Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [253]
Hagavatn (N 64°27.760’, W 20°14.700’; sb Ikr2000) Small, 12-person hut near the southern end of Langjökull, about 15km off the Kjölur route by 4WD track. No running water.
Hvítárnes (N 64°37.007’, W 19°45.394’; sb Ikr2500) Has a volunteer warden for most of July and August; hut sleeps 30. Toilet in separate building.
Þverbrekknamúli (N 64°43.100’, W 19°36.860’; sb Ikr2500) About 4km southeast of the mini–ice cap Hrútafell. Sleeps 20. Latrine available year-round.
Þjófadalir (N 64°48.900’, W 19°42.510’; sb Ikr2000) Sleeps 12. Located at the foot of Mt Raudkollur.
Hveravellir (sb around Ikr2500) Two huts with a total of 53 sleeping-bag spaces.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Daily from mid-June to early September scheduled buses travel along the Kjölur route between Reykjavík and Akureyri. Both SBA-Norðurleið ( 550 0770; www.sba.is) and TREX ( 551 1166; www.bogf.is) offer this service, which costs Ikr9900 and takes between nine and 10 hours. SBA has a 40-minute rest at Hveravellir, while TREX stops for 1½ hours at Kerlingarfjöll. Buses leave around 8am from both ends, stopping briefly at a few destinations including Geysir, Gullfoss and VarmahlíÐ.
Drivers with 4WD vehicles will have no problems on the Kjölur route. You won’t find a car-rental agency that provides insurance to those with plans of taking a 2WD through – while physically possible, it is not advised.
Of all the interior routes, Kjölur is probably the best for cycling and hiking. For a humorous account of a bike trip on the Kjölur route, read Tim Moore’s Frost on My Moustache (Click here for details). It’s an extra Ikr1200 if you bring your bike on the bus.
Hvítárvatn
The pale-blue lake Hvítárvatn, 45km northeast of Gullfoss, is the source of the glacial river Hvítá – a popular destination for Reykjavík-based white-water rafting operators. A glacier tongue of Iceland’s second-largest ice cap, Langjökull, carves into the lake and creates icebergs, adding to the beauty of this spot.
In the marshy grasslands northeast of Hvítárvatn is Ferðafélag Íslands’ oldest hut, Hvítárnes, built in 1930. The hut is believed to be haunted by the spirit of a young woman. If a female camper sleeps in one particular bed (the bunk on the west wall past the kitchen), it is said she will dream of the ghost carrying two pails of water. From the Kjölur road, where the bus will drop you, it’s an 8km walk along the 4WD track to the hut.
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KJÖLURVEGUR HIKE
A good preparation for more challenging interior hiking routes is the easy and scenic Kjölurvegur hike from Hvítárvatn to Hveravellir. The trail follows the original horseback Kjölur route (west of the present road), via the Hvítárnes, Þverbrekknamúli and Þjófadalir mountain huts.
From the Hvítárvatn turn-off it’s 8km along the 4WD track to Hvítárnes hut. From there you follow the Fúlakvisl river (14km) to Þverbrekknamúli hut. Continue between the river and Kjalhraun lava field to Þjófadalir hut (14km). The final day is a 12km walk to Hveravellir, where you can soak in the local hot springs. Overall, the marked route is easy to follow and huts are four to six hours apart.
The route can be done in three days at a leisurely pace. Access is by the Kjölur bus (Click here), but remember to reserve a seat for the day you want to be picked up.
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Kerlingarfjöll
Until the 1850s Icelanders believed that this mountain range (12km southeast of Rte 35 on Rte F347) harboured the vilest outlaws. It was thought they lived deep in the heart of the 150-sq-km range in an isolated Shangri-la-type valley. So strong was this belief that it was only in the mid-19th century that anyone ventured into Kerlingarfjöll, and it was only in 1941 that the range was properly explored by Ferðafélag Íslands. Today, the TREX bus stops here for 1½ hours during its regular jaunt (the SBA bus does not).
It’s certainly dramatic.