, North

America and Europe are tearing away from

each other at a rate of 2mm per year. As a

result, the plain is scarred by a series of dra-

matic fissures, including the great rift

Alman-

nagjá.

A broad track follows the fault from the

multimedia centre on top of the cliffs to the

plain below.

The river Öxará cuts across the rift, tumbling

towards the lake in a series of pretty cascades.

The most impressive is

Öxarárfoss,

hidden away

behind the eastern lip of the fault. The pool

Drekkingarhylur

was used to drown women

found guilty of infanticide, adultery or other

serious crimes.

There are other smaller fissures on the east-

ern edge of the plain. During the 17th century

nine men accused of witchcraft were burnt

at the stake in

Brennugjá

(Burning Chasm).

Nearby are the fissures of

Flosagjá

(named after

a slave who jumped his way to freedom) and

Nikulásargjá

(after a drunken sheriff discov-

ered dead in the water). The southern end of

Nikulásargjá is known as

Peningagjá

(Chasm

of Coins) for the thousands of coins tossed

into it by visitors.

BÚÐIR

On the left of the path as you walk down

Almannagjá are the ruins of various

búðir

(booths). These small stone-and-turf shelters

were where parliament-goers camped; and

they also acted like stalls at today’s music

festivals, selling beer, food and vellum to the

assembled crowds. Most of the remains date

from the 17th and 18th centuries; the largest,

and one of the oldest, is

Biskupabúð,

which be-

longed to the bishops of Iceland and is located

north of the church.

ÞINGVALLABÆR & ÞINGVALLAKIRKJA

The little

farmhouse

in the bottom of the rift is

Þingvallabær, built for the 1000th anniversary

Nik

To Reykjavík

(45km)

362

Öxarárfoss

Drekkingarhylur

Krókhólar

Bláskógar

Skötutjörn

ulás

argj

Búðir

ruins

To Park Service

Centre (2km)

T H E G O L D E N C I R C L E • • Þ i n g v e l l i r

117

2 km

1 mile

Neðrivel

ða

lir

SOUTHWEST ICELAND

118

T H E G O L D E N C I R C L E • • A r o u n d Þ i n g v e l l i r

Book accommodation online at lonelyplanet.com

SOUTHWEST ICELAND

of the Alþing in 1930 by the state architect

Guðjón Samúelsson. It’s now used as the park

warden’s office and prime minister’s summer

house.

Behind the farmhouse is a

church

(

9am-7pm

mid-May–Aug)

, Þingvallakirkja, one of Iceland’s

first. The original church was consecrated

in the 11th century, but the current wooden

building only dates from 1859. Inside are

several bells from earlier churches, a 17th-

century wooden pulpit, and a painted altar-

piece from 1834. The Independence-era poets

Jónas Hallgrímsson and Einar Benediktsson

are interred in the small cemetery behind the

church.

ÞINGVALLAVATN

HORSE TREKKING

Íslenskir Ferðahestar

(

894 7200; www.centrum.is

/travelhorse)

has two horse farms, one in Mos-

fellsbær (p79) and another at Skógarhólar,

just 2km north of the Park Service Centre on

Rte 52. It offers a three-day all-inclusive ride

around Þingvallavatn (Ikr53,000).

Tours

Various companies offer Golden Circle tours

to Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss from around

Ikr6500 (see p80).

Within the park, there are free one-hour

guided tours

(

departures- 10am & 3pm Mon-Fri Jun-

Aug)

in summer, setting off from the church.

Sleeping & Eating

Þingvellir camp sites

(

482 2660; sites per person Ikr600)

The Park Service Centre oversees five camp-

ing grounds at Þingvellir. The best are the two

at Leirar, near the café – Syðri-Leirar is the

biggest and Nyrðri-Leirar has laundry facili-

ties. Fagrabrekka and Hvannabrekka are for

campers only (no cars). The fifth camp site,

Vatnskot, is down by the lake side.

Hótel Valhöll

(

480 7100; www.hotelvalholl.is; s/d

Jun-Aug Ikr15,000/21,000, Sep-May Ikr10,000/17,000;

)

At a whopping 84 sq km, Þingvallavatn is

Iceland’s largest

lake

. Pure glacial water from

Langjökull glacier filters through bedrock for

40km before emerging here. It’s joined by the

hot spring Vellankatla, which spouts from

beneath the lava field on the northeastern

shore.

Þingvallavatn is an important refuelling stop

for

migrating birds

(including the great north-

ern diver, barrow’s golden-eye and harlequin

duck). Weirdly, its waters are full of bleikja

(arctic char) that have been isolated for so long

that they’ve evolved into four subspecies.

An unforgettable way of exploring the lake

is by

scuba diving

(see p51). The visibility is

stunning, and there are several dive sites,

although the most popular is the fissure

Silfra.

WALKS AROUND ÞINGVELLIR

Valhöll is a large farmhouse in Þingvellir Na-

tional Park, down at the base of the rift. Some

of the rooms are on the small side, but they’ve

all been renovated recently; other positives

include peaceful surroundings, a very good

restaurant and the prime minister for your

neighbour!

Getting There & Away

The easiest way to get here is on a Golden

Circle tour (p80) or in a hire car.

From June to August the new daily

Austurleið

(

562 1011; www.austurleid.is)

bus service 6/6A will

run at 8.30am from Reykjavík to Þingvellir,

stopping for 45 minutes at the Park Service

Centre before continuing to Geysir, Gullfoss

and back to Reykjavík (return trip Ikr5100).

There’s no public transport to the southern

end of Þingvallavatn.

The brochure

Þingvellir Þjóðgarður,

available

from the Park Service Centre, contains a small

foldout map showing an overview of Þingvel-

lir and its walking trails.

Serious walkers should bring the Land-

mælingar Íslands sheets

Þingvellir

1:25,000

and

Hengill

1:100,000. Most trails converge on

the abandoned farm at Skógarkot. Southeast

lie the ruins of another farm, Þórhallastaðir,

where ale was brewed and served to 13th-

century Alþing participants. The 5km walk

from Þingvellir to the western rim of the con-

tinental rift takes a few hours.

Walking trails at the southern end of Lake

Þingvallavatn cut south across the slopes of

the volcano Hengill (768m) to Hveragerði and

the Hengill ski area, just off Rte 1. See p126

for more information.

AROUND ÞINGVELLIR

Nesjavellir

Whenever you step into that pongy shower in

Reykjavík, think of the weird shining

Nesjavel-

lir geothermal plant,

southwest of Þingvallavatn.

It’s here that boreholes plunge 2km into the

earth, bringing up water heated to 380°C by

toasting-hot bedrock. It drives a series of huge

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