Husafell and Langjoskull_Glacier

Husafell and  Langjoskull_Glacier

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Just about a month back the  NyTimes Travel section had this article
"Adventure Seekers Set Sights on Wild West Iceland"  daylong excursion takes visitors, via man-made ice tunnels, directly inside the Langjokull glacier — the formerly off-the-tourist-radar Husafell has begun to attract more foreigners, a perhaps inevitable consequence of the overall boom in tourism Iceland has seen in recent years. 

Husafell Hotel with  Geothermal swming  pool was nice, 
Ice cave and  snowmobile was  great experience. 

Langjokull  Glacier  

Madhu Tushar at Husafell 

Video 

Iceland Hidden Gems: Hraunfossar and Barnafoss Waterfalls

 
Looking for some Hidden Gems in Iceland (Photo album) . Get off the beaten path by visiting Hraunfossar & Barnafoss waterfalls, a quick day trip from Reykjavik! |

Video of the falls



ttt Life With a View. My favorite part of traveling is  Going to places that are off the beaten path! Don’t get me wrong, 
places like Golden circle Geysir and Skogafoss are definitely sights worth seeing, but there’s something special about being the only one around  in the middle of pure Icelandic nature!

I had my eye on these beautiful waterfalls for a while, so I was excited to finally see them in person! More so  to when the colors of the foliage has  made their presence. 
 When I first saw Hraunfossar((translates to “Lava waterfalls”) it was everything I had imagined, but BETTER.  We have  been to many  wonderful falls in Iceland and even on the planet  including the Iguassu falls and Victoria falls.  Dynjandi  in  west fjord ranked as  the most beautiful waterfall in the Iceland, however  for me this was  the ultimate waterfall, A long wall of water cascading over moss covered lava, falling into bright turquoise water!  
I too thought that turquoise water in pictures is some effect of filter or photo post processing.   No, water is naturally turquoise.

The water falls into the Hvitá River – downstream from Gullfoss waterfall! I love the look of this river, bright water carved out between sharp lava walls. 
If it’s a clear day you can see the Langjökull glacier in the background. 
After you cross the bridge you will see Barnafoss on your left. Barnafoss translates to “children´s waterfall” and has a
 Icelandic legend that goes along with it:

A woman and her two children were living on a nearby farm. The woman went to church service, leaving the kids at home. When she came back, 
the children were missing. People searched for the children and found footsteps up to the stone arch over the river.
 Devastated at her loss, the mother had the stone arch destroyed so no children could cross the falls again.
The fury of the torrent is so highm no one  can dare to cross the fall anyway !

Snæfellsjökull National Park;

Photo Albums 

1. Selected  Snaefellsnes National Park 
2.  Madhu Tushar at  Snaefellness 
3. Rest  of Snaefellsnes National Park

Snaefellsnes National Park is perhaps best known for glacier-capped
Snaefellsjokull volcano (4,745'), with its literary and mystical associations. I had my own  association with place. In his book Journey to the Center of the Earth, (probably  my first English film  Gasford  theater, Rajkot ) Jules Verne  ( Our one of  most  favorite authors in the eight grade) described this as  the starting point for the subterranean journey of his protagonist, German geologist Professor Lidenbrock, in his epic quest. With the volcano as a backdrop, we
walk an attractive stretch of the Arnarstapi coast past coves and inlets lined
with cliffs that are often covered with kittiwakes’ nests. Then we’re off to
Londrangar Pillars, two volcanic plugs remaining on the shoreline after the rest
of the crater eroded away. The rugged pillars attract seabirds like puffins and
fulmars who make their nests on them. We head for Djupalonssandur Beach, a
pebble beach with bizarre lava formations and four famous stones. Fishermen
used to lift these stones to test their strength: Fully Strong, 340 lbs.; Half
Strong, 220 lbs.; Weakling, 119 lbs.; and Bungler, 50 lbs.! A short hike from
Djupalonssandur brings us to Dritvik Cove, a popular landing spot for boats in
the past. It is estimated there were between 60 and 70 fishing outfits in Dritvik
at one time and the number of seasonal workers as high as 600. Nowadays there
is just a lone structure remaining, a refuge hut for fishermen who run aground
in the area.  s,

Explored the Snæfellsnes peninsula and the many small fishing hamlets situated around the peninsula. Spectacular rock formations, mountains, lava fields, and the magnificent Snæfellsjokull glacier that towers over the tip of Snæfellsnes peninsula are among the things to explore. The peninsula is sometimes referred to as “Iceland in miniature” because it offers so many of the things found all over Iceland. 

Hike to  Raudfeldarga  was the most demanding    A Narrow and  very deep   Chasm that rises  upright inside  a set of very high cliff.Walking up the streambed. Secret world of 100 little waterfalls and pools that keeps going up and up.    The  streambed made it impassable and  had to give up . 

Highlights: Kirkjufell foss  Djúpalónssandur 
Snæfellsjökull Glacier 
Lóndrangar Rock Formations 
Vatnshellir cave   ( Rt 574, 356; http://www.summitguides.is/vatnshellir-cave-op1r6
45 min guided laav tour) 
Arnarstapi Village 
Hellnar 


[Optional Extra:  
Viking Sushi Boat Tour 

(An excellent chance not only to explore the magnificent bird life of Breiðafjörður, but also to taste fresh scallops right from the sea. On this boat ride you will see some of the beautiful islands of Breiðafjörður fjord, various types of sea birds – especially popular are the puffins, which are seen around Iceland from late April to mid-August. After about 40 minutes of sailing, a shellfish plough will be lowered into ocean and selection of shellfish and sea life caught for viewing and tasting. Such as scallops, sea urchins, crabs, starfish, sea cucumbers and more. Some of these are possible to eat fresh, for example scallops and sea urchins. Soya sauce, wasabi, lemon and ginger is offered on board. As you head back to Stykkishólmur harbour, you will sail around more islands and look for white-tailed eagles. }


 

Mývatn-Krafla region

The Mývatn-Krafla region -- a volcanic smorgasbord of surreal lava fields, boiling and burping mud pools, sulfurous steam vents, explosion craters, and pseudocraters -- is Iceland's most varied place to see the earth in mid-formation. Mývatn lake is also a unique ecosystem and the largest migratory bird sanctuary in Europe, with thousands of waterfowl feeding on bugs and algae in the warm shallow water

We  were lucky to get  beautiful  foliage colors adding  variety  to the   colors   on  a sunny day.
  Mývatn is part of the greater Krafla volcanic system, a swath of faults and fissures 4 to 10km (2.5-6 miles) wide and 80km (50 miles) north to south, with Krafla caldera at its center . It is between two very powerful watterfalls

Myvatan area selected pictures

Myvatan area rest of the pictures


Myvatn Krafla area Video