Leaving the wonderful environment of Lake Myvatn, we are deeply entered the eastern half of the Island. The area with only 14,000 inhabitants. Desert landscapes intertwined with lava fields and weather conditions which can be reversed for a short time. There`s only one law in this area, the law of nature . Travelers may often run into serious problems in case of wrong weather assessment and "not listening" what nature has to say.
Road to the Dettifoss waterfall
One of those areas is road to the most powerful waterfall in
Europe, Dettifoss waterfall. Valley, which
cuts the river Jokulsa a Fjollum belongs to Vatnajokull National Park. The
river flows under the ice cap of Iceland's largest glacier Vatnajokull. On its
way to the confluence in the Oxarfjordur, intersects the Highlands in interior
of Iceland. The river collects tremendous amount of water from the Highlands.
Dettifoss (www.northiceland.is)
Dettifoss is the largest
waterfall in Europe by the amount of
ejected water, with an average flow rate of 193 m3 /s. It is 100 meters wide
and has a drop of 45 meters, where is the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon, "carved" by vast amount of
water.
Wet and delighted, Dettifoss
Due to the large amount of water
that splashes you from all sides , a longer stay next to the waterfall isn`t
possible. It is almost certain that you`ll be completely wet, which can be very
dangerous if you don`t have spare clothes. Dettifoss is not that beautiful like most of the attractions in Iceland. But it`s a place where you`ll feel the power
of nature and learn to respect it. A few hundred meters upstream from Dettifoss, the Selfoss waterfall is
situated, with a drop of 11 meters.
Waterfall Selfoss
Driving along Route 1 toward the
eastern fjords can be seen as a special
attraction. Fantastic landscapes with unusual mountain peaks which emerges from
the fields of sparse vegetation. You have the impression that you are in some
parallel world, in a science fiction movie. That`s the reason why filmmakers love this island. It`s ideal
location for a "role" of other planets and strange worlds.
Magical scenery of East Iceland
With only 2260 inhabitants, the
largest town in East Iceland is Eggilstadir. This fact shows how much the East
is sparsely populated. Like most of the "major" cities in Iceland,
has an airport with regular flights to Reykjavik .
The greatest attraction in the
East are beautiful fjords, carved by deep sea. Once, this part of the country
was covered by a blanket of ice. After that, there has been melting of ice that
shaped dents in the land and allowed sea water to penetrate deeply into it. Most
visited fjord is Seydisfjordur, the Port
where some of the famous cruise lines sails in. From this port sails a regular
" Smyril Line " for the Faeroe Islands (Torshavn) and Denmark (Hirtshals).
Smyril Line sails into the fjord (www.smyrilline.com)
From Seyðisfjörður toward south,there are Mjoifjorđur, Eskifjođur, Rejđarfjorđur, Faskruđsfjordur, Stođvarfjorđur
and Berufjorđur. Each of these fjords have inhabited settlements with developed local community. Although
small, these towns, for Icelandic conditions, all have fish factories and
handball clubs, as it is the most popular sport in Iceland. Fish factories are mainly joint stock companies. In case of large catches all residents work together around the clock on fish processing.
It does not matter who is who in town, whether a doctor, a lawyer, a fisherman
or a butcher. When it`s necessary they team up, because all can benefit from it.
They are taking out from the nature, but also respect it. To average Europeans it
is difficult to understand, but in Iceland it is the law. Man doesn`t adjust
the nature to itself, but learns how to live in harmony with nature, respecting
its laws.
Stođvarfjorđur
Through the picturesque fjords,
Route 1 heading south near the small town of Djúpivogur to Hofn, the largest
city in the southeast. A fishing town
known for the best lobster in Iceland, situated near
Hornafjordur. Hofn is the starting point for a glacier Vatnajokull tour, and
perhaps the greatest attraction in Iceland, Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. You can visit an interesting glacier exhibition
in Hofn and see the story of an expedition to Vatnajokull.
Hofn
80 kilometers west of Hofn, there
is a unique natural phenomenon, the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. Lagoon is
actually a glacial lake that flows into the sea. The ice from glacier
Breiđarmerkurjokull is moving down and creates a unique scenery.
Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon
Incredible landscape formed by
icebergs of all shades from white to blue, is a magnet for visitors. Lagoon can
be visited by amphibian boat or "Zodiac"
boat. Driving with amphibian boat lasts
30-40 minutes, one hour with “Zodiac”.
Amphibian, Jokulsarlon
Price for amphibian tour is 4000 ISK (26 euros), for “Zodiac” is 6500
(41 euro). The advantage of visiting the lagoon by boat is that you can approach the icebergs,
navigate between them, all the time listening to the guides story about the
origin of the lagoon and see the seals from close range. Seals are permanent
residents of Jokulsarlon and great attraction for tourists.
Iceberg, Jokulsarlon
The color of the icebergs in the
lagoon occurs as a result of refraction of light rays. The same piece of ice
can change color several times during the day. Lagoon constantly changes its
appearance, the color and shape of ice in it, is never the same. You will have
a different experience every single time you visit it.
Spectacular scenery, Jokulsarlon
The Glacier Lagoon is often used
for scenes of famous world movies. Jokulsarlon is best known as place of shooting
the James Bond movies. At first in 1985. "A View to a Kill", then
in 2002. "Die Another Day", when lagoon was closed for two months, in
order to freeze for shooting car chase scene in the frozen lagoon.
A scene from the film " Die Another Day " (www.jamesbondwiki.com)
This area of Iceland is rarely
populated and finding accommodation can be a big problem. 13 km from the
lagoon towards Hofn is a Hali Country
Hotel, which has a restaurant with homemade food. Prices are very affordable for Icelandic conditions, with outstanding
accommodation and service. The price for double room with buffet breakfast for
two persons is from 115 to 175 euro. The average dinner in the restaurant is
30-40 euro. There is no another or better choice In this region of the country.
Within the hotel complex there is a museum dedicated to Thorbergur Thorđarson, one
of the greatest writers in Iceland. Otherwise, Iceland is a country with the
highest number of writers per capita. Every tenth Icelander has published a
book.
Thorbergur Museum and Cultural Center
Overnight near the glacier lagoon
has a positive side, because you can experience the morning in the lagoon, when
the colors of ice are even more intense. Icebergs, which were previously placed
in the middle of lagoon, next day can sail into the ocean.
Icebergs sails into the sea
Outside the lagoon, on the beautiful beach with black volcanic sand, you can see
icebergs coming out from the lagoon and sail into the sea.
Fight with ice
Route 1 towards West leads to a Nature
reserve cape Ingolfshofdi , 30 kilometers from Jokulsarlon. Here you can pay a
sightseeing tour of the Nature reserve with the main attraction, Puffin
watching. Price is around 4,000 ISK (26 euros).
Nature reserve, Ingolfshofdi (www.hof1.is)
The tour itself is an attraction,
because it involves driving on tractor through the vast black beaches to Nature
reserve that bulging out of the water and volcanic sand.
Ingolfshofdi tour
The reserve is named after Ingolfur
Arnarson, the first settler in Iceland. It is believed that it was precisely on
this place where he disembarked on the Island for the first time. There is a
monument on the cape dedicated to him.
Puffin
The greatest attraction of the
reserve are the favorite birds in Iceland, puffins. They are actually a
trademark of Iceland. Ingolfshofdi is one of the places where you can see these
lovely birds. Most of them can be found on Westman Islands, in the southwest
of the country. Various species of birds could be seen on Ingolfshofdi.
Particular attention is drawn to the Great Skua (Stercoranus Skua). Sea bird,
originating from the Faroe Islands.
Great Skua
Our journey takes us to
Skaftafell, one of the centers of Vatnajokull National Park. Formerly an
independent national park, providing rich content to visitors. From hiking on
attractive paths, to glaciers tours with full protective gear.
Glacier Skaftafellsjokull
The greatest attraction of the
park is Svertifoss waterfall, or The Black Waterfall. Different from all waterfalls
we saw in Iceland. It is characterized by basaltic lava columns, just like
those at the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland. Waterfall is named after the
black rocks of volcanic origin.
Black waterfall - Svertifoss
On the way towards Reykjavik we pass through the area of frequent large beaches
with black volcanic sand. Formed as a result of volcanic eruptions that melting
glaciers and floods that carry the ashes and other volcanic materials throughout
the area. There`s been a serious floods with destruction of bridges and roads,
also evacuation of the locals. As very rational people, Icelanders have decided
to build prefabricated metal bridges with one stripe in these sections.
Prefabricated bridge in the south of Iceland
The southernmost settlement on
the island is the village of Vik, 180 km from Reykjavik. It is the largest
settlement within 70 km, although it has only 290 inhabitants. It is known for
the most beautiful black beach in Iceland, with a trademark – the black rocks
that protrude from the sea.
Vik
Waterfall Skogafoss is another
attraction in the south of Iceland. Situated on the cliffs of the former
coastline. Over time, it shifted the
coastline seaward for about 5 km. It is situated on the river Skogar and has a
drop of 60 meters.
Skogafoss (www.winterwonderland.is)
A journey around Iceland is
slowly coming to an end. We enjoy the scenery created by lava fields and arrive
to the currently best known volcano on the island, Eyjafjallajokull, the "murderer"
of the European air traffic.
Under the volcano, Eyjafjallajokull
On the way to the Keflavik international
airport going through my mind the image of what we, my good friend and best
companion for travel, Bojan and I, have seen in the distant Iceland. We
traveled almost the whole Europe, but we haven`t seen yet so many beautiful places in one country. And we haven`t seen all. Desire for a visit of some remote
and inaccessible parts of the country, rich with wonders of nature, still
remains. Iceland is a magical, beautiful, raw, dramatic, unique... I could make
a list of it, but I know one thing, I'll be back again! You can bet on it!
THE END
THE END
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