Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION
Campsite
Hafnarbraut
T
478 1606.
Large grassy pitches
with some shelter from winds, plus attached info centre
with toilets, showers, internet, laundry and somewhere to
sit indoors. It's opposit
e the N1
fuel station, about 10min
walk from the harbour.
1100kr
Ì
Dyngja Guesthouse
Hafnarbraut 1
T
690 0203,
W
dyngja.com.
Friendly, comfortable homestay close by
the harbour with well-appointed rooms, coffee on tap,
pleasant lounge area, shared bathrooms and huge Nordic-
style breakfast including
skyr
, smoke
d lamb a
nd home-
made barley bread. Often booked out.
17,500kr
Hótel Höfn
Víkurbraut
T
478 1240,
W
hotelhofn.is.
Just off Hafnarbraut at Ólis fuel station, this modern
business hotel overlooking the shorefront and glaciers is
pretentiously large and upmarket for town. Cheaper rooms
are in an older complex; those in the spi
er new building,
just abov
e on a r
ise, have sea
views. R
ates include
breakfast.
29,900kr
; new building
38,700kr
Hvammur
Ránarslóð 2
T
478 1503,
W
hvammurinn.is.
Warm and weatherproof house close to the harbour. Rooms
are on the small side with shared bathrooms, but are also
bright and decently equipped with
TV and vie
ws of the sea
or glaciers. Rate includes breakfast.
14,600kr
IYHA hostel
Hvannarbraut
T
478 1736,
W
hostel.is.
Smoothly-run budget option inside a former retirement
home; there's a large living space, big kitchen and dining
room, BBQ area and clean, functional dorms. The
disadvantage in bad weather is the 1500m walk to town:
turn off Hafnarbraut
at the N
1 fuel station and then first
right and keep going.
3500kr
7
EATING AND DRINKING
Humarhöfnin
Hafnabraut
T
478 2600.
Close to the
harbour, this smart but relaxed lobster restaurant with an
unmistakable bright orange frontage takes advantage of
Höfn's most famous seafood. The langoustine bisque
(2100kr) or 300gr of langoustine tails (6600kr) are the
business; they also take pride in their duck confit (4400kr).
Daily noon-10pm.
Ka
Hornið
Hafnabraut 42
T
478 2600.
The menu is
no big surprise - cakes at 750kr, burgers for 1500kr, pasta
dishes around 2200kr, grilled lamb or catch of the day from
3200kr - but decent portions and the roomy timber
building are a big plus. Service is the most miserable this
side of Iceland, however.
Daily 11am-10pm.
Pakkhús
Höfn harbour
T
692 5624.
Set in a 1930s
warehouse, all dark beams and plank flooring; try a starter
of smoked lamb and wild goose (1590kr) and move on to
langoustine (5500kr) or salt cod (3290kr), though the duck
with slow-cooked pork (4990kr) is a bit too rich.
Daily
11am-2pm and 6-9pm.
Jökulsárlón
On the Ringroad 75km west of Höfn and 55km east of Skaftafell,
Jökulsárlón
is
a large, deep-blue lagoon between the nose of
Breiðamerkurjökull
and the sea.
Formed after the glacier began shrinking rapidly in the 1940s, the lagoon is chock-
full of smallish, powder-blue
icebergs
which have calved of Breiðamerkurjökull's
front and float idly in the lake as if performing some slow ballet. A large gravel
hill has been created as a lookout point on the lakeshore; check iceberg ledges for
basking
seals
.
Once you've seen the lagoon, make sure you cross the road and walk down to the
black-sand
beach
. The seafront here is littered with transparent ice boulders, the
remains of the icebergs which have washed down the 1km-long Jökulsár (Iceland's
shortest river) and into the sea - their weird, incredibly sculpted shapes are a striking
sight on such a desolate shore.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
JÖKULSÁRLÓN
By bus
All buses stop at Jökulsárlón long enough for a
good look at the lagoon, though check departure times if
you're planning a boat ride.
Destinations
Hella (3 daily; 5hr); Hvolsvöllur (3 daily; 4hr
50min); Höfn (3 daily; 1hr); Kirkjubæjarklaustur (3 daily;
2hr); Reykjavík (3 daily; 7hr); Seljalandsfoss (3 daily; 4hr
30min); Selfoss (3 daily; 6hr); Skaftafell (3 daily; 1hr);
Skógar (3 daily; 4hr); Vík (3 daily; 3hr 15min).
Information and tours
In a shed beside the lagoon, the
information centre (daily 9am-7pm May 15 to Sept 15)
sells souvenirs, sandwiches and is the place to book boat
tours: 1hr zipping between the icebergs in an inflatable
dingy (5800kr); or 30min exploring the shore and lagoon in
an amphibious vehicle (3500kr).
FROM TOP
HÖFN
P.294
; GLACIER HIKING, VATNAJÖKULL
P.295
; GLACIAL TONGUE, SKAFTAFELL NATIONAL PARK
P.298
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