Iceland to see and do

Go and see:

The Highlands, the uninhabited interior
of Iceland is among the very few relatively
easily accessible such areas left in the world.
Its border is roughly drawn along the 400 m
elevation and within that frame we have
about 80% of the total area of the country.
It consist mainly of moraines, sanded areas,
lava fields, lakes and glaciers.
The green pearls or the vegetated oases are
only to be found where there is sufficient water.

The southern region is probably the most
visited region in Iceland, with numerous waterfalls
and impressive glaciers that attract thousands
of tourists each year. The towns in the southern
region are Hveragerdi, Eyrarbakki, Stokkseyri,
Thorlakshofn, Selfoss, Hella, Hvolsvollur,
Vestmannaeyjar, Vik and
Kirkjubaejarklaustur. Selfoss is the largest town in the south.

The largest urban area in the North of Iceland
is Akureyri, which is the second largest urban
area in the country. Akureyri is located in Iceland’s
longest fjord, Eyjafjordur. Marine life is common
in the north and many towns are dedicated to the sea.
Husavik is often called the whale watching capital
of Iceland and boosts an impressive Whale Museum.
Hvammstangi has a Seal Center and Siglufjordur
has a long history of herring fishing, usually called
The Herring Adventure.

West Iceland is linked to both the Southwest
and North of Iceland via the ring road. However,
if you’re arriving from Reykjavik you can shorten
your journey by driving through Hvalfjardargong
tunnel, a tunnel under Hvalfjordur.
Taking the tunnel will shorten your trip to the west by some 53 kilometers.
West Iceland are Sneafellnes, Borgarfjordur and Dalir.

East Iceland The largest town in the eastern region is Egilsstadir,
but the oldest municipality is Djupivogur,
which got their trading license in 1589.
Seydisfjordur is the landing place for
the Smyril Line ferry from Europe but in addition to that
, Seydisfjordur boasts a very vibrant culture scene.
Borgarfjordur eystri is one of the smaller towns
in the region but one of Iceland’s most beloved artists,
Johannes Kjarval, grew up there.
He created some of his most memorable work in
Borgarfjordur eystri and art lovers can enjoy
the paintings in a museum created in his honor in the town

The Westfjords are very mountainous,
with dozens of fjords surrounded by steep hills.
This makes communication by land difficult,
also because many roads are closed because
of ice and snow for several months of the year.
The main settlements in the Westfjords are
Reykholar, Brjanslaekur, Isafjordur, Bolungarvik,
Flateyri, Sudureyri, Sudavik,
Bildudalur, Thingeyri, Patreksfjordur, Reykjanes

Strandir is one of the most remote parts of Iceland
and the people that live there are commonly called
Strandamenn. The communications are difficult
during winter and the main road ends in the
abandoned fishing hamlet Ingolfsfiord.
This part of the country enjoys increasing
popularity because of the solitude it offers,
beautiful landscapes, and endless hiking,
sightseeing, deep-sea fishing and whale
watching possibilities.
The towns of Strandir and starting pounds are:
 Bordeyri, Holmavik, Drangsnes, hamlet Gjogur and Nordurfjordur.

The Reykjanes peninsula is made up of 5 municipalities;
Gardur, Grindavik, Reykjanesbaer, Sandgerdi
and Vogar, with the biggest one being Reykjanesbaer.
There are around twenty thousand inhabitants on
the peninsula in total. Its four (or five) volcanic
regions are called: Reykjanes-Grindavik-Vogar,
Trolladyngja (often split into two regions),
Krysuvik, Brennisteinsfjoll-Blafjoll and
Hengill-Selvogur. The earthquake zone cuts through
all four or five regions and is the source of frequent
earthquakes and high temperature areas have been
created within it, such as at Reykjanes (the heel of the peninsula),

Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland and the only city
as such in the country. Roughly 123 thousand people
live in Reykjavik but some 217 thousand people in
the Greater Reykjavik Area. The Greater Reykjavik
Area is made up of Reykjavik and six municipalities
around it. Kopavogur , Hafnarfjordur, Gardabaer, Mosfellsbaer, 
Seltjarnarnes and Kjosarhreppur.