Southeast - Hofn area

July 08, 2026

Glaciers!!

Chain on key

Dude seeing iceland without a car or bike. Buses? Hoping for a ride?

Hello! As planned we moved South to the area around Hofn on Sunday. We made a few stops along the way.

Folaldafoss

The cute little town Djupivogur had this interesting art installation of eggs. There were 34, one each for the birds in the area.

The lighthouse was charming and had a ladder so that you could go to the upper landing.

It was a beautiful day!

We next stopped at a Black Sand Beach for a little stroll.

Next up Skutafoss.

We finally made it our place for the next few days and had this friendly greeter. He hung out a while but sprang into action when some sheep wandered up the road! He herded them right back toward home.

I think the people who own this place have trust issues. The key to our door is chained to the inside of the lockbox. Once you open the box you have to open the door with the key while it remains tethered to the box. Good grief!

Monday was a big day for us: we had a double activity excursion planned. In the morning kayaking on a glacier lake, in the afternoon hiking on a glacier.

We met up with our group and got outfitted with dry suits and boots. After a 30 minute drive we arrived at the base of the Heinabergsjokull Glacier.

Our guide was a little nutty, he actually brought up the Epstein Files at one point. It was awkward to say the least. Tell us about glaciers ya weirdo!

The lake, while resembling Cappuccino in color, was smooth as a mirror.

The blue ice is super dense. It is the density that gives it the blue color.

Carsten is in his happy place!

It was so quiet and serene. The clouds were low but it did not rain a drop on us!

After a quick lunch we found our guide AJ, a quintessential Viking! We got lucky, our group of 11 turned into a group of four when the others (who were together) went to the wrong meeting place. This made a big difference in our tour.

We walked a bit and then put on our crampons for walking on the Breidamerkurjokull glacier. We even got to descend into an ice cave!

This is inside the ice cave. We could hear the water rushing far below us in the river below the glacier. Crazy!

Carsten's turn:

The colors are extraordinary! The pressure on the ice creates these vivid blues.

Our view from the top looking over Jokulsarom glacier lagoon.

All over the glacier there were these little pyramid piles of volcanic ash. The ash, which is carried onto the glacier by the wind, actually insulates the ice. As the area around the ash melts it recedes, as a result the ash ends up in these little piles.

It was such an amazing tour! AJ was super, the group was small and the hiking was long but somehow manageable. A great day!

One thing we talk about as we have circumnavigated the island is how different it is from one side to the other. Really all you have to do is drive 80-100 miles and you will see something completely new. It never gets boring!

Tuesday we woke to low clouds and light rain. We checked the radar and decided our planned route West would take us away from the rain. Off we go!

We did a little hike to another glacier in Skaftafell National Park.

Starting back we stopped at Diamond Beach. These giant icebergs break off the glacier and end up in the lagoon. The lagoon flows out to a river which leads to the North Atlantic Ocean.