Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
warms once more. Vatnajökull's eastern flank is accessed at
Lónsöræfi
, a private reserve
managed by
Stafafell farm
, close to the regional hub of
Höfn
. There's the stunning sight
of icebergs floating on the lagoon at
Jökulsárlón
; and the ice cap's southern glaciers and
adjacent heaths to explore at
Skaftafell National Park
and
Skeiðarársandur
, a huge
glacier-induced wilderness between Vatnajökull and the sea. Moving away from
Vatnajökull,
Kirkjubæjarklaustur
is the southeast's second settlement, near where lava
fields and craters at
Lakagígar
stand testament to one of Iceland's most violent volcanic
events. Note that the only
shops
and
banks
in the entire region are at Höfn and
Kirkjubæjarklaustur, which are 200km apart.
GETTING AROUND THE SOUTHEAST
By plane
The southeast's airport is at Höfn, with regular
flights to Reykjavík.
By bus
Year-round Reykjavík-Höfn buses
travelling via
Vík, Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón to Höfn
are run by Trex (
W
trex.is), Reykjavík Excursions (
W
re.is)
and Sterna (
W
sterna.is). Sterna also runs a summer-only
route through the East Fjords to Egilsstaðir. From mid-June
until early September, an exciting alternative from
Reykjavík is to take a bus along the Interior's Fjallabak route
via Landmannalaugar to Kirkjubæjarklaustur - see p.301.
7
Lón
Lón
is a glacial river valley whose 30km-wide estuary is framed by
Eystrahorn
and
Vestrahorn
, two prominent spikes of granite to the east and west. The central
Jökulsá i
Lóni
is a typical glacial flow, its broad gravel bed crisscrossed by intertwined streams
that are crystal clear and shallow in winter but flow murky and fast with increased
snowmelt in summer. A sandbar across the mouth of the bay has silted the estuary up
into lagoons -
lón
in Icelandic - with good trout fishing, thousands of whooper swans
nesting on the eastern side below Eystrahorn, and reindeer herds descending from the
upper fells in winter.
Stafafell
Halfway across Lón and just east of the river, a short road of the Ringroad heads
inland to
Stafafell
, comprising a couple of farm buildings, a hostel and an unassuming
church
, surrounded by birch trees. The site was consecrated a generation after the
tenth-century Norwegian missionary
Þangbrand
- armed with a sword, and a crucifix
instead of a shield - killed Stafafell's pagan owner in a duel and went on to spread the
Christian message across Iceland, surviving attacks by sorcery and a berserker in the
process. His activities divided the country and finally forced the Alþing to restore unity
by accepting Christianity as the national religion in 1000.
Lónsöræfi
The highlands inland from Stafafell are known as
Lónsöræfi
, the Wilderness of
Lón, an unspoiled area of streams, moor and fractured rhyolite hills, capped by
Vatnajökull's eastern edge (though this is invisible from the main road). Now
incorporated into a private
reserve
accessed through Stafafell farm, Lónsöræfi is
beautiful
hiking
country, where you could spend anything from a few hours to several
days on remote tracks - or even hike north through to Snæfell, near Egilsstaðir (see
box, p.294).
ACCOMMODATION
LÓNSÖRÆFI
Stafafell Farm
T
478 1717,
W
eldhorn.is/stafafell.
Hostel inside an old, two-storey wooden house near the
church, with warm dorms and doubles (with shared
bathrooms), showers, kitchen and dining room. You can
also pitch a tent in the field outside. Bring all your own
supplies; the nearest shops are 20km away in Höfn. The
helpful, mildly eccentric manager can help organize
Lónsöræfi hikes and other tours. Summertime Höfn-
Egilsstaðir buses will
drop
off and collect f
rom the
Ringroad. Camp
ing
1000kr
; sleeping bag
3000kr
;
made-up double
9000kr