ICELANDIC TIMES - Land og saga

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