Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Reykjadalur
GEOTHERMAL POOL
Reykjadalur is a delightful geothermal valley where there's a bathable hot river - bring
your swimsuit. There are maps at the tourist office to find the trail; from the trailhead car
park, it's a 3km hike through fields of sulphur-belching plains. Stick to marked paths, lest
you melt your shoes, and leave no trash. In recent years the area has taken a beating due to
thoughtless visitors.
Listasafn Árnesinga
ART MUSEUM
Sep, noon-6pm Thu-Sun Oct-Apr)
This airy modern art gallery puts on great contemporary-art exhibitions, and has a fine
cafe, too.
Raufarhólshellir
LAVA TUBE
This 11th-century lava tube is 1360m long (Iceland's third largest), and contains wonderful
lava columns. You'll need a torch (flashlight) and sturdy boots, but even so the going is
treacherous from earlier cave-ins. In winter, cold air is funnelled down and trapped inside,
producing amazing ice formations. You'll find the tube southwest of Hveragerði off Rte
39, which passes right over it - park on the south side. Local operators offer tours.
Orkusýn
EXHIBITION
(Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant; 412 5800;
www.orkusyn.is
;adult/child Ikr900/free;
9am-5pm)
Seventeen kilometres west of Hveragerði, just north of the Ring Road, you'll see the sleek
shell of Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant, one of the few that provide 25% of Iceland's
electricity. Orkusýn, a multimedia exhibition, lays out the details of harnessing the earth's
hot-water power.
HNLFÍ Health Clinic & Spa
SPA
