ICELANDIC TIMES - Land og saga
ICELANDIC TIMES - Land og saga
ICELANDIC TIMES - Land og saga
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East-Iceland<br />
The Hiker’s Paradise<br />
What better way to get to know<br />
the nature of Iceland than to<br />
explore it on your own two feet?<br />
Seeing landscapes passing by<br />
from a car window can never<br />
be more than a quick overview<br />
while walking and hiking is the<br />
full deal, using all your senses<br />
to appreciate every detail and<br />
slight nuance. Some of the best<br />
hiking paths and trails happen<br />
to be in the East of Iceland and<br />
no other part of the country can<br />
boast of as many marked walking<br />
trails. Whether you’re looking<br />
for majestic landscapes, fjords,<br />
birds, reindeer, seals, folklore,<br />
forests, glaciers, historical sites<br />
or the tranquillity of isolated<br />
fishing towns, East-Iceland will<br />
deliver.<br />
VATNAJÖKULSÞJÓÐGARÐUR<br />
WELCOME!<br />
Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður is Europe’s largest national park.<br />
You are invited to see Iceland’s highest mountain along with<br />
volcanoes, waterfalls, lava fields, sand deserts, and glaciers.<br />
Green oases, rich flora and birdlife.<br />
Climbers on Hvannadalshnúkur, Iceland‘s highest summit<br />
Hafragilsfoss, 2 km downstream from Dettifoss<br />
The region is renowned for interesting<br />
and diverse routes ranging from day<br />
hikes to longer trails for trekking.<br />
Good hiking maps of the whole<br />
region are available at the tourist<br />
information centres and a number<br />
of the paths have been marked for to<br />
safer hiking and optimal enjoyment.<br />
Birdwatchers are in for a treat with<br />
several marked trails giving you the<br />
opportunity to see various species<br />
of ducks, skuas, eider birds, swans,<br />
geese, falcons, puffins, waders,<br />
scoters and many, many more.<br />
<strong>Land</strong> of the Hidden People<br />
One of the best day hikes is<br />
without a doubt are to be found<br />
in Víknarslóðir (Desert Inlets) in<br />
the East-Borgarfjörður area, which<br />
was selected as one of the 25 best<br />
hiking trails in the world by National<br />
Ge<strong>og</strong>raphic in 2005. The trail takes<br />
you to one of Iceland’s best kept<br />
secrets – the monumental Stórurð, a<br />
labyrinth of enormous rocks through<br />
which a little river winds its way and<br />
calm turquoise ponds of icy water lie<br />
hidden among the huge boulders,<br />
lined by flat banks of short, green<br />
grass.<br />
The 150 km marked paths on the<br />
Víknaslóðir enable you to have views<br />
of beautiful coastlines, mountain<br />
ridges, abandoned farmhouses,<br />
birdlife, arctic fauna and with a little<br />
luck maybe even reindeer. The area is<br />
known for colourful mountains and<br />
semi precious stones, as well as one<br />
of the best places to watch puffins.<br />
54<br />
Some of the best hiking trails can be found in East-Iceland.<br />
Fascinating Fjords<br />
Great hiking trails are also to be<br />
found in the eastern Fjords. The great<br />
variety in coasts is phenomenal.<br />
Brightly coloured pebble beaches,<br />
Taking a break from hiking in the beautiful scenery of East-Iceland.<br />
black sand beaches, awsome sheer<br />
cliffs and bird cliffs with puffins and<br />
eiderducks, old ruins of ancient<br />
farmsteds and the occaisional<br />
reindeer herd in deserted coves give<br />
you an out of this world feeling of<br />
freedom and eternity.<br />
Glaciers and ancient<br />
volcanos<br />
For those with a little more time on<br />
their hands the Snæfell-Lónsöræfi<br />
trail is the way to go. This 3-7 day<br />
trek takes you across magnificent<br />
landscape, glaciers, volcanoes and<br />
rivers with interesting flora and great<br />
views in the Vatnajökull National<br />
park. You can climb the dormant<br />
volcano Snæfell with some of the best<br />
views in Iceland , you’ll scale glaciers,<br />
visit the home of Trolls and perhaps<br />
most importantly get a chance to be<br />
alone with nature’s awesome powers.<br />
The vicinty of Snæfell is also the<br />
prime area to view reindeer. The<br />
Snæfell hut can easily be reached by<br />
car and the climb of the mountain<br />
makes a great day.<br />
Forrest Walks<br />
A common riddle in Iceland is<br />
“What do you do if you get lost in an<br />
Icelandic forest?” The answer is simply<br />
“stand up”. This is not entirely true as<br />
Hallormsstaður-Woods, the largest<br />
“forest” in Iceland is in fact quite large<br />
and extremely pleasant. It is a lovely<br />
arctic birch forest, characterized by a<br />
lush forest floor of flowers and berries<br />
and in the late summer an abundance<br />
of mushrooms.<br />
There are several well-marked<br />
trails throughout much of the<br />
surrounding woodland, shown on<br />
a clear map published by the Forest<br />
Service. There you will also find the<br />
world’s northernmost arboretum,<br />
comprising a collection of around 70<br />
tree species.<br />
Information on hiking in east Iceland<br />
on the website www.east.is .<br />
© Ragnar Th Sigurðsson<br />
© Skarphéðinn G. Þórisson<br />
Reindeer in the northeastern highlands<br />
Laki craters<br />
Visit our website www.vatnajokullpark.is to find more information<br />
on Vatnajokull National Park.<br />
© Sigurgeir Sigurjónsson<br />
© Helga Davids<br />
PORT hönnun