Top Tips:
- The Icelandair Hotel Klauster was unanimously our favourite hotel of the whole week. I would definitely stay in an Icelandair Hotel again.
- Dyrhólaey was my favourite attraction of the entire trip. What was planned to be a brief visit turned into a 3 hour sojourn and we could have easily stayed longer exploring this area.
- The scenic attractions seen today are too good for words, and these pictures don't come close to capturing their glory.
- The scenic attractions seen today are too good for words, and these pictures don't come close to capturing their glory.
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| Lighthouse at Dyrhólaey |
Tuesday, September 3
We checked out of the Grimsborgir Hotel after breakfast and
made our way towards the next hotel, stopping at several attractions along the
way.
Seljalandsfoss
Our first stop, about an hour away, was the Seljalandsfoss
waterfall. You can take a circuit to walk directly behind this elegant
waterfall, making it a popular tourist destination. There’s another path
reaching to the left from the waterfall, heading out to see a few smaller falls
in the area. It leads to another waterfall that you can climb to the top of –
the track is wet, slippery and has some chains set up for stability of those
that wish to walk it, but it warns that it’s not suited to everyone.
It began raining yet again, so we missed climbing to the top of this waterfall. There is a food truck at the Seljalandsfoss parking lot, selling soup and sandwiches – at around $7 a sandwich, it’s about as cheap as we can find in Iceland so not a bad option, but we didn’t eat here.
It began raining yet again, so we missed climbing to the top of this waterfall. There is a food truck at the Seljalandsfoss parking lot, selling soup and sandwiches – at around $7 a sandwich, it’s about as cheap as we can find in Iceland so not a bad option, but we didn’t eat here.
Skógafoss
Moving 20 minutes east on the ring road, we arrived at Skógafoss
waterfall. Not to be outdone by Seljalandsfoss, the Skógafoss is a
breathtakingly powerful waterfall. There is a stair trail to the top of the
waterfall, and at the top you can continue to walk in the plateau fields
alongside the river.
We ate lunch at the cafeteria restaurant next to the falls – it was $10 for the soup of the day and bread, and you serve yourself as many refills as you like. It was pretty decent, and the bread was freshly warm from the oven which was welcome in the always ominous weather.
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| The fields at the top of Skógafoss |
We ate lunch at the cafeteria restaurant next to the falls – it was $10 for the soup of the day and bread, and you serve yourself as many refills as you like. It was pretty decent, and the bread was freshly warm from the oven which was welcome in the always ominous weather.
Dyrhólaey
After another 20 minutes drive we reached the next stop. Dyrhólaey
is definitely one of my favorite sites from this entire trip. If you’re not
sure what to see in Iceland or about coming to this area, you absolutely must
put this on your list. I really think this would be worth a round trip drive from Reykjavik.
We spent about 3 hours there without realizing the time was passing, and I could have easily spent more time there. This place is stunning. Most famous for its rock formations protruding from the ocean, Dyrhólaey has so much more beauty to offer. We climbed the peaks overlooking these marvelous structures, and descended to the black sand beaches to watch the fierce ocean waves crash against the jagged cliff face.
We spent about 3 hours there without realizing the time was passing, and I could have easily spent more time there. This place is stunning. Most famous for its rock formations protruding from the ocean, Dyrhólaey has so much more beauty to offer. We climbed the peaks overlooking these marvelous structures, and descended to the black sand beaches to watch the fierce ocean waves crash against the jagged cliff face.
On the way out from the main parking lot, there is a left
turn to an unpaved road that goes up a hill. Be sure to take that, it will lead
to the tallest peak in the area, with stunning views of the lighthouse and the
black beach extending for miles into the distance.
While driving back to the main ring road, we saw some people
had parked beside a marshy area (just in front of the road bridge), and crossed
close to the cliff base to walk along the black beach that is seen from the
lighthouse – a great idea if you have the time and energy.
Accommodation & Dinner
It took almost an hour to reach the Icelandair Hotel
Klauster from here. This hotel impressed us, and I would absolutely stay at an
Icelandair hotel again. The rooms were basic as usual, but comfortable and the
beds were soft and cozy. The reception staff offered to call us at night if the
Aurora showed, which unfortunately it didn’t.
We ate at the hotel’s restaurant. Being the country’s
specialty, I ordered the lamb, which didn’t disappoint. My favorite, after
trying bits from everyone’s plates, was the Fire and Ice dessert – presented in
a glass cone balancing on top of a pool of Blue Curacao and ice (representing
the lake), it featured a fresh strawberry topped with vanilla icecream
(representing the glacier), with freshly poured warm rhubarb soup (representing
lava). It was a masterpiece. The prices here (about CA$45 for a main) were definitely
justified by the quality of the food – and this was unanimously the favorite
meal of the whole week.
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