Hvitserkur

Following on from the West of Iceland we headed off the ring road again, this time to Hvitserkur a very interesting rock just off the coast. The road to get here is very long and bumpy but soooo worth it. From the car park there were several ways to get to the beach. Once there you can walk either way but keep your eyes peeled for seals, we saw a few swimming in the water. The rock which i think resembles a rhinoceros stands just in the water and is very photogenic.

Kolugljúfur canyon.

We quickly scrambled up the cliff (yes we went the short but hard way) to the car. Soon we were headed towards Kolugljúfur canyon. It was relatively easy to find and only a few people were here. You can park either side of a small bridge and explore the area. The canyon was so picturesque and had the added bonus of a waterfall. You can walk down into parts of the canyon but be careful it gets slippery.

Trollaskagi Peninsula

We decided to take a detour from the ring road and drive around the Troll peninsula. First stop was Grafarkirkja, Iceland’s oldest church. This cool church was a great little stop off. This tiny turfed roof church was built in the 1600’s.

The north end of the peninsula boasts great views over the oceans. Be aware that there are plenty of road tunnels up here. Some are very long and a 3km one is only 1 lane wide with passing places. (I wasn’t too scared honestly) A few small villages and towns are worth stopping off at along the way. We stopped at Siglufjordur a very colourful town situated at the bottom of a steep mountain with views across the fjord. We ate amazing fish and chips here. And also treated ourselves to delicious hand made chocolates.

Godafoss

Finally we made it to Godafoss and our nights stay at this awesome waterfall. You can visit the falls from either side as there is a footbridge across the river. This horseshoe shape fall is broken into smaller falls. The water is an incredible vibrant blue. Spending a few hours here is definitely worth it and we had the added bonus of staying at the Godafoss hotel.

Husavik.

Today we headed north to a giant horseshoe shaped canyon called Asbyrgi Canyon. It’s about 1km wide and 3.5km long. The visitor centre has a list of all the hiking trails available from short and easy to extremely long and hard treks. We hiked one which headed up to overlook the canyon. It was so beautiful up there but very windy. The second walk was from the car park at the base of the canyon, this one was much more easy. From here you can see the sheer cliff faces towering above you.

The town of Húsavik is Iceland’s whale watching capital and only 45 mins drive from the canyon. This pretty fishing town is the perfect place to stay with loads of hotels and lovely restaurants. We ate in a local restaurant which was so busy, so bookings recommended.

Today was whale watching day, Gentle giants took us out to spot some whales. We sat outside on a motored wooden boat wearing the thermals that were supplied. Our expectations were low as we were told that no whales had been spotted for a few days. But we did manage to spot a Minke whale, these live in solitude so we only managed to find one. We went to find a pod of Dolphins that the captain had heard about. The dolphins were swimming so fast it was hard to keep up. We soon headed back to the town to warm up.

We then drove to Lake Myvatn, read my separate post as there’s so much there.

Dettifoss

The next day we ventured off to see the mighty Dettifoss. My original plan was to go to the East side but as time wasn’t on our side and the road was a very long and bumpy one, we went to the West instead. The drive took 40 minutes. Once we got there the visibility was so bad I thought we’d never see the waterfall. The water thunders over Dettifoss and standing at the side you can see and feel the power of it. On both sides of the fall are more basalt columns, which make it look other worldly. (this waterfall was in the opening scene from the film prometheus.) You can get quite close but be careful you will get wet and its very slippery. Sadly the weather never improved which added to us getting even more wet.

If you walk further back up the river you will come to Selfoss, not as powerful but possibly even more beautiful. This horseshoe shaped fall has lots of smaller drops. Again you can get close but its a sheer drop off the cliff into the river, so be careful.

Next is East Iceland, read about it here.