Austurland hefur upp á fjölbreytta afþreyingu að bjóða fyrir alla fjölskylduna.
Stærsti skógur landsins er Hallormsstaðarskógur í Fljótsdal. Einstök útivistarperla fyrir alla fjölskylduna þar sem hægt er að verja öllum deginum í að skoða plöntur, leika sér á leiksvæðum, fleyta kerlingar á Lagarfljótinu og nýt sér hinar mörgu gönguleiðir á svæðinu.
Auk Hallormstaðarskógar eru mörg minni rjóður víðsvegar um Austurland þar sem tilvalið er að fara í lautarferð og slappa af.
Um allt Austurland má finna fjölbreyttar gönguleiðir, stuttar sem langar, auðveldar sem og erfiðari. Því má ávallt velja hentuga leið fyrir fjölskylduna.
Nokkur dæmi um skemmtilegar leiðir eru, Hengifoss, Streitishvarf, Stórurð, Hólmanes, Flögufoss, Fardagafoss og ótal fleiri leiðir.
Hér má sjá kort af gönguleiðum í Breiðdal og nágreni (prentað eintak er hægt að fynna hjá mörgum fyrirtækjum á Breiðdalsvík) og á vefsíðunni Gönguleiðir má finna upplýsingar um ýmsar leiðir um allt land.
Fjöruferðar eru alltaf skemmtilegar og hver og einn fjörður hefur upp á í það minnsta eina fjöru að bjóða. Nokkrar skemmtilegar eru nefndar hér að neðan.
Meleyri við Breiðdalsvík
Héraðssandur við Héraðsflóa
Búlandssnes við Djúpavog
Það er frábær upplifun fyrir alla fjölskylduna að fara í reiðtúr og Austurland býður upp á marga valkosti í einstöku umhverfi.
Nokkur dæmi eru:
Sundferð í góðu veðri, það gerist varla betra. Í flestum bæjum Austurlands eru sundlaugar og gott yfirlit yfir þær má sjá hér en frekari upplýsingar má svo finna á síðum hvers sveitafélags.
Ef rennibrautar eru það sem þið leitið að þá eru á Eskifirði og Neskaupsstað tilvaldar auk þess sem það er einnig rennibraut á Egilsstöðum. En svo getur auðvitað verið gaman að kíkja í littlu laugarnar í smærri bæjum þar sem gestafjöldinn gæti verið aðeins minni.
Fyrir þá sem hafa gaman af því að veiða þá er 6 vötn á Austurlandi skráð í Veiðikortið. Það er vel hægt að verja löngum stundum í afslappaðri veiði í fallegri náttúru og ekki sakar að notendur veiðikortins geta líka komið við í vötnum á leið sinni austur.
Sjórinn hér á Austfjörðunum heillar og þá er best að hlýta kallinu og skella sér á sjó.
– Kayhike á Borgarfirði Eystri
– Arctic Fun á Djúpavogi býður bæði upp á leiðasagðar ferðir og leigu.
Víðsvegar á svæðinu er hægt að finna skemmtilegar hjólaleiðir á mismunandi erfiðleikastigum.
Fyrir þá sem ekki eiga sín eigin hjól eða vilja ekki hafa þau með sér þá er hægt að leigja hjól eða fara í leiðsagðar ferðir en þær henta þó flestar best fyrir stálpaða unglinga frekar en ung börn.
– Kayhike á Borgarfirði Eystri býður upp á bæði leiðsagðar ferðir og hjólaleigu
– Arctic Fun á Djúpavogi býður upp á leiðsagðar ferðir og hjólaleigu
Óbyggðasetur Íslands býður einnig upp á hjólaleigu.
Það er alveg nauðsynlegt að hafa leiksvæði fyrir krakkana á ferð um landið. Fá smá útrás fyrir orkuna.
Í flestum bæjum Austurlands hafa verið settir upp ærslabelgir auk þess sem leiksvæði er víða.
Svo ef ykkur langar í annarskonar ævintýri og kynnast svæðinu undir leiðsögn heimamanna þá bjóðum við fjölbreyttar jeppaferðir sem fara með ykkur á þekkta staði sem og lítt þekktar perlur utan alfaraleiðar.
Here below, you can find a list of museums and galleries all over Austurland. They are listed by location, town by town, from south to north.
Iceland has a long-standing tradition for volunteer work. Many of these volunteers form an integral part of the Icelandic community. Most of them are in humanitarian help of some sort. These include international aid, national aid for low-income families, organizations specific to aiding people dealing with different illnesses. Most famously, the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue is a vital part of Icelandic safety measures. They are an additional resource to our professional response teams, such as the police, firefighters, and EMTs.
On the countryside of Iceland, volunteer work is also a staple in the local social life. In small towns, there aren’t endless options for extracurricular activities, no cinema, or team sports with big teams. But what we have is a sense of community. With that, even the smallest of towns have some volunteer organizations active.
Here below, you can read about a few of these organizations.
The role of the ICE-SAR is primarily, as its name entails, searching for lost people and rescuing. They do all their work at the request of the police.
Often this will involve searching extensive parts of the wilderness. In other cases, it will be an additional workforce for searches within towns or cities.
In the countryside, they may also be the only resource for rescue missions in the wilderness. They may have to assist with transportation for the injured or ill in difficult terrain or even to bring the EMTs to the injured where the ambulance can’t reach.
Everyone involved is a volunteer. Operations, training, and equipment are funded almost entirely by donations from individuals and companies.
The Red Cross is involved in projects both nationally and internationally. Within Iceland, they receive clothing donations that are either donated and shipped to places of need or sold domestically. When sold locally, the profit is used in aid. They are also in charge of setting up emergency shelters during public safety emergencies. They provide initial emotional support to involved in challenging situations and take part in first aid during mass casualty incidents.
The Icelandic Red Cross also operates a helpline. It´s a phone number you can call if you are feeling bad for any number of reasons. They also have a lot of volunteers visiting the elderly and those who may, for some reason, be socially isolated.
There are international NGOs such as the Lions Clubs operating in Iceland. We also have national projects such as family help and other cause-specific projects, as well as local clubs.
These organizations hold fundraising events to provide support on the local, national, and international levels.
In many small communities, the events held by these NGOs play a large part in the local social life. Not just for those involved in the organizations themselves but for all those interested in attending.
Aside from providing much-needed service to the community, these volunteer projects form a large part of the social life in small towns.
Some wonder if there is anything to do in these small places, but the thing is if you want to have something to do, there are many projects to join. Or you can start your own projects.
As such, volunteer projects are integral to life in Iceland.
If you want to learn more about life in Iceland you can check out our blog about Winter Life in Iceland.
Traveling to Iceland has, for many, become the ultimate adventure, and going on a road trip is a popular way to explore the country. While following the ring road could be called the “classic,” Iceland road trip going out of that route can have a significant advantage. Some places you can easily reach, and for some, you might need bigger vehicles or even guidance.
This time I want to tell you about Mt. Askja and the East Iceland Highlands you can visit on the way there. This is a place you can reach with larger 4×4 SUVs. The ride can, however, be quite rough for any car that doesn’t have the Icelandic Super Jeep conversion. Making a journey into the highlands and to Mt. Askja is a real Iceland adventure and a fantastic experience.
Out there in the highlands, you feel like you are a real explorer. Trailing along rough roads across the deserted highlands and it’s “moonlike” landscape.
If you know where to look and have time to do some walking, you can find many lesser-known places. Those will include waterfalls, canyons, warm water springs, craters, lava fields, stunning mountains, and many other incredible sights.
As an example, you can swim in the crater Víti on top of Mt. Askja. But you better know how to swim, as the crater is several hundred meters deep.
Next to Mt. Askja, you can find Drekagil canyon or “Dragon Canyon.” You might even spot a dragon if you look close enough and apply a little imagination as we spoke about on a previous blog.
While on your way to or from Askja you will see Mt. Herðubreið which Icelander’s nickname “The Queen of Icelandic mountains”. And at the roost of the mountain, there is an actual oasis in midst of the highland desert.
Our recommendation for visiting Askja and the highlands is that doing this route in one day can be exhausting, so consider camping. Also, driving this route in a small car is not comfortable and not so safe either, so don’t choose the smallest 4×4 you can find. For even more comfort, safety, and reach, consider taking a professional tour into the area. They will also be able to show you places along the way that you wouldn’t have found on your own.
Whatever way you choose to travel in the highlands, it is guaranteed to be a fantastic Iceland adventure.
If you are looking to explore the highlands and prefer a guided experience, you can join our Wonders of the Wilderness tour or request a tailor-made tour.
He joined us for a drive around Breiðdalur valley and filmed several beautiful clips of the area. Here are two videos showcasing this beautiful place.
The first is an overview of the valley and its many sights. The second one focuses on two stunning waterfalls that decorate the valley.
Let’s take the chance to go on a journey through the beautiful landscape.
To see these beautiful sights you can join us on tour around Breiðdalur valley or our East Iceland Nature and Culture excursion for a more extensive experience.
]]>Even though parts of Iceland have received snow and chilly temperatures over the last few days springtime has arrived. Along with longer days, the grass and flowers start growing, and the leaves of the trees begin to bloom. This is the time when migrant birds return after their flight south for the winter, and the lambs are born.
So far the grass is getting greener day by day, the trees are developing leaf buds, and some garden flowers have begun blooming. But soon the wildflowers will start thriving as well.
Of the migrant birds, the European golden plover is among the most popular. It arrives as early as late March or early April and is considered the spring indicator in Iceland. The Arctic Tern, however, is the bird that truly brings the summer to Icelanders. It usually arrives in early May and as such rings in the warmer seasons when Icelanders can finally count on kinder climates. Those birds are so renowned as summer birds that when they arrive each year it is reported on the local news. Other spring indicators are the Swans, Geese and many more.
Another of the fascinating aspects of Spring is the birth of the farm animals such as sheep, horses, and cows. This season you can see small lambs playing on the lawn by most farms, foals, and calves in other.
The springtime is a life-affirming time that reminds you of the positive things in life. It is a time to enjoy and be creative.
The Arctic Fox is the only mammal that arrived in Iceland on its own device. All other mammals have been brought here by humans. The fox arrived in Iceland during the last ice age across the ice covering the entire arctic circle.
The Arctic Fox is rather small compared to European or American foxes. They have evolved this way to reduce heat loss by reducing the skin surface.
Just like other animals native to Iceland, the fox has thicker fur in winter to adapt to the cold climate of winter. Due to this thick fur, they can endure temperatures as low as -35°C (-31°F) without increasing their metabolism. Only when the temperature drops below -70°C (-94°F), the foxes’ metabolism has doubled, and they start to tremble to produce heat. The majority of the foxes in Iceland change colors between seasons. They are white in winter to camouflage in the snow, and in summer, it is dark brown on the back and lighter on the stomach. Another variety is brown the entire year. But this variety is not as common as the other one.
In Iceland, the diet of the Arctic Fox consists mainly of birds and eggs. They also eat mice as well as larger animal carcasses they come across.
The foxes mate for life and each couple marks their territory where they make their home. They create holes in the ground within their territory, and it’s in those holes the cubs grow up. The territory also marks their hunting ground and for that reason, it is very important for them to chose a good territory as that will define their success.
The foxes live all across Iceland, but they are not always easy to find. The Hornstrandir nature reserve is the best place to see them in their natural habitat. In Hornstrandir, they are protected from hunting. For that reason, there is a large fox population in that area.
Information sourced from the Icelandic Institute of Natural History
The cover image is by Daniel Byström
]]>In Icelandic Bolla means a small round pastry. It can be either sweet or savory but on this day, in particular, they are traditionally filled with whipped cream and jam and topped with chocolate glazing. Now in the later years though, people have gotten more creative with the filling.
Traditionally you should not make or buy your own pastry on this day. For this reason, it is traditional for children to make a stick with a soft puffy end. They use that to spank their parents in the morning screaming “Bolla” repeatedly. If they manage to do this before their parents get up in the morning, their parents ow them as many pastries as they managed to spank their parents.
The other days of this 3-day festivity are Explosive Tuesday (as in eating too much and “explode”) and Ash Wednesday.
]]>
The main staple of a Þorrrablót festivity is the food. It is an old traditional Icelandic food. The menu includes food items like a fermented shark, sour ram’s testicles, sour, boiled sheep’s head jam, sour blood sausage, and sour liver sausage. This sour and fermented preparation is an ancient method of food preservation. It was used in Iceland when all food production happened in summer. The food had to be preserved all winter while there were no freezers. Now, this method is mainly used to make the food for this festivity. Aside from these sour foods, there is also boiled sheep’s head, non-sour blood sausage, liver sausage, and sheep’s head jam, smoked and hung meat, rye bread and dried fish.
While the guests at Þorrablót are eating, the organizers put on a show. Often this show is a selection of acted jokes of events occurring in the community over the last year. After the meal, everyone gets up and stack the tables up to the side to clear the floor. It is time to dance and have fun all through the night.
The Þorrablót tradition in its present-day form is not very old. All old Norse religious traditions had been abolished for years. But the Icelandic independence movement decided to revive this tradition in the late 19th century to emphasize the different traditions in between Icelanders and their rulers in Denmark. They drew their inspiration from the old Norse religion, where blót festivities were held a few times each year to honor the Norse deities. At blót, it was traditional to sacrifice life stock at the altar and eat and drink abundantly. It was also the time for families or communities to come together in a time where transportation was sparse, and social life was mainly confined to each home.
Nowadays, the Þorrablót tradition is not religious, and there is no animal sacrifice during the event. Now, these events are purely social and a celebration of Icelandic history and culture.
]]>
One tradition held by many Icelandic families is to gather together to make a special Christmas bread called Laufabrauð (leaf bread). This tradition is also one of the most unique Christmas traditions in Iceland. Most other Christmas customs can be traced back to Denmark or some of the other Scandinavian countries.
Each bread is a leaf-thin slice of dough that is hand cut with patterns before being deep-fried. This process gives us these thin, delicate and crispy pieces of bread.
This tradition dates back to the early 18th century. At that time wheat and other corns were expensive and hard to come by in Iceland. Bread was therefore not an everyday food item in Icelandic households. To make the holidays special, these thin bread cakes were made so that everyone could have a little bread at Christmas. For this reason, laufabrauð was mainly served at richer households. It wasn’t until the 19th century that commoners were serving this bread at Christmas. At first, this custom was mostly contained in the north of Iceland. It wasn’t until the 20th century that the tradition had spread around most Iceland. Nowadays you would have a hard time to find someone who doesn’t eat laufabrauð at Christmas. But with that said, not everyone makes their own, many people buy their laufabrauð at the store.
As you may imagine, each family adapts their traditions their own way. This leads to different variations in the recipes between families. There may also be different cutting patterns between households. There is even a family that paints a few pieces of laufabrauð for decoration after they have made the edible batch.
Would you like to try this Icelandic delicacy?
]]>