Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [205]
Hólmatungur is only accessible by 4WD. If you are travelling by 2WD, you can park your vehicle at Vesturdalur and do a long round-trip day-hike. Camping is prohibited at Hólmatungur, but it’s a great spot for a picnic lunch.
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DETTIFOSS
The power of nature can be seen in all its glory at the mighty Dettifoss, the park’s most famous attraction and one of Iceland’s most impressive waterfalls. Although Dettifoss is only 44m high, a massive 193 cu metres of water thunders over its edge every second, creating a plume of spray that can be seen 1km away. With the greatest volume of any waterfall in Europe, this truly is nature at its most spectacular. On sunny days brilliant double rainbows form above the churning milky-grey glacial waters, and you’ll have to jostle with the other visitors for the best views.
The falls can be seen from either side of the canyon, with a slightly broader vantage point on the western bank. Click here for details on road access to the falls. Dettifoss is 31km from the Ring Road on the east side.
Selfoss
From the Dettifoss car park on the eastern bank it’s a five-minute walk down to the canyon’s edge. From there you can continue on for another 1.5km over the boulders to the falls at Selfoss. It’s only 11m high but it’s quite broad and very striking.
Hafragilsfoss
In one of the deepest parts of the canyon, 2km downstream from Dettifoss (in the direction of Vesturdalur), the 27m-high Hafragilsfoss cuts through the Rauðhóll crater row to expose the volcanic dyke that formed it. From the eastern bank, the best view is down the canyon from the small hill just north of the Hafragilsfoss parking area. In the same area are numerous red scoria cones and craters. The overlook on the western bank affords a marginal view of the falls, but the view down Jökulsárgljúfur is one of the best available.
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NORTHEASTERN CIRCUIT
The wild, sparsely populated coastal route around Iceland’s northeast peninsula is an engaging alternative to the direct road from Mývatn to Egilsstaðir.
Although unsealed in many places, Rte 85 around the coast has improved dramatically in recent years and is easily tackled in a 2WD vehicle. SBA runs a scheduled bus service from Akureyri to Húsavík, Ásbyrgi (Ikr4100, 1¾ hours), Kópasker (Ikr5000, three hours), Raufarhöfn (Ikr6200, four hours) and Þórshöfn (Ikr7600, five hours) on weekdays all year round. There’s currently no bus to or from Vopnafjörður.
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KÓPASKER
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The tiny Kópasker, on the eastern shore of Öxarfjörður, is the first place you’ll pass through before disappearing into the expansive wilds of Iceland’s far northeast.
On 13 January 1976 Kópasker suffered a severe earthquake that destroyed several buildings and cracked the harbour wall. Today, there’s a small earthquake museum (Skjálfta Setrið; 465 2105; earthquake@kopasker.is; admission free; 1-5pm mid-Jun–mid-Aug), which investigates the quake and other tectonics in Iceland on a series of amateur storyboard posters.
If you’d like to stay, there’s a free campsite, but your best bet is the professionally run Kópasker HI Hostel ( 465 2314; www.hostel.is; Akurgerði 7; sb member/nonmember Ikr2100/2500, s/d Ikr3800/5800; May-Oct) across the street. Rooms and guest kitchens are spread across several buildings – everything is very well kept.
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MELRAKKASLÉTTARNES
The low-lying flatlands, ponds and marshes of the bleak and little-visited Melrakkasléttarnes Peninsula feels more like the Australian Outback than the Icelandic wilderness. Large numbers of eider ducks, arctic terns, curlew and dunlin