You can travel among the icebergs at Jökulsárlón in the Vatnajökull National Park. The vehicles are fully licenced and life vests are provided. 

If you like the glassware that we use you should visit the studio of Guðrún Sigurðardóttir (Leirbrot og Gler) in Vík. She works wonders with recycled glass and clay. Visit also the woollen goods factory shop in Vík (Víkurþrón] where you can see the ladies at work through an upstairs window and peruse the various items that they produce. You can also obtain a wide variety of other souvenirs including books, maps, and CDs.

Spend time at the coast or on the heathland behind the hotel. We have a wide variety of bird life here including oyster catcher, golden plover, redshank, whooper swan, arctic tern, arctic skua, greylag geese, snow bunting and everyone’s favourite – the puffin, whose fortunes have fluctuated of late owing to a decline in their principal food—the sand eel.

Iceland’s Lutheran churches, especially the rural ones, are particularly attractive as much for their simplicity as their local setting. Some sites (e.g. Hlidarendi have saga connections. Others in the area include Ásólfskáli, Skeidflotur, Reynir – Iceland’s southernmost – and Vík, which has some attractive modern stained glass depicting biblical quotations.

When Eyjafjallajökull erupted in May 2010 the farm most vulnerable to damage was Thorvaldseyri directly below. The family were evacuated on three occasions and the farm suffered extensive damage to crops, fields and buildings both by ash fall and flood. Today there is a superb exhibition and impressive filmshow explaining the eruption, how it affected the farm and how they managed to overcome the effects. That they subsequently had their best crops ever is little short of a miracle.

See how fish are reared at the fish farm at Fagradal just east of Vík and see how this farm is making itself more or less self-sufficient. You can even obtain your own supply of smoked salmon and smoked arctic char! 

There are two excellent folk museums close by at Skógar and Vik (Brydebúð). The Skógar museum displays artefacts that describe the way of life in this district through the ages. It is educational to see how skilful and self-reliant the people have been in what was once a much tougher existence than today. The museum is the life work of one man, þórður Tomasson, who has gathered so much material for scholars and laymen alike. Among the exhibits are re-constructed turf buildings, a church and even one of the large open rowing boats that the farmer-fisherman used to use on this harbourless coastline. There is also a folk museum in Vestmannaeyjar.

Experienced mountain guides can take you onto the Sólheimajökull glacier or one of the glaciers in the Skaftafell National Park. Full instruction is given prior to ascent and your safety is paramount. We can book this for you.

The sturdy Icelandic horse is a unique breed with its own set of gaits. You can ride along the sea shore, in the foothills behind Skógar. Hard hats etc. are provided. 

If you are interested in the history of one of the best known of Icelandic sagas you should visit the Saga Museum in Hvolsvollur and follow this up with visits to the site of Gunnar’s farm at Hlidarendi, Njáls homestead (Bergthórshvoll) and the site of one of the slayings at Stóra Dímon.

10km from the main road you can access the Mýrdalsjökull icecap on snowmobiles and ride to the summit and sometimes across to the 2010 eruption centre on Fimmvörðurháls. All equipment is provided and you will be led by experienced guides.

These high-axle vehicles can take you just about anywhere! Travel on to the icecap, up to the 2010 volcanic craters or explore the rugged backcountry.

The hotel is an ideal base for several days of interesting walks. We have devised a range of routes of varying distance and can provide you with route cards.