Leaving Lake Mývatn to Ólafsfjardar
Lake Mývatn, the lake of midges, was the base for our expeditions into the ice cave Lofthellir, the volcano Askja and our first Whale Watching trip in Húsavík. The stormy lake surrounded by a stunning landscape should not be missed on a road trip around Iceland. The day we left Reykjahlíð, the capital of the Lake Mývatn, we headed North-West driving over deserted roads to Akureyri, the so-called Icelandic capital of the North. But we didn't spend much time in here since our goal of the day was Ólafsfjardar, a narrow Fjord cutting the surrounding mountains deep into a half.
Brimnes Bungalows with private Hot Tub
We choose this accommodation at the Ólafsfjarðarvatn lake as a springboard for our polar lights hunting at night. As part of the Brimnes hotel the Brimnes bungalows located by the waterside are very cosy with comfortable beds, an equipped kitchen and everything we needed for 2 nights in the middle of the North Icelandic mountains. Especially the private hot tub on the terrace of each bungalow was amazing for a relaxed end of the day. If you are planning to stay longer, you will even have time for the free-to-use kayaks right next to the bungalow. A perfect spot on our Gay Travel Roadtrip North Iceland. Check on booking.com for the best Brimnes offers >
Hunting for Northern lights in North Iceland
Aurora Borealis, or colloquially named as Northern lights or Polar lights, is one of the most powerful natural wonders of the North European countries such as Norway, Sweden and Finland. This spectacular physical reaction is also one of the Iceland highlights you don't want to miss. The best chance to actually see "norðurljós" is during the winter months but apparently, you can be lucky from the end of August on. Although we saw them already earlier during our trip, we decided to go on a hunt for our perfect Northern Light moment, since the more North, the brighter they become. At 11 pm we started driving with our car around the Fjords to find the right spot. We saw some green glowing clouds and strokes but not the space fireworks we had hoped for. Nothern Light hunting asks for a lot of patience but we were just too tired and decided to drive back to our home for that night.
Being back at the Bungalow, tired and exhausted as we were, we started to fill up the hot tub for some deserved "romantic hot tub under the moonlight" relaxing time. We cuddled up in the warm water and just before we closed our eyes, the sky turned into a shiny green/purple/pink spectacle. For minutes we stared at this surreal light festival above our heads before we finally decided to take some pictures. In the end, you have to experience them on your own to believe and understand the magnitude of this natural phenomenon. Hunt or no hunt, we got totally surprised with the perfect moment. And isn't that the way to experience anything? What do you think of our Northern Lights adventure? Hunt or no hunt, in the end, we got totally surprised with the perfect moment.
HUMPBACK WHALE watching in Dalvík
BOOKED VIA ARCTIC SEA TOURS | ALL YEAR AROUND | 45 MIN FROM REYKJAHLÍÐ
The early bird gets the worm, right? True to the motto, we had to get up very early the next morning to drive to Dalvík for our second whale watching tour with Arctic Sea Tours. Blue sky, sunshine and no wind created a magical ambiance on the North Atlantic Sea. The boat didn't had to drive very far into the Fjord Eyjafjörður before we saw the first air fountains of one of the biggest mammals in the world.
We couldn't stop making pictures since we saw so many whales. Everyone was looking around trying to spot the next giant coming up. And there again, a fountain exploding in the air not far from our boat. After a short moment on the surface when you are able to see the whale's dorsal fin, the whale lifts its and starts to dive down deep into the dark sea to hunt and eat. But there, look there, the next fountain! For two hours we enjoyed discovering the Fjord's inhabitants while making photos and getting to know the group of really funny elderly Americans joining the trip. Even some dolphins showed up swimming for some minutes in front of the boat. What a wonderful experience.
On our way back to the coast, the tour group was allowed to do some deep-sea fishing. The guide explained everything about the caught fishes and how to prepare them. Accompanied by hungry screeching seagulls we arrived overwhelmed and happy in the harbour of Dalvík. After a short break, the tour group assembled around the barbecue to taste the fresh deep-sea fish. Like butter on our tongue, so amazing soft a tasteful. Even Daan, the vegetarian of us, tried a piece of the fresh grilled Icelandic fish. An amazing end of our morning tour.
Our way North-West along the coast
After our morning on the boat, the rest of the day we drove along the coast and enjoyed the warm September sun while having a picnic with the best view ever (this article's main picture). On our way west, we had to drive through one of the scariest tunnels we had seen so far. The Ólafsfjarðargöng (also called Múlagöng) is a single-lane car tunnel dimly lit and over 3.400 meters long. Every time we saw a car coming counter direction, we had to make a rough estimate which moment we had to pull over in one of the rare and narrow byroads. Kind of fun, but mostly kind of scary.
Our plan for the night: sleeping in the car and watching the sunset from one of the high fjord cliffs. But before, we stopped in Hofsós where we found one of the most luxurious Icelandic "infinity pools" Hofsós Sundlaug with an incredible view over the Skagafjörður Fjord. No cameras allowed inside the pool, so we did a photo after it was closed. Stunning, right?
Rafting & Horseback riding in Varmahlíð
A night in the car never gives you a long sleep. Even before our alarm clock rang, we woke up early. After a short and cold camping breakfast, we started our ride towards Varmahlíð. It was a foggy and rainy day. But with the right music we got in the mood and all excited for the many adventures to come.
East Glacier white water River Rafting with Viking Rafting
We arrived on time at the headquarter of Viking Rafting Iceland. in Skagafjörður. After a warming coffee, hot chocolate and the introduction by our tour guide Anup Gurung, we dressed waterproof with a full body rubber jumpsuit, shoes and helmet. Together with our guide the tour guards and 4 other international explorers, the bus started driving towards the East Glacier River Jökulsá-Austari in Skagafjörður for our white water rafting adventure through unique and isolated landscapes. Together we prepared the rubber boat for the ride. Our experienced guide always said to us "take your fun seriously", and so we did. The ride was wet, bumpy, rough and exhausting but so much fun. Even when Anup threw us all in the water. We can honestly say, we both really did not want to miss this 3 hours trip with waffle break and a guarantee for many waves of laughter. We love the GoPro Video of our 4+ level river ride in the Northern part of Iceland. It was a blast and seriously fun. Yeah!
Icelandic Horses with HestaSport
But the day wasn't over yet. Just a short car ride away from the Viking Rafting, we reached the Hestasport Icelandic Horse Stables. What a warm welcome by a group of young German girls living and working here taking care of the Hestasport horses. Janina, Linda and Svenja explained us everything about how to ride an Icelandic horse. Karl's horse of the day was the lovely but stubborn mare Blæa while Daan took a ride on the stallion Tenor. Icelandic horses are beautiful in appearance and peaceful in character but very sensitive as gregarious animals. They don't mind the rough weather as long as they stay together. Even our crazy orange rain pants didn't disturb these by nature calm animals. Did you know most Icelandic horses have next to walk, trot or gallop an additional gait called "tölt"?
After the tour, we were asked to participate in the horse gathering together with Janina, Linda and Svenja and all the Hestasport horses. Seeing this proud and impressive animals running over the Icelandic hills left us speechless. It was the perfect ending for an amazing day but also a must-do on a road trip Iceland, for sure.
Hestasport Cottages in Varmahlíð
Tired but satisfied we arrived at our accommodation for the night, the Hestasport Cottages. Located on a hill in Varmahlíð, the different sized bungalows are arranged around a cozy hot spring. The huge and perfectly equipped cottages offer a warm atmosphere, really comfortable beds and nice showers. This place is open all year long. So especially during wintertime, the Hestasport cottages seem to be an amazing choice during your trip through a frozen Iceland. Watching Northern lights out of the hot spring while everything else rests underneath ice and snow... now that sounds pretty magical. we will definitely come back when visiting Iceland in Winter. So should you. More about the Hestasport Cottages >
