Glacial Lagoon

Jökulsárlón is the best known and the largest of a number of glacial lakes in Iceland. It is situated just by the road no. one, midway between Skaftafell National Park and Höfn. Appearing first only in 1934-1935, the lake grew from 7.9 km² in 1975 to at least 20 km² today because of heavy melting of the Icelandic glaciers. Approaching a depth of 200 m, Jökulsárlón is now probably the second deepest lake in Iceland.

Jökulsárlón is separated from the sea by only a short distance, and the combined action of the glacier, the river that empties from the lake, and the ocean may eventually transform it into an inlet of the sea. There are plans to prevent this from happening, since the only road in the area passes over the narrow isthmus.

Seals are often seen in the lake and in the river running to the sea and occacionally one can see whales out on the sea.

Boats take you close to the icebergs. A unbelievable experience and great opportunity for photographing one of Icelands great nature sites.

This is where Iceland meets Greenland. You can watch the icebergs calve and break away from the clacier right beside you, on a breattaking cruise around a glacial lagoon.

Ingólfshöfði

A bird watching and history trip in a nature reserve.

Ingólfshöfði is an isolated headland between black sands and the Atlantic Ocean, with thousands of nesting seabirds, especially puffins and the great skua. This historical cape is named after the first settler of Iceland, Ingólfur Arnarson, who spent his first winter in Iceland there in the year 874 AD.

To get to Ingólfshöfði you cross 6 km of waters, marshes and sands in a tractor-drawn hay cart. A guided tour takes about 2,5 hours, included 25 minutes each way in the hay cart and 1,5 hours hiking around the cape.

Kayak Tour

Introductory Kayak Trip at Hofsnes Farm

Beginners friendly and easy kayaking trip on the gentle running stream Landáll at Hofsnes farm, 30 km east of Skaftafell National Park. The first 2,5km from road no. one is very easy, and it is even possible to have a child (1-7 year old) in front of a parent in some of our boats. About 8 year old kids should be able to paddle their own boats at least when we do the shorter version of the trip that ends at Bakkahorn.

The trip ends at the parking for Ingólfshöfði trips (see the Coast Tour).

Coastal Experiences - Adventur, Excitement, Fabulous views

Coastal Experiences offers boat trips on the glacial runoff water of Hornafjörður, together with four-wheeling on the endless Suðurfjörur sand bar. Boats carry you from Ósland park to this completely uninhabited beach, a strip of black sand holding back the Atlantic breakers from Europe’s biggest glacier, Vatnajökull. On four-wheelers, we will drive to the mouth of the estuary, which is the most treacherous entrance channel to any Icelandic harbour. Besides examining ruins from World War II, we will observe the rich bird life along the beach, where we in turn are likely to be watched by curious seals. An excursion along Suðurfjörur beach is a unique opportunity to enjoy pure, constantly renewed surroundings, while looking through the clear coastal air at some of the most beautiful scenery in Iceland.

Sailing

The Glacier lagoon is close to highway number one, (70km west of Arnanes), one of the greatest wonders of nature in Iceland. The surface is at sea level and sea water flows into the lagoon at high tide.

Huge blocks of ice constantly break off the glacier, Breidamerkurjokull glacier, and large icebergs from the glacier float on the lagoon. The lagoon is not very wide but it up to 160 meters deep. The glacier Breiðamerkurjökull glacier is an outlet of the Vatnajökull glacier.

The company Jökulsárlón offers exciting boat trips on the glacier lagoon. And you can sail among the hugh icebergs. It is really facinating. The ice from the glacier is over 1,000 years old. This is a very popular sightseeing attraction, widely regarded as the most picturesque scenery in all of south Iceland. The duration of the boattrip is approximately 40 minutes.

Northern Lights

The surrounding mountains offer a great opportunity to see the dance of the northern lights. This only happens in the winter between October and February.

Seals

It takes just about 5 minutes to drive from Arnanes to the beach where seals can often be seen. They rest on small cliffs at the beach.

Lónsöræfi

Lónsöræfi (1 hour w. bus from Arnanes) is a wide un habited mountain area east of Höfn. It is spectacular with it´s geological and vegetational contrasts. The landscape is richly colored, dominated by rhyolite and minerals can be found in many places. Lónsöræfi is a very popular hiking area and a few cottages are available there for accommodation. It is common to see reindeer in Lónsöræfi. (Daily bus tours to Lónsöræfi from Höfn via Arnanes during summer.)

Hunting

There are many posibilities for the hunter in Southeast Iceland. You can hunt deer, ptarmigan, gray goose and sea birds. Hunting in Iceland is restricted to seasons for each type of game. A gun owners licence and a hunting permit from your country is required. It is highly recommended that hunting be planned well in advance and we offer various services in this regard. For deer hunting info visit: www.hreindyr.is. For info on permits contact veidistjorn@ust.is

Hiking

There are many marked trails and trips you can make. Maps and more info is available in our reception and in the Tourist information center in Höfn.

Fishing

You can choose from fishing salmon in the "Laxá" river, (1km from Arnanes) or go fishing trout in a nearby lake. Visit www.strengir.is for further information.

Birdwatching

At the southeast-coast you can expect to see a great variety of birdlife. For example you can see Puffins, Great Skua, Harlequeins and Guilllemonts. You find some info (in Icelandic) at www.fuglar.is. We recommend bird watching.

Activities

• Sailing on the glacial lagoon - www.jokulsarlon.is
• Tours on the glacier - www.glacierjeeps.is
• Bird-watching, ice-climbing, walking on the glacier etc - www.hofsnes.com
• Bird-watching - www.fuglar.is
• Glacier excursions, incentive trips, surprise outings - www.vatnajokull.is

• The Icelandic meteorological Office - www.vedur.is
• The Icelandic Road Administration - www.vegag.is
• The Icelandic Tourist Board - www.icetourist.is