Top choice in The South
Just south of the Ring Road, 8km east of Hella, Hótel Rangá, with its stuffed polar bear in the lobby, looks like a log cabin but caters to Iceland’s high-end travellers. Service is top-notch, and the wood-panelled rooms and luxurious common areas are cosy. The restaurant (mains 2600kr to 10,500kr) has broad windows looking across open pastures.
To splash out, go for a master suite.
29.85 MILES
This 62m-high waterfall topples over a rocky cliff at the western edge of Skógar in dramatic style. Climb the steep staircase alongside for giddy views,…
24.16 MILES
The 221m-high volcanic cone Eldfell appeared from nowhere in the early hours of 23 January 1973. Once the fireworks finished, heat from the volcano…
15.57 MILES
Not far from Seljalandsfoss, on the road to Þórsmörk (4WD required), hides one of the most thrilling and adventurous scrambles to a waterfall along a…
23.96 MILES
More than 400 buildings lie buried under lava from the 1973 eruption, and on the edge of the flow ‘Pompeii of the North’ is a museum revolving around one…
14.8 MILES
From the Ring Road you'll see the beautiful high falls at Seljalandsfoss, which tumble over a rocky scarp into a deep, green pool. A (slippery) path runs…
28.47 MILES
Birdwatchers should head 3km northwest of Eyrarbakki to Flói Nature Reserve, an important estuary and marshland on the eastern bank of the Ölfusá. It’s…
23.38 MILES
This lovely green area by the sea has several unique historical sights. The oldest structure on the island, Skansinn was a 15th-century fort built to…
23.69 MILES
Known as Eldfellshraun, the Mars-like land created by the 1973 lava flow is now criss-crossed with a maze of otherworldly hiking tracks that run down to…
2.71 MILES
Essentially displaying Iceland’s birth story, the LAVA Centre is a full-blown multimedia experience on volcanic and seismic life. Divided into multiple…
7.39 MILES
About 5km west of Hvolsvöllur, unsurfaced Rte 264 winds about 8km north along the Rangárvellir valley to the medieval turf-roofed farm at Keldur. This…
13.21 MILES
Around 8km west of Fljotsdalur HI Hostel you'll find this lesser-known waterfall dropping some 45m from the cliff above, fed from the Merkja River. It…
4. Seljalandsfoss & Gljúfurárbui
14.8 MILES
From the Ring Road you'll see the beautiful high falls at Seljalandsfoss, which tumble over a rocky scarp into a deep, green pool. A (slippery) path runs…
15.57 MILES
Not far from Seljalandsfoss, on the road to Þórsmörk (4WD required), hides one of the most thrilling and adventurous scrambles to a waterfall along a…
16.33 MILES
On the farm of Hellar in Landsveit, this 50m long human-made cave was built up to 11m below the soil at its deepest point. Inside a barn, visitors walk…
17.11 MILES
The Hekla Center is part of the Leirubakki compound (camping, hotel and restaurant). It details the explosive history of Hekla in a deliberately dark…
18.2 MILES
The informative Þjórsárstofa, in a large white building, has an excellent display about the nearby attractions (crashing waterfalls and an atmospheric…