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Volcano Show
Eccentric eruption-chaser Villi Knudsen is the cinematographer and presenter of this film show in a little theatre in an outbuilding on a residential street (not to be confused with Volcano House ). Some are captivated by Villi and his films about 50 years of Icelandic volcanoes (e
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Höfði
One of the area’s gentlest landscapes is on the forested lava headland at Höfði. Wildflowers, birch and spruce trees cover the bluffs, while the tiny islands and crystal-clear waters attract migratory birds.From footpaths along the shore you’ll see small caves and stunning klasar (
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Herjólfsdalur
Sheltered by an extinct volcano, green and grassy Herjólfsdalur was the home of Vestmannaeyjars first settler, Herjólfur Barðursson. Excavations have revealed remains of a Norse house where a replica now stands. The island’s campsite is also here.On the cliffs west of the golf cour
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Geysir Center
The large Geysir Center has been erected to corral the masses across the street from Geysir. Here you’ll find a massive restaurant (mains Ikr1490-2450), a souvenir shop of mall-like proportions with Icelandic name brands, a cafe (mains Ikr1480-2000), fast food joint (Ikr990-1690) a
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Alþingi
Iceland’s first parliament, the Alþingi, was created at Þingvellir in AD 930. After losing its independence in the 13th century, the country gradually won back its autonomy, and the modern Alþingi moved into this current basalt building in 1881; a stylish glass-and-stone annexe was
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Sólheimasandur
On November 21, 1973, a US Navy airplane was forced to crash land at Sólheimasandur. The crew all survived, but the wreckage of the militarised Douglas DC-3 remains on the black-sand beach, a lean shell whipped by the wind. To get here, youll need a 4WD and a local guide (or a GPS
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Snorralaug
The most important relic of Snorris farm is Snorralaug (Snorri’s Pool), a circular, stone-lined pool fed by a hot spring. The stones at the base of the pool are original (10th century), and it is believed that this is where Snorri bathed. A wood-panelled tunnel beside the spring (c
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Þingvallakirkja
Behind the Þingvallabær farmhouse, Þingvallakirkja is one of Iceland’s first churches. The original was consecrated in the 11th century, but the current wooden building only dates from 1859. Inside are several bells from earlier churches, a 17th-century wooden pulpit, and a painted
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Langabúð Museum
Djúpivogurs oldest building is the long bright-red Langabúð, a harbourside log warehouse dating from 1790. It now houses a cafe and an unusual local museum. Downstairs is a collection of works by sculptor Rikarður Jónsson (1888–1977), ranging from lifelike busts of worthy Icelander
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Útstekkur
Abut 1.5km beyond the mine are the ruins at Útstekkur, which was once a bustling trade centre during Danish rule. In its heyday, more than 2400 people lived here, transporting goods from the rural Icelandic countryside onto Europe-bound freighters. Trade centres were also set up at
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Reynisdrangur
Vík’s most iconic cluster of sea stacks is known as Reynisdrangur, which rise from the ocean like ebony towers at the western end of Víks black-sand beach. They’re traditionally believed to be trolls that got caught out in the sun. The nearby cliffs are good for puffin watching. A
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Raufarhólshellir
This 11th-century lava tube is 1360m long (Icelands third largest), and contains wonderful lava columns. You’ll need a torch (flashlight) and sturdy boots, but even so the going is treacherous from earlier cave-ins. In winter, cold air is funnelled down and trapped inside, producin
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Fjarðrárgljúfur
This darkly picturesque canyon, carved out by the river Fjarðrá, is a humbling two million years old. A walking track follows its southern edge for a couple of kilometres, with plenty of places to gaze down into its rocky, writhing depths.The canyon is 3.5km north of the Ring Road;
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Byggðasafn
At Reykir, an active geothermal field 12km north of Staðarskáli, you’ll find the Byggðasafu museum . This local folk exhibition features an array of household and agricultural implements from early Iceland, with an emphasis on the local black magic practised in early medieval times
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Nonnahús
The most interesting of the artists’ residences, Nonnahús was the childhood home of renowned children’s writer Reverend Jón Sveinsson (1857–1944), known to most as Nonni. His old-fashioned tales of derring-do have a rich local flavour. The house dates from 1850; its cramped rooms a
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Mýrdalsjökull
This gorgeous glacier is Iceland’s fourth-largest ice cap, covering 700 sq km and reaching a thickness of almost 750m in places. The volcano Katla snoozes beneath, periodically blasting up through the ice to drown the coastal plain in a deluge of meltwater, sand and tephra. Local o
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Draugasetrið
Draugasetrið, on the top floor of a huge maroon-and-black warehouse in the centre, is a veritable haunted house run by a gaggle of blood-thirsty teens. A 50-minute iPod-guide (in many languages) recites 24 spooky stories in a series of dry-ice-filled stations. Not recommended for s
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Stóraklif & Heimaklettur
The top of the craggy precipice Stóraklif is a treacherous 30-minute climb from behind the N1 petrol station at the harbour. The trail starts on the obvious 4WD track; as it gets steeper you’re ‘assisted’ by ropes and chains (don’t trust them completely), but it’s worth the terror
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Gljúfrasteinn Laxness Museum
Nobel Prize–winning author Halldór Laxness (1902–1998) lived in Mosfellsbær all his life. His riverside home is now the Gljúfrasteinn Laxness Museum, easy to visit on the road from Reykjavík to Þingvellir (Rte 36). The author built this upper-class 1950s house and it remains intact
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Veiðisafnið
You may be snagged by the roadside sign: Have you seen a giraffe today? Here a local hunter displays his collection of prey from all around the world. Its very professionally done, with dozens of well-lit taxidermied animals accompanied by info on where they were bagged and how. We
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