Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [250]
Kaffi Hornið ( 478 2600; Hafnarbraut 42; 11am-11pm Sun-Thu, to midnight Fri & Sat; light meals Ikr990-1900, mains Ikr1900-4200; ) This log-cabin affair is an unpretentious bar-restaurant, decorated with changing art exhibitions. The food comes in stomach-stretching portions. Choose from burgers, pasta, fish and lamb mains, a salad bar, a couple of vegie options and Höfn speciality roasted lobster in a creamy sauce (Ikr4950).
Ósinn ( 478 1240; www.hotelhofn.is; Vikurbraut; mains Ikr2900-4900; 9am-10pm) The family restaurant on the ground floor of Hótel Höfn has a good choice of snacky meals (burgers, pizzas etc), and some of the tastiest fish, meat and pasta mains in town. Go for local fish dishes including Höfn’s famous lobster – as an á la carte dish or on a pizza.
Humarhöfnin ( 478 1200; www.humarhofnin.is; Hafnarbraut 4; mains Ikr3000-5000; noon-10pm mid-May–Sep) Located in another historic building (which was once the town’s co-operative store), this rustic-style restaurant opened during the 2007 Lobster Festival. Humarhöfnin specialises in cooking up pincer-waving little critters, and it also has a relaxed bar area perfect for an early-evening drink.
There’s a Nettó supermarket ( 478 1800; Hafnarbraut; 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat, noon-6pm Sun) and a bakery ( 478 2161; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat) in the Miðbær shopping centre near the library.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Höfn’s airport is about 4km northwest of town. Eagle Air ( 562 2640; www.eagleair.is) flies year-round between Reykjavík and Höfn (from Ikr12,400 one way), Sunday to Friday.
BUS
Buses arrive at and depart from the campsite, which is a 10-minute walk from the town centre. The daily Reykjavík–Höfn bus (Ikr11,200) runs from 1 June to 15 September. It leaves from Reykjavík at 8.30am and from Höfn at 11am, and takes 8½ hours. At other times of year the bus runs on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays only, and departs later in the day.
From mid-May to August a bus runs daily from Höfn (at 8.30am) up to the Jöklasel hut, on the edge of the Vatnajökull ice cap. It stays there for 2½ hours (giving you time to go snowmobiling) before heading to Jökulsárlón, where it stays for two hours, before returning to Höfn.
Höfn–Egilsstaðir buses run daily from 1 June to 15 September. Buses leave from Höfn at 8.30am, calling at Djúpivogur and Berunes. Buses return from Egilsstaðir at 1.30pm.
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LÓNSÖRÆFI
If you’re in Iceland to get in touch with your inner hermit, the nature reserve Lónsöræfi should be on your list. This protected area, east of Höfn, contains some spectacularly colourful rhyolite mountains, as well as the Stafafellsfjöll peaks, and at 320 sq km is one of Iceland’s largest conservation areas. There are countless hiking opportunities, from day walks to the long-distance route taking you north to Snæfell.
You can camp at sites in the reserve, and there are mountain huts along the Lónsöræfi–Snæfell hike, which begins at the Illikambur parking area. The only road in the reserve is the rough 4WD track that ends at Illikambur. There’s nowhere to eat or buy food; bring supplies from Höfn or Djúpivogur.
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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Stafafell
In the absolute middle of nowhere, Stafafell is a lonely farm, lost under the mountains. It’s a great hiking base for exploring Lónsöræfi; you can arrange tours and hikers’ transport here, and the farmer Bergsveinn knows everything about the area. Stafafell functioned as a remote parsonage until 1920. The present church contains some lovely artefacts, including an original altarpiece. You can stay the night in the farmhouse at the campsite (right).
Lón
The name Lón (Lagoon; pronounced ‘lone’) fairly sums up the nature of this shallow bay enclosed by two long spits between the Austurhorn and Vesturhorn. To the northwest is the delta of Jökulsá í Lóni, where an enormous colony of swans nests in spring and autumn.
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