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.