The Lake Myvatn area was particularly interesting. Here we saw pseudo-craters and many interesting laval shapes, as well as sulphur mud pools and the volcano, Krafla. Lake Myvatn is also famous for its many species of ducks and gets its name from the many species of midges and black-flies which also live here! (Incidentally, I would recommend the use of a midge hood if you decide to visit this area towards the end of July/August.) On the way to Lake Myvatn we stopped off at Glaumbaer Museum - an old turfed farm that probably dates from the mid-eighteenth century. Here you can walk through the various rooms: kitchen; dairy; pantry; guest rooms and store rooms and see old farm equipment, kitchen utensils and spinning wheels. Another interesting day was spent visiting Husavik (a small fishing village with a lovely little church) and treking in the Jokulsa canyon to the famous Dettifoss waterfall.
Of all the campsites that we stayed at, the last campsite, at Skogar, was particularly nice with grassy ground, its own waterfall and a good shower and bar. In Skogar village there is also an interesting, little museum which is well worth 200 kr to visit. Here you will find some old turf houses, a lethal looking mousetrap, a nice old boat, as well as many pieces of old Icelandic furniture. Unfortunately, due to heavy rain which caused the rivers to swell, we were not able to do our last eight hour walk from Skogar, which would have taken us over the Fimmvorduhals pass between two glaciers.
The last few days of the tour were spent relaxing and looking round the sights of Reykjavik, where it was wonderful to sleep in a proper bed again, after twelve days camping! (See the section on what to do in Reykjavik.)
The above guided tour, known as 'Wanderlust', is run by the tour company, Arctic Experience. And, as it involves walking on most days (usually for between three and eight hours and often over lava fields or snow) a moderate amount of fitness is required. I think that anyone who is interested in walking, bird-watching, geology/geography, or photography would enjoy this sort of holiday. But, be prepared for the Icelandic weather and pack good rainwear, walking boots, a warm hat and your thermal undies!
Bird watchers should also take binoculars for viewing sea birds and the many species of ducks that live on Lake Myvatn. The sort of birds that you are likely to see on this tour include: slavonian grebes, great northern divers, barrow's goldeneye and harlequin ducks, snow buntings, oyster catchers (at Skogar campsite), redwings and red-necked phalorpes. And, if you go before the end of July you will probably also see some puffins.
Arctic Experience offers a wide range of guided tours to Iceland and Greenland as well as advice
for people who wish to travel independently in these countries. More information can be obtained
at the Arctic Experience website or by email from:
sales@arctic-discover.co.uk
Note: Vegans and vegetarians can order special meals at the time of booking.
The Icelandic Tourist Bureau also run glacier, horseback, or hiking tours around Iceland.
Reykjavik has a good health food shop - Heilsu Husid - which is located in Skolavordustigur, near to the Graenn Kostur restaurant. When I visited it in August it was well stocked with Tartrex pate, tahini, peanut butter, soya milk, marmite, vegan parmesan cheese (Florentino Parmazano), vegetable margerine/olive oil, tofu, Granovita egg and dairy-free mayonnaise, vegan pesto and a good selection of dried fruit and nuts. Oddly enough it also offered a good range of Japanese products such as pickled ginger, sushi vinegar, washabi paste and seaweeds! 'Instant' veggie meals such as Sosmix, vegeburger mixes and packets of Hera meals were also available: useful perhaps for youth hostellers or campers.
Fresh fruit, vegetables and salad ingredients are easily found in the supermarkets and green grocers in Reykjavik. Away from the capital, in more isolated areas, it does become more difficult to find fresh ingredients. Outside the capital, most supermarkets and some of the smaller grocery shops stock a selection of dried fruit (usually figs, apricots or dates ) and nuts and sunflower seeds.
The only place that I came across soya milk was in the health shop in Reykjavik, so it may be a good idea to take a supply of dried soya milk with you, if you do not like black coffee! Holland and Barrett sell a 250g tin of spray-dried soya milk. It is made by Allergycare and costs £3.45.
Typical Icelandic delicacies include: skyr (a cheese, which looks like thick yogurt), dried fish, boiled sheep's heads, soured ram's testicles, blood pudding and very fermented shark! These should not of course be eaten by vegans! I tried the pumpernickel bread (a type of rye bread) which is very nice and can also be purchased in the duty free at Keflavik airport. I couldn't translate all the ingredients, but similar bread on sale in Tesco's in the UK, seems to be suitable for vegans.
Price 650 kr for 1 hour show, 850 kr for 2 hour show. A one hour historical film show on Iceland's nature and people is also available free to two hour ticket holders. Tickets can be purchased at the Volcano Show (located at Hellusundi 6a, Reykjavik), from the Tourist Information at Bankastraeti 2, or on the Internet at the Volcano Show Website. More information can also be obtained by email from: volcanoshow@centrum.is
I really enjoyed this film show. It was particularly nice to sit down and watch it after all the walking! It showed many of Iceland's attractions, parts of Iceland in the winter, as well as quite a few of the recent eruptions. (If you can't visit Iceland, then videos, of some of the eruptions, can also be purchased from The Volcano Show Shop on the Internet. About half a dozen videos are available at this site including Villi Knudsen's Iceland and Fire on Heimaey. Payment can be made by Visa/Mastercard etc.
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Copyright © Pauline Lloyd 1997