Seljaveitingar

The Eyjafjallajökull glacier is a 1666 m high glacier-capped stratovolcano. It is one of the smaller glaciers of Iceland. It is situated to the north of Skógar and to the south and west of the bigger glacier Mýrdalsjökull. The icecap of the glacier covers a volcano (1666m in height) which has erupted relatively frequently since the Ice Age. The crater of the volcano has a diameter of 3-4 km and the glacier covers an area of about 100 km². In June 1994 an earthquake swarm lasting for nearly a month occurred below the active volcano Eyjafjallajökull in South Iceland. It is otherwise a relatively quiet volcano - although it is not listed as being inactive. Eyjafjallajökull erupted last in 1821-1823. The south end of the mountain was once part of the Atlantic coastline. As the sea has since retreated some 5 km, the former coastline has left behind sheer cliffs with a multitude of beautiful waterfalls, the best known of them being Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss. In strong winds, the water of some of the smaller falls can even be blown up the mountain. It is one of the three glaciers that surround the Thorsmörk area - the other 2 being Myrdalsjökull and Tindfjallajökull. Specialized tours are arranged on the glacier for both skiing, superjeep tour and hiking. One should never venture onto the glacier without guides and good knowledge of these kind of activities as this is a very dangerous area for unexperienced visitors.

The volcanic eruption in Vestmannaeyjar in 1973 is, without doubt, considered the largest natural disaster in Iceland in recent history. The eruption begun on January 23rd on the island of Heimaey , the only populated island of the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago. After the evacuation of the inhabitants, and during the 5 months while the eruption lasted, there was much uncertainty as to whether or not the island could ever be repopulated.

The eruption, the destruction of a large part of the town, and the changed landscape of this tiny island made world news and when it was over, tourists and scientists alike from all over the world visited the island to witness the fury and the results of nature's forces.

Now more than 30 years have passed and the memories and signs of that spectacular natural fury are somewhat fading, but the lava and ash of the eruption silently covers almost 400 homes and buildings, a third of the town in 1973.

"Pompei of the North" is the name given to the project to excavate some of these homes. Its objective is to give visitors the opportunity to see with their own eyes what actually happened in 1973. Here is a unique, modern archeology dig that cannot be compared to anything else. The plan is to excavate 7-10 houses that were covered by ash. The project was started during the last part of June 2005. It is a carefully planned and ambitious task that is expected to take several years. The house that stood at Suðurvegur 25 can already be seen and the next step is to continue excavating down the street of Suðurvegur. The object is, that in time, a small village will rise out of the ash and those that see it will be able to more easily comprehend the extent of devastation that a volcanic eruption can cause. This excavation should largely influence the interest of visitors to come to Vestmannaeyjar. The excavation of "Pompei of the North" will be a special experience every step of the way up Suðurvegur.

Great Dímon is the name of a landmark that landmark East Landeyjar, Fljótshlíð and West Eyjafjöll. Great Dimon has a sister mountain called Litla Dimon or Little Dimon. The name is thought to come from Latin, meaning twin mountains or two alike. It has also been said that the word means haystack and it certainly is reminiscent of a haystack surrounded by golden fields. Near the mountain a sign has been erected by the Saga Center of Hvolsvöllur which tells of battles fought in the area during the times of the settlement of Iceland in the most famous of Icelandic sagas, Njálssaga. The mountain is only 178 meters high and is a fun hike for both adults and children.

At the Saga Centre in Hvolsvöllur, guests are invited into a medieval world of Icelandic culture in the early centuries of Iceland's history. The exhibition covers such subjects as ocean travel and navigation, religion, Viking cosmology, and the literary art of the sagas, Iceland's most important contribution to world literature. Prominence is given to Njáls Saga, the masterpiece of Icelandic sagas, which takes place in the Rangárvellir region. The saga tells of the close friendship between the hero, Gunnar of Hlídarendi, and the sage, Njáll of Bergthórshvoll; and it tells of their wives, who are sworn enemies and think nothing of sacrificing the lives of slaves and labourers in the service of their own virulent disputes, it tells of powerful love, conflicts and deceit, battles and holy reconciliation. The pagan way of thinking and complicated intrigues, gives Gunnar´s enemies the right to kill him and the sage Njáll and his wife are burned to death in their home with their sons. In the Viking Hall, a replica of a medieval longhouse, its walls paneled with timber, and the benches are clad with horsehide, the guest can sit down or continue to the model of the assembly site at Þingvellir around 1000 AD. The Centre also houses an interesting exhibition on the history of commerce and the cooperative movement in South of Iceland.

Open summer 09:00 - 19:00 from June 1. - Septemer 1.

Keldur is a historic settlement where Jón Loftsson, the chief of the Oddaverjar clan, lived during the last years of his life. Keldur also had a Catholic monastery. There is a medieval-type turf farm at the site, the only large turf farm that has been preserved in South Iceland. There is an underground tunnel leading from the hall, thought to date from the 12^th or 13th century, which was probably built as an escape during a time of conflict.

Although most of the houses date from the 19^th century, the oldest part of the farm building is the oldest preserved part of a turf farm in Iceland. A number of outhouses have also been preserved at the farm. There is also a church there, built by constable Guðmundur Brynjólfsson in 1875.

The church is built of timber and clad with iron. The pulpit, altar and candle arms were built by Hjörtur Oddsson, joiner and farmer at Eystri-Kirkjubær. The altarpiece illustrates the Last Supper and is by Ámundi Jónsson, joiner in Syðra-Langholt. The church underwent repairs in 1956-1957. Gréta and Jón Björnsson painted and decorated the church, like they did with the church at Oddi.

Keldur derives its name from the springs that can be found in the farmland. The farm and its occupants are mentioned in many works of medieval literature, including Njal's Saga, Sturlunga Saga and the Saga of Saint Thorlákur.

The old farm at Keldur is managed by the National Museum of Iceland and can be visited daily during the summer.

Eyjafjöll is a beautiful region of south Iceland, which is easily accessible and popular with visitors.

Fantastic canyon, very narrow around 2 km. long and ends in a beatiful waterfall. Easy hike where you can enjoy nature, birdlife and of course cold, clean mountain water.

The caves in Efra-Hvol (Upper Hvol) have histarically been referred to as "the Irish Caves" which are set into the so-called, "Irish Heath". It was originally thought that many of these man-made or artificial caves were madein the 19th century, but in fact, their histofical names appear to confirm they originated even beforr the settlement period.

More geosites in the neighbourhood: www.katlageopark.com

The Merkjá River has several beautiful waterfalls, but the most outstanding is Gluggafoss or Window Falls. (also known as Merkjárfoss) The upper half of the cliff is palagonite or tuff rock and the lower ledge is basalt. The river has formed tunnels and grooves through the soft rock and a series of 'windows' in the tunnels, thereby earning the name 'Gluggafoss'. At the very top of the falls, the river passes under a stone arch. As the rock is rather soft, the waterfall has changed over time. Around 1947 the upper half of the waterfall could hardly be seen, as the water flowed into a vertical tunnel behind the cliff. It was only visible through three different openings or 'windows' one above the other. The water came out through the bottom 'window', forming a beautiful arch, except when the water rose in the river, forcing it through all three windows. Further changes occurred when Hekla erupted in 1947, causing a 20 cm thick layer of volcanic ash to be carried downstream by the river. The vertical tunnel formation nearly disappeared as it filled with ash. It has taken nearly 50 years for the falls to return to its former glory.

More geosites in the neighbourhood: www.katlageopark.com

A unique waterfall in the river Seljalandsá, about 30 km west from Skógar. It is 60 meters high with a foot path behind it at the bottom of the cliff, but with a thin cascade. It is the only known waterfall of its kind, where it is possible to walk behind it. The waterfall is very picturesque and therefore its photo can be found in many books and calendars.

Access to the waterfall is from the farm of Seljaland along the Ring Road, Iceland's main highway. A little further to the west there are several other falls, among them the interesting Gljúfrabúi which is partially masked by its own canyon. Access to it is from Hamragarðar farm along the road, east of Markarfljót.

Both of these "do-not-miss" attractions lie very close to the main Ring Road at the base of the Eyjafjallajökull Glacier, on the road leading in to Thorsmörk.