Day 11: DRAFLASTADIR - GODAFOSS - AKUREYRI - HÓLAR - GLAUMBÆR - BORGARVIRKI - ÓSAR Y HVÍTSERKUR - ILLUGASTAÐIR - HVAMMSTANGI
Today we have breakfast at Draflastadir Guesthouse, where we stayed yesterday at 8 in the morning, so we have been able to sleep half an hour more than what we have been doing regularly since we started this free trip to Iceland, which really, has seated us Wonderful.
Already fully recovered from the whale watching in Húsavík that we did yesterday, at 8.45 in the morning we have the car loaded and we are ready to get on our way to Godafoss and the Vatness Peninsula, two of the strengths of today.
The day has dawned with a radiant sun and we cannot, nor do we want, to miss the opportunity to enjoy a wonder of nature as Godafoss is with this day.
With a full stomach, we take the rental car in Iceland and arrive at Godafoss at 9.15 in the morning, entering on the opposite side to the one we entered yesterday and where fewer people come, since the access is more "hidden". If you want to access this side of Godafoss you have to take the path in front of the yellow guesthouse, next to the souvenir shop. If you want you can also park in that area.
Already from the trail we intuit what we are going to find and it is that from here we have the best views of the Godafoss waterfall. Awesome rainbow reception included.
Godafoss
After a good time charging energy in the middle of nature and with little desire to leave, we return to take the car and go directly to the parking lot in front, where we were yesterday and where we met more people.
From here there are also some breathtaking views of Godafoss, but if you allow us a tip, the other area is much less crowded, quieter and with a much broader perspective, so we recommend you go first.
Rainbow in Godafoss
It's 10.15 in the morning when we head to the next destination of the day Akureyri, 46 kilometers from Godafoss.
At this point in the trip it cannot be said that we have to confirm that car trips in Iceland They are most spectacular, surrounded at all times by spectacular landscapes and nature.
Iceland roads. Godafoss and the Vatness Peninsula
The last section of the journey between Godafoss and Akureyri is done through the Eyjafjörður fjord, the longest in northern Iceland It offers us incredible views of Akureyri.
Akureyri
We arrived at Akureyri at 10.45 in the morning and parked directly in the church area where we can spend a maximum of 1 hour without paying. For the first time in this trip to Iceland We have to put the clock that incorporates our car with the arrival time to control the time, as we did months ago on the trip for free to Switzerland.
Akureyri Church
On top of a hill stands Akureyrarkikja, a church built by the architect of the Hallgrímskirkja that we saw in Reykjavik on the first day of our trip.
After a brief visit to Akureyrarkikja, we started down to the center of the city, which despite being the second largest city in Iceland is small enough to travel in just over half an hour.
Akureyri streets
In Akureyri we find much more atmosphere than in the rest of the places we have been so far, with the coffee shops full and the terraces very lively, something that is surely caused by the sunny day we are enjoying.
We love the small shops with charm that we find along the way and the souvenir shops, organized in such a way that makes you want to buy everything.
Seeing that we are doing well on time, we take the opportunity to enter a cafeteria and have a coffee and a muffin for 1200ISK, which give us enough energy to continue with today.
At 12 in the morning we return to the car and make our way to Holar, the next destination today.
To get to Holar from Akureyri we have two options, the road that runs along the fjords, longer and the road 1 that goes inside and is shorter.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Iceland
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Iceland
- 50 things to see and do in Iceland
Having a day like today full of things to do, we prefer to take the second option, although the first one caught our attention, but that's the way it is when we are traveling on a return ticket.
The next time we come to Iceland we will make this area and the western fjords, we have promised ourselves as we left this area of the country.
But come on, that the route through the interior is also incredible, not only for the landscapes, but also for the farms that dot the mountains every so often.
We arrive at Holar at 13.40 and after stopping we begin to realize the enclave in which we find ourselves.
Holar
Holar is a historic enclave, dwarfed among the mountains, where we can find a beautiful church next to a peat farm, which is well worth a visit.
Holar church. Godafoss and the Vatness Peninsula
After taking a walk in the area we take advantage of some picnic tables in the back of the church to eat some sandwiches with tuna and sausage that we bring in the car and at 14.30 we are ready to take the car back to The next stop of the day: Glaumbær, which is 47 kilometers from Holar.
We arrived at 14.50 and we found a set of buildings that seem taken from a children's story.
Glaumbær
In Glaumbær we will find the best Turba Exploitation Museum of Northern Iceland. We, having previously stopped at Holar, where we have already been able to see the interior of several of these houses, after a walk, go straight to the cafeteria of the place, Áskaffi, nestled in an incredible place and recreates an old tea room most cozy.
If you can do not miss it. Unable to try any of their delicious desserts, we ordered a couple of daily cake dishes and two coffees (which they fill in as many times as you want) for 2300 ISK.
Glaumbær tea room
After 15.30 in the afternoon we go to the next destination of the day, Borgarvirki, where the Vatness peninsula begins and which is about 100 kilometers away.
After a tour between incredible landscapes we arrive at Borgarvirki at 4:45 pm, having incredible views of the place as we get closer.
Borgarvirki views from the road
Borgarvirki is a natural basaltic structure that according to the legend, modified the Vikings using it later as a fortress.
Borgarvirki
After the visit to Borgarvirki we continue on the road 716 on the way to Ósar and Hvítserkur where we arrived at 17.30 in the afternoon through a fairly bad and unpaved road.
We take the detour that indicates Hvítserkur and after parking in the enabled area, we follow a path that takes us to the viewpoint where we face the "rock-troll".
Hvítserkur
We are here for a long time until we return to the parking lot and follow the path that leads to Ósar, a beautiful black sand beach, where on the opposite shore we see a few seals that can only be distinguished by zooming into the camera.
Ósar Beach
If we have to be honest, for us this visit is dispensable if you go with the right time. The beach is beautiful, but really, after seeing the wonders we have seen so far, it has been a bit weaker than the rest.
From here we continue to Illugastaðir, a point where we have read that it is quite common to see seals.
We parked the car in the private parking of the farm in which the owner has enabled the area for tourists who come here and after a while traveling the path that surrounds the sea, we do not see a seal, so we decided to return and Go to Hvammstangi, another of the possible areas to see them.
On the way we see another location where we can see the seals and stop to try their luck. After a while without seeing any, we decided that now the time has come to give up and give up.
But as always there is something that breaks the rule, when we are in the car a boy tells us exalted if we have seen them. Given our refusal, he explains that there are a few in the opposite direction that we have taken at the end of the path.
So you see us again down the trail in search of seals. The truth is that it doesn't make much sense to come and go that we are having this afternoon with the seals, but we were ready to spend the night here to see them 😉
And in the end, as every effort has its reward, we can see a few in the sea, which seem to observe us even when we bend down so they don't see us and see if they decide to approach the shore.
Seals in Iceland
But of that there is no way! We have to settle for seeing them from the sea.
And now yes, at 7.45 in the afternoon we make our way to Hvammstangi, where we have 16 kilometers.
We arrived at 8.15 and without getting too entertained we went straight to the Hladan Kaffihus restaurant we had read good opinions about and where we asked for a lasagna and some fish fritters plus water for 4500ISK
Having dinner at the Hladan Kaffihus restaurant
The truth is that neither was nor fa, the site we have to recognize that it has its charm, but if you only come for the food it is not a place that we can recommend you to divert.
Almost at 10 at night and with a sun still shining on the horizon, we set off towards Breiðabólsstaður, 12 kilometers from here, where Guesthouse Nedra-Vatnshorn is located, our accommodation today.
Tomorrow more and who knows ... if better 😉
Day 12: HVAMMSTANGI - KOLUGLJUFUR - PENINSULA Snaefellnes: Stykkishólmur - Helgafell - Berserkjahraun - Grundarfjörður - Olafsvik - Hellinsadur - Saxhöll - Djúpalónssanur and Dritvík- Hellnar - Arnastapi- BEJARNARFOSS - Ytri-TUNGA - BORGARNES
