Making my journey towards the north of Iceland to enjoy some much anticipated whale watching trips, that I’d soon discover to be addictive, with a few pit stops along the way.
Krafla volcano, when you arrive and see beautiful blue waters inside the volcano it seems hard to imagine that not too long ago it was still erupting with the area around it still warm and the geothermal area still bubbling away. I was very entertained by a shower and basin that was permanently running on the side of the road, wondering if anyone has had a proper shower there, if so I take my hat off to those brave souls.
Hverir geothermic area, very similar to krysuvik geothermal area on the first day, but with a lot more power. Huge stone mounds have been made, with steam pouring out of them like a steam train and the grounds bubbling around it.
Grjotagja cave, this is quite interesting, being able to walk in a crack in the ground where you enter a lava cave greeting you with a dark atmosphere but some lively blue waters.
Hverfjall, although a massive volcano and should be an incredible moment at the top, I did appreciate the true scale of it better at a distance, the top seemed more like a normal mountain-scape than a volcano.
Blue lake, this was an unexpected find. As I was driving to these marked pit stops, I drove past this vast blue steaming lake and had to double back to take some photos and enjoy it. It gave the idea of a hot tropical island, though the water is far too hot and swimming is not permitted.
The Husavik whale watching museum, I decided to use the extra time I had to visit Husavik, and try my luck with a whale watching tour, there was an opening for later in the afternoon and was recommended by the whale museum, this was a truly informative museum and a great way to have some better insight for my whale trips.
North sailing whale watching, I did the boat tour that included a trip around puffin island. The trip was done on a wonderful oak boat, a real novelty and something I hadn’t experienced with great sightings of many minke whales and a few humpback whales. There was a lot of feeding behaviour going on with mouths being brought right out and birds diving all around. On the way back we saw a few white-beaked dolphins with their calves jumping out of the water on the horizon. It was a very informative tour done with some passionate people, enjoying a warm hot chocolate and a cinnamon bun on the way back. This tour has a great opportunity for blue whales that are becoming ever more common in the area, I visited a little too early in the year, and another good reason for me to visit again.
After all of this I headed to my next accommodation for the next two nights, Akureyri backpackers. I had been spoiled the last few days, I did find this accommodation a little under par, being in a larger city it was more commercial than the others I had visited, still being very comfortable and everything one would need. Being part of a pub, the atmosphere was very jolly and a place to make some friends. The trip today was roughly about 350km.
Take note: If travelling this route, there is a tunnel that needs to be paid for, you can pay online before or 3 hours after you have been through it.
