Red, White and Tulips

Thanks to flight issues, we lost one day of the trip so we packed a lot into our last two days.

Volcanoes

Rather than take the 5-6 hour round trip hike to see the Fagradalsfjall volcano, we opted to visit the Raufarhólshellir lava tunnel. This one hour tour takes you through a lava tube formed about 5200 years ago during the Leitahraun eruption. You done crampons and helmet with headlamp and head into the tunnel and along a 1 km path.

To see what a volcano looks like from the top we headed to the Kerið Crater. This volcanic caldera is 55 m deep and 270 m in diameter, about 3000 years old. In summer, or when not covered in snow, you can see the red volcanic rocks and the water below (photo below left). Unfortunately from my photo (below right) it isn’t quite as captivating in winter. Unlike most other outdoor sights, there is a small entrance fee.

Uniquely Iceland

We enjoyed lunch at Friðheimar, a family owned and operated farm. While their overall theme is tomatoes, they also grow cucumbers. Their year round growing operation is made possible thanks to greenhouses and artificial lighting, despite Iceland’s long, dark winters. Their restaurant, found in one of the farm’s nine greenhouses, is open for lunch daily.

The entire menu is based on tomatoes, specifically the four varieties grown at the farm. And while it offers a number of options, thing that everyone raves about is the tomato soup buffet, with unlimited soup and bread. That was my pick and I don’t regret it. Each table has its own fresh basil plant, so you can pluck leaves off it right there and add it to your soup. Even the beverages include the use of tomatoes.

They have three versions of “bloody” Marys, each available in a virgin variety as well. We tried the Happy Mary, Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Baby.

Pro tip – make sure to make a reservation in advance. It is a busy place and is a stop on a number of bus tours. So if you plan to just drop in, you might end up disappointed.

Hot springs

The Geyser Hot Spring Area is home to a number of active geysers, the largest and most well-known is the Strokkur Geyser, which shoots 30 m into the air. You can also see smaller geysers and bubbling pools. Be warned, here like many other areas in Iceland, the smell of sulphur is intense.

One place not on all the travel check lists but worth a visit is Laugarvatn Fontana. This geothermal bath is home to a variety of pools and steam rooms, and then if you need to cool off you can jump into the lake. The steam rooms are also heated by the hot springs and grids in the floors. You can even hear the boiling of the water underneath the floor. This is a much less busy or commercialized hot spring and was our favorite.

While at Laugarvatn Fontana you can take their geothermal bakery tour.

They offer two tours a day (three in the summer), but you need to prebook. You will see them dig up a pot of rye bread and place another in its place to be collected in 24 hours. The hot moist sand is heated by geothermal springs. It is quite something. Afterwards you get to sample the bread along with Icelandic butter and fish from a neighboring lake.

But despite the uniqueness of the opportunity, I suggest you skip this stop. It seems like something that should be a small, intimate group given the cost, but instead it was a group of about 25 and it was hard to hear or see.

Our second geothermal bath was the much talked about Blue Lagoon.

Waterfalls

‎We didn’t make it to all of the best known waterfalls, but the ones we did get to see were spectacular. At Arbaejarfoss we found no real parking lot and no other visitors. It was amazing to see something all alone, as if we were the first to lay eyes on it.

Urriðafoss is another lesser known waterfall. This one does have the benefit of a parking area and a formal viewing path but it is still quiet. We encountered two families and a photographer.

And the biggest treat at this waterfall was a beautiful rainbow.

Our last waterfall stop brought us the two most famous on our trip – Seljalandsfoss and the hidden Gljúfrabúi waterfall.

Seljalandsfoss it a towering wall of water, what you usually think of when you think of impressive waterfalls. But if you walk about 500 m to the left, down the marked path, you will come across the stunning Gljúfrabúi, which is also known as the hidden waterfall. The middle picture above shows what it looks like from the outside. You can see the stream of water, but it feels like more of a glimpse. If you are willing to get wet you can climb through the opening, and you get the view on the right, complete with an amazing photo opportunity.